Purim

A three-cornered cookie just kicked me in the ass. Huh? My grandiose idea to turn the good ol'hamantaschen into a delectable and unusual dessert fell as flat as a cookie, a rather homely cookie. I whisked up some meyer lemon curd this afternoon- this was my introduction to Meyer Lemon, and I have to say I'm very pleased to make it's acquaintance; citrusy in a mellow and sweeter way. The curd was the word- unfortunately the dough was a no show. I decided on a vanilla refrigerator cookie dough- too brittle and light to hold the rigid triangular shape and the creamy curd that filled it's center. They puffed out and reminded me of the branches outside our window that are covered in a thick fluffy layer of snow. They're 2-Dimensional, flat, awful to look at. This is when I wish I went to culinary school. I should have stuck with the cream cheese dough that I used for a piece in the newspaper. It was a sturdy, creamy tasting dough that held the jam well.

The dough I used for the kiddie cooking craziness was a dough helmed by oil and it was tough enough to withstand the pinches and pulls as well as the gooey dulce de leche and the choc-hazelnut center that was poked into it. For the second class at the JCC I used melted butter which did well too. To be honest, I think I'm struggling through a Purim overdose right now. Two classes and then a third today- a private one, for my little kiddles as it was a snowday. I feel like the past two weeks have been one long snow day. We made dulce de leche hamantaschen today, as the snowshaker emptied over us. Then we decorated masks with the feathers, sequins, buttons, and rhinestones I had left over from my classes. The Bernstein Bears and Too Much Purim. They all had fun so it's worth it.

Meyer Lemon Curd
Finely grate zest from 3 meyer lemons, and then squeeze the lemon juice into a medium glass bowl. Whisk 1/2c. sugar, 2 eggs to the juice and zest. Add 1 stick of butter cut into quarters. Set bowl over a saucepan of simmering water and then cook, stirring often for 10-15 minutes as it begins to thicken stir in 1/2 tsp. vanilla. Stir 1 minute longer. Remove and let cool.