ADULT HAMENTASHEN

So much space devoted to the wonderful festival of Purim (Magazine, March 6) and nary a word on how to make this special day a truly freiliche one. Well, in addition to the groggers, costumes, parades, and meals with family and friends, there is indeed a novel way of fulfilling the requirement to reach a state of “not knowing the difference between “blessed is Mordecai and cursed is Haman” – spiked hamentashen. Considering the ongoing debate over just how much imbibing is proper (or not) on Purim, very little on a pastry alternative to mixing up Mordechai and Haman is available online. There are a few hamentashen recipes that use wine, Baileys Irish Cream or Guinness, but they seem to be included as nothing more than flavorings. And, not surprisingly I guess, I drew a blank when I googled Redneck Hamentashen. This is particularly strange since spirits are readily used throughout the world of cooking and baking. Sauces, marinades and puddings are very frequently juiced up with the addition of wine or brandy, and I’ve come across more than a few recipes that call for a shot or two of the harder stuff as well. Hamentashen, however, appear to be stuck in the era of Prohibition.

The beauty of this fusion lies in its simplicity. Most hamentashen recipes call for liquid of one sort or another in both the dough and filling, orange juice being the most popular. All that’s needed is to replace the same amount of the required liquid with a good-quality bourbon, plus an additional jigger for good measure. All other aspects of whatever recipe the baker uses remain the same. And although any of the traditional fillings can be used, it’s best to leave chocolate or mohn (poppyseed) for the kids and use apricot or date for the adults.

I do hope that the corona scare will not have adversely affected the magic of Purim and that the splendor of the holiday, as described by your various contributors, will have remained unimpacted. Adding a bit of Wild Turkey or Jack Daniels to the traditional hamentashen just might ensure that this will never happen. BARRY NEWMAN

Ginot Shomron

I drew a blank when I googled Redneck Hamanstaschen