Stand Facing the Stove, and make some hamentaschen

Zaf should be sending out resumes in a desperate attempt to assuage her broke-ness. As is, she’s sitting in Soho eating leftover hamentaschen (is there anything better than leftover hamentaschen?) and reading ‘Stand Facing the Stove.’

This is a great book. It is a wordy book. It is a vastly over-researched book (10 years, says the intro). It is a loooong book. It is the story of how the Joy of Cooking, America’s first popular cookbook, was written. I am a quarter through and I’ve only just finished reading about the first writer’s great grandfather’s military service. This book manages to miss the fact that, even though it is possible to research every single breath taken by your subject during their life, you shouldn’t.

Even so, this book rocks! And incidentally, so do the hamentaschen. Here’s the recipe I used, done in the original 1930's Joy of Cooking style:

ZAF Hamentaschen
Amusingly ornamental, use these merry tart-letes to bring a degree of agreeable anarchy to a midday tea party or soirée (I swear I couldnt make this stuff up). Preheat oven to 375, then cream together:
...... 2/3 cup butter
...... 1/2 cup sugar
Add
...... 1 egg
And either
...... 1/4 cup orange juice
Or
...... 1/4 cups of water
That has been mixed with
...... 1 teaspoon of vanila
Gradually add
...... 2 cups of flour
Mix gently, but do not kneed, then refrigerate for three hours. Roll thin using process described on P. 134 for butter cookies. Place
...... 1 tablespoon of canned poppyseed filling
Or
...... 1 tablespoon of raspberry jam
In the middle of each circle. Fold up the sides to make a triangle, Squeeze the corners tightly. Bake for about 10 minutes or until golden brown