Recipe: Hamantaschen with Quince from Memmisj

What does a seder evening look like in Australia, and what do they serve in South Africa? What is eaten during the Sabbath in Rio, the Antilles and Rome? And last but not least: how do they prepare their chicken soup in all corners of the world? Cookbook author Jonah Freud takes an in-depth look at Jewish cuisine around the world in her (wonderful!) new book Memmisj. After all, Jews live scattered across the globe, each with their own dishes, such as these hamantaschen with quince.

Jonah: “Hamantaschen are eaten during the Purim festival, which celebrates how Queen Esther of Persia once saved the Jews from genocide by bringing the Jew-hater Haman down. The cookies are eaten by Jews all over the world. As I am a great lover of quince jam, I make large quantities of it every autumn when the fruit is ripe. That is why I once made these hamantaschen with quince jam.”

How to make hamantaschen with quince

• For the dough, place the flour in a large bowl. Beat the eggs with the oil and mix with the flour and salt until you have a firm, cohesive dough. Divide the dough into 5 balls and leave them to rest, covered, for 1 hour.
• Meanwhile, make the quince jam if you have not already done so.
• Roll out the dough balls very thinly on a floured work surface. Use a sharp knife to cut them into diamonds approximately 7 centimetres long.
• Heat the oil to 180 °C. Fry the diamonds until golden brown and drain on kitchen paper.
• Heat the quince jam in a small saucepan so that it becomes easy to spread. Spread a layer of jam over the top of the hamantaschen and sprinkle them with icing sugar.
• Leave the hamantaschen to cool completely. Store them in an airtight tin.

How to make the quince jam

• Cut the quinces into pieces. Place the fruit and sugar in a thick-bottomed pan and bring to the boil, stirring with a wooden spatula. Let the jam boil for 40 minutes.
• Then pass the contents of the pan through a food mill. Collect the pulp and return it to the pan. Bring to the boil again and add the lemon juice and vanilla seeds. Let it boil for a little longer.
• Pour the jam into thoroughly cleaned jars, screw on the lids and leave them to cool upside down.

Title: Memmisj
Author: Jonah Freud
Price: €35
Publisher: Carrera Culinair

Read also:

• Recipe for the most delicious pear caramel tarts
• Recipe: pear cake with cardamom
• Recipe: pear cupcakes with cream cheese frosting