Passion for Poppy Seeds

- for Aunt Sheron (my dad's sister)
She loves poppy seeds so much that she named her Yorkies, Poppy! *smiles*
This blog entry is dedicated to my Aunt and her many sweet Poppies.
I appreciate her dogs that have always made me giggle and grin on grumpy days.

Poppy Seed Dressing:

3/4 C sugar
1/3 C vinegar or lemon juice
4 1/2 t onion juice
4 1/2 t poppy seeds
1 t dry mustard
1 t salt
1 C oil
Combine sugar, mustard, salt, vinegar/lemon juice, and onion juice in blender. Add oil slowly, beating constantly until thickened. Add seeds.

Poppy Seed Bread with Lemon Glaze:

3 C. flour
3 1/2 t. baking powder
1/2 t. salt
1 C. poppy seeds
1 1/3 C. milk
3/4 C. sugar
2 eggs
1/4 C. shortening
1 t. grated lemon rind or orange rind or other flavoring.

Mix. Turn into a well-oiled, lightly floured 9x5x3 inch bread pan. Bake 1 hour at 350 degrees F.

Lemon Glaze:

3/4 C. confectioners sugar
1 t. vanilla extract
juice of 2 lemons

Combine glaze ingredients until smooth; drizzle over warm loaves.


Poppy Seed Filling for Strudel:

1 1b. ground poppy seeds
1/2 C. light cream
1 T. grated lemon rind
3/4 C. honey
1/2 C. currants
3 T. melted butter

Cook the poppy seeds, honey, cream and currants until thick. Stir in the lemon rind and cool. Spread on the oiled strudel dough and roll up. Brush with butter.

Poppy Seed Roll:

Dough
2 yeast cakes
1 C. lukewarm milk
1 1b. flour (4 C.)
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 C. sugar
1/2 C. butter or shortening, melted
1/2 t. salt
1 T. orange rind
1 t. lemon rind
1 t. vanilla
Poppy Seed Paste
1/2 lb. poppy seeds
1 pint boiling water
1/2 C. honey
1 egg
1/4 lb. almonds, chopped
1/2 C. sugar
2 T. butter

Dissolve yeast in milk. Place flour in bowl and add other dough ingredients in the order named. Mix and toss in lightly floured bowl. Cover and set aside in warm place until double its size. Meanwhile, soak poppy seeds in boiling water for one hour. Drain thoroughly through cheesecloth. Pound seeds until pastry. Blend in balance of paste ingredients. Cut dough in half. Knead five minutes and set aside 1/2 hour. Then pound dough and roll out into 1/2 inch thick sheets twice as long as they are wide. Brush with melted shortening. Spread half of paste on each sheet and roll like jelly rolls, pressing ends together. Set aside 1/2 hour in warm place. Brush with lukewarm milk and bake in moderate oven at 350 degrees for 40 minutes or until puffy and golden brown. Remove from oven. Cool. Dust with powdered sugar and slice before serving.

Polish Coffee Braid (Ciastro Na Strucle)/Babke:

Prepare dough as for Poppy Seed Roll (above), adding extra 1/2 C. sugar. When dough raises to double its bulk for the first time, divide dough in half. Cover and set aside 15 minutes in warm place. Then knead and roll out into 2 pieces twice as long as wide and 1 inch thick. Cut into three strips and braid. Press ends together. Cover and set aside in warm place until double its size. Brush top with egg yolk beaten with tablespoon of cold water and sprinkle with sugar. Bake in moderate oven 350 degrees about 45 minutes or until golden brown. Will keep for days if wrapped in waxed paper with towel covering. Serve with coffee or tea.


Puffy Egg Cookies (Jewish Kichlach "cookies"):

3 eggs
2 T. sugar
1/4 t. salt
1/2 C. salad oil (vegetable oil or peanut oil)
1 C. flour
4 T. poppy seeds
optional: 1 t. vanilla 1/2 t. almond flavoring

Beat the eggs until light, then beat in the oil, sugar, flour, and salt. Beat until very smooth. Stir in the poppy seeds, if you like. Drop by the teaspoon onto a greased baking sheet, leaving about 3 inches between each. (They spread and puff in baking.) Bake in a 325 degrees oven 15 minutes or until browned on the edges. Makes approximately 36.

Poppy-Seed Crunch:

3 T. butter
2 egg yolks
1 1/2 C. flour
1 1/2 t. baking powder
1 C. brown sugar
1/2 C. sugar
1 t. vanilla extract
1/8 t. salt
2 egg whites
1 C. ground poppy seeds

Mix butter, sugar, egg yolks, vanilla, flour, salt, and baking powder. Put into an 8-inch-square buttered pan. (The mixture won't hold together when you're handling it, but it will when baked.) Beat the whites of eggs until they begin to stiffen, then beat in the brown sugar. Fold in the poppy seeds. Spread over the dough. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes or until delicately browned and set. Cool and cut into squares.

Hamantaschen with poppy seed filling:

1 C. sugar
1/3 C. oil
1/3 C. shortening
3 eggs
1/2 C. orange juice
4 C. flour
3 t. baking powder
1 t. salt
1 egg, beaten
2 lbs. poppy seed filling

Cream sugar, oil, and shortening. Add eggs and juice and mix well. Blend with dry ingredients and roll into a ball. Divide into four parts. Roll out each piece very thin (about 1/8") on a floured board. With the rim of a cup or glass, cut into the dough to make circles. Place 1/2 to 2/3 t. of filling in the middle of each circle. To shape into triangle, lift up right and left sides. Lift up bottom side to center to meet other two sides. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Brush dough with beaten egg before baking. Grease cookie sheet. Bake 20 minutes. Makes 4 dozen.

Poppy Seed Filled Doughnuts (Kolaches):

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kolache
2 cups milk
1 cup water
1/2 cup lard
2 eggs
2 ounces cake yeast
1/4 cup sugar
3 teaspoons salt
6 cups flour
egg white
poppy seed filling

Scald milk. Add water and lard. The lard will melt. Add eggs and crumbled  yeast. Add sugar and salt. Add flour to make a soft dough. Grease top of dough, place in bowl, cover with a clean cloth and towel and let raise until double in bulk, Shape into little balls which are a little bigger than walnuts. Let raise about one-half hour. Flatten a ball with fingers. Brush top with egg white. Add filling. Press another bun out and press on top. Press all the way around edge with fingers. Continue with remaining dough and filling. Let raise one-half hour. Fry in deep lard until brown. Makes about four dozen.

Poppy Seed Filling:

About 2 cups poppy seed
About 1 cup milk
1 tablespoon butter
1 1/2 cups water
1/4 cup cream
1/4 cup dark corn syrup
Grind poppy seed. Cook with milk to make seed soft. Cook 10 minutes on low heat until thick, thicker than jam but not as thick as paste. Add butter, sugar, cream and syrup. This filling can be frozen.

Other fillings:

Cheese:

8 oz. cream cheese, soft
1 T. butter
1/3 C. sugar
2 egg yolks
1/2 t. each. lemon peel and vanilla
Makes 1 3/4 C. enough for 24.

Prune:
1 1/2 C. pitted prunes
1 C. water
6 T. sugar
1 t. lemon juice

Bring to boil; cook 10 minutes. Cool, then blend until smooth. Makes 1 1/2 C. for 24.

Date-Nut:
1 1/2 C. chopped dates
3/4 C. water
1/4 C. sugar
1 T. butter

Cook until thick about 10 minutes. Cool. Add 1/3 C. chopped nuts and 1/2 t. vanilla. Makes 1 1/2 C.

For the icing:
2 cups powdered sugar
2 T. butter
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 t. vanilla
4 T. milk

Poppy Seed Torte:

1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup poppy seed
22 graham crackers, rolled fine
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup melted butter
2 cups milk
1 cup sugar
4 egg yolks
2 T. cornstarch
2 T. flour
1 t. vanilla
4 egg whites
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 t. vanilla

Mix one-half cup milk and poppy seed; soak overnight or two hours. Butter an 8 by 11 inch pan. Mix crumbs, one-fourth cup sugar and melted butter. Line pan with crumb mixture, reserving four tablespoons for topping. Mix two cups milk, one cup sugar, yolks, cornstarch, flour and one teaspoon vanilla. Cook over low heat. When thick, remove from heat and cool. Mix with soaked poppy seed. Pour into crumb crust. Bake in 325 degree oven about 45 minutes. Beat egg whites with one-half cup sugar and one-half teaspoon vanilla until stiff. Spoon over top of custard, covering top. Sprinkle remaining crumbs over meringue. Return to oven for 15 minutes or until meringue is light brown. Makes 12 servings.

Poppy Seed Cake:

1 cup hot water
3/4 cup whole poppy seed
1/2 cup vegetable shortening
1 1/4 cups sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 egg whites very stiffly beaten (1/2 to 2/3 C)

Grease and flour (two heart pans - same time and temp.) a 9 by 13 inch pan. Pour hot water over poppy seed and let cool. Cream shortening and sugar. Add vanilla. Sift together flour, baking powder and salt. Add to creamed mixture alternately with poppy seed mixture. Fold in egg whites. Bake at 350 degrees about one-half hour.