Purim Pizza
Spiced apricot jam, goat cheese, cardamom hamantaschen (with apricot preserves, goat cheese, walnuts, pears, ginger, lemon), walnuts, fresh sage
Recipe
Ingredients: 1 ball of dough flour for dusting
semolina flour for pizza stone olive oil salt & pepper log of goat cheese handful of walnuts, roughly chopped small handful of sage leaves, stems removed
For the spiced apricot sauce: 1 cup dried apricots 1 cup water ½ cup apple cider vinegar ¼ cup sugar 2 tablespoons honey 1 teaspoon paprika ¼ teaspoon salt
For the hamantaschen dough:* 2 eggs ½ cup sugar ½ stick of butter juice & zest of 1 lemon ½ teaspoon vanilla extract 2 ½ cups flour 1 teaspoon baking powder 1-2 teaspoons crushed cardamom pods (use a mortar & pestle to crush them, then remove shells and other large pieces) pinch of salt
For the hamantaschen filling*: ½ cup water 1/8 cup sugar juice of 1 lemon 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, peeled & minced 1 lb firm but ripe pears, peeled, cored & cut into ¼-inch dice ¾ cup apricot jam (you can use the sauce you made, or a different jam if you prefer a more mild one) ½ cup chopped walnuts 8 oz goat cheese
*This recipe will make more than enough hamantaschen to cover a pizza, so feel free to cut the ingredients in half—or just save the dough and make more hamantaschen later!
Directions: The dough for the hamantaschen can be made ahead—even the night before if you don’t have time that day. To make it, beat the eggs and sugar in a stand mixer on medium-low, using the whisk attachment, until they are light and fluffy.
Switch to the dough attachment and add the rest of the ingredients, mixing until the dough is fully combined and pliable. Divide the dough in half and chill for at least a half hour. When you’re ready to assemble them, preheat your oven to 375° F.
To prepare the pear filling, combine the water and sugar in a medium saucepan and simmer on low heat until the sugar has dissolved. Add the lemon juice, ginger & pear and simmer for another 10 minutes or so, until the pears are tender. Set aside.
Roll out your dough on a floured surface to about ¼ inch thickness. As you roll, occasionally pick up the dough and turn it 90 degrees, sprinkling a little more flour if necessary. This will help keep the dough from sticking.
Using a cup or mason jar, or round cookie cutters if you have them, cut the dough into circles about 2"-3" in diameter. You can pinch them out a little flatter if you don’t think they look big enough.
Lay the circles out on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Smear a thin layer of apricot jam on each one, followed by a sprinkle of walnuts and a small piece of crumbled goat cheese. Top with a spoonful of the pear mixture.
Lift up the edges of your circles to form a triangle, and pinch the corners so they stay together in the oven. You can close them completely or leave a little opening for the filling to peek out—either way, they’ll open a little bit as they bake. Bake for about 20-25 minutes, until golden.
While they’re baking, you can make the apricot sauce. If you want to use this for the hamantaschen instead of a store-bought apricot jam, you should obviously do this part sooner, but otherwise it’s probably most efficient to do it while the hamantaschen are in the oven.
Combine the dried apricots and water in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover the pot, and simmer for about half an hour, until the apricots have absorbed most of the liquid.
Next, puree the apricots in a blender and transfer the mixture to a bowl. Add the vinegar, sugar, honey, paprika & salt, and whisk until smooth. Cover the mixture and put it in the fridge until you’re ready to use it.
When the hamantaschen are done, increase the oven temperature to 550° F. While it’s heating, you can begin to prepare your pizza dough, using the instructions on the right. When the oven is hot and you’ve baked your dough for a minute, brush it lightly with olive oil.
Spoon out dollops of your spiced apricot jam and spread it evenly over the pizza, followed by spoonfuls of goat cheese. Next, lay out your hamantaschen in whatever pattern you like, and sprinkle the pizza with chopped walnuts.
Bake until the crust is a nice golden brown and the goat cheese is glistening. Take it out and top it with fresh sage leaves, and you’re ready to nosh!