There are a couple of things I only make during Peysekh.  I am not thinking of peysekh-specific foods like matzo braa and matzo balls and khreyn, though these are things that I do not usually make outside of peysekh.  I am thinking of foods that are not obviously peysekh-specific, like French fries, mayonnaise, tea eggs, and ice cream.   I buy sugar cubes for peysekh, but at no other time.

I am trying to figure out if there is some common thread connecting these.

All this is to say I cannot wait for peysekh to use my new curly fries cutting gadget.I am all a quiver.

I understand that I state every year in the Survival Guide that I work with a more limited batterie de cuisine during peysekh, but each irresistible gadget brings the peysekh arsenal a little closer to parity.

Does anyone else look forward to special peysekh treats not obviously connected to the holiday?

Carrot Hamentashn

I made two small batches of halwa-inspired carrot filling this year.  For the first I shredded the carrots, and for the second, I ground them coarsely in the processor.  The second method makes a filling that is easier to handle and much more hamentashnogenic.  Then I packed them in these ingenious carrot-shaped baggies from Wilton.  You need to make very, very tiny hamentashn, to get them into the pointy part.

Carrot Filling

1/2 pound carrots
2 ounces (4 tablespoons, half a stick) butter
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon cardamon
one pinch each cinnamon and cloves
about 1/2 cup milk

Peel the carrots and grind or grate them.  Melt the butter in a skillet and add the carrots and sugar.  cook until the sugar melts and begins to caramelize.  Add the spices and milk and continue cooking until thick and fragrant.  Allow to cool and use to fill hamentashn or other pastry.   

Hamentash Round-up אַ גאַנץ יאָר המנטאַשן

I've already made lots of filling this year (Poppy and Apricot), but then I found these adorable carrot baggies And I am overwhelmed by a desire to make some Carrot Halwa filling for homentashn just to go with the bags, you know? Maybe I can make a carrot cake-type dough.

Remember an episode in A Girl of the Limberlost in which our gal's mother, a creature rotten through and through to everyone in general and her daughter in particular is inspired to make these amazing lunches because Elnora has an awesome lunchbox, and she just can't resist the challenge of somehow doing justice to the container? That's how I feel about these bags (will add photo as soon as possible).

Chocolate Dough (English)

Vegan Gluten-Free Hamentash Dough (English)

Vegan Gluten-Free Hamentash Dough (Yiddish) װעגאַן טײג

Chocolate Dough (Yiddish)

Apricot Filling

Poppy Seed Filling

White Poppy Seed Filling

Hemp Seed Filling

Povidl (Prune Filling)

פּאָװידלע Prune Filling (Yiddish)

hamentaschen, hamentashn, homentashn, hamentashen, homentashen