Apricot Filling for Homentashn

The apricots you want to use for filling are the California apricots (pictured top). They are the flatter, harder, sourer apricots. The ones I bought today are so sour you can see Krakow from Lemberg. The apricots that you do not want (for this particular recipe) are the Turkish apricots (not all of which are necessarily from Turkey). They are the sweeter, softer, plumper apricots (pictured bottom). I used to use them to top white chocolate truffle cakes. Hey, there’s a cake I haven’t thought about in a while. Maybe I’ll make one of those again some time.

Apricot filling for Homentashn (hamentashen), Doughnuts, or Layercakes

½ pound California apricots
1 cup water
½ cup sugar (you may adjust the sugar to your taste)
Optional: squeeze of lemon or orange juice or both, bit of grated lemon or orange zest. Small piece of vanilla pod, the tiniest drop of almond extract.

Put the apricots and water in a saucepan and leave them to soak for several hours or overnight. Add the sugar and optional ingredients, and bring to the boil. Cook for about ten minutes or until the fruit is quite tender. Allow to cool and puree in a processor or food mill. If you can only get Turkish apricots, omit the sugar and add some of the optional flavorings, but not too much. If you can taste almond extract, there is too much.

Maida Heatter’s recipe for chocolate shortbread makes a suitable dough for this filling.