Rather than the traditional poppy seed hamantaschen, Tosha Bakery celebrates the holiday with a festive poppy tart. According to Ashkenazi food expert Shmil Holland, to fully appreciate the unique flavor of poppy seeds, one must use freshly ground poppy seeds. He emphasizes the importance of high-quality seeds and cooking them with ample milk and butter to prevent dryness.
Shahaf Avraham and Tomer Swisa at Tosha Bakery did just that when creating this tart recipe. It features a crisp shortbread crust enriched with cream and speckled with poppy seeds and a sweetened poppy filling.
In regular times, their bakery operates in Rosh Hanikra across from Akhziv beach. However, since the war broke out and they were evacuated, they have been operating out of Blueberry in Nahariya. As part of our poppy pop-up for Purim, their tarts will also be available at Asif.
Be sure to buy your poppy seeds from a specialty spice shop and ask them to grind them for you. Use them immediately or store them in the freezer for up to a week.
Along with this poppy tart, you will find Farah Raslan’s poppy ma’amoul, Eldad Shmueli’s (Noa Bakery) poppy croissant, and more treats at our poppy pop-up, March 20-22. Renowned spice shop Habshush will also be on hand to grind fresh poppy seeds to take home.
For the crust:
130 grams (4 ½ oz) cold butter, cut into cubes
1½ cups (200 grams) flour
50 grams (¼ cup plus 1 tablespoon) powdered sugar
1 flat tablespoon (10 grams) freshly ground poppy seeds
2 tablespoons (30ml) heavy cream
For the poppy seed filling:
⅓ cup (75ml) milk
40 grams (1 ½ oz) butter
4 tablespoons (40 grams) sugar
2 tablespoons (40 grams) honey
¾ cup (75 grams) freshly ground poppy seeds
2 tablespoons (20 grams) almond flour
For blind baking:
2 cups dried rice/lentils/chickpeas
For serving:
Sour cream (27%)
- Prepare the shortbread crust: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix the butter, flour, ground poppy seeds, and powdered sugar to a crumbly dough.
- Add the heavy cream and mix just until the dough clumps together. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.
- Preheat the oven to 185C (375F).
- Roll the dough into a circle that’s approximately 3.5mm (0.15-in) thick circle and gently transfer it into a round tart pan, making sure it lines the bottom and edges.
- Blind bake: Line the crust with parchment paper and fill with the rice, lentils, or dried chickpeas. They will serve as weights and prevent the dough from rising during baking. Bake until the bottom crust is just beginning to brown, about 8 minutes. Let cool.
- Reduce the oven temperature to 165C (325F).
- Prepare the filling: Place the milk, butter, sugar, and honey in a small pot and bring to a boil. Remove from the heat, add the ground poppy seeds and mix well. Cook over a low heat for 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and add the almond flour. Using an immersion blender, grind until smooth.
- Pour the filling into the tart crust and bake for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely before serving.
- Dollop the sour cream in the center of the tart and gently spread to nearly cover the top. Serve immediately.
