Poppy seeds are associated with the classic poppy seed cake, but its potential is much greater. All you need is a bit of ingenuity to prepare something unique that will surprise you at the Christmas Eve table. This dessert delights with its lightness, refreshing taste and appearance. We show you how to prepare it.
The poppy has held a special place in the Polish Christmas tradition for centuries, combining elements of folk beliefs, Christian symbolism and ancient rituals. Many grains have symbolized abundance and wealth centuries ago and fertility, which is why dishes with poppy seeds appeared during important moments of the year, especially during winter rituals.
In Christianity, the poppy gained a new meaning. It became a sign symbolizing eternal hope and rebirthas well as the memory of deceased ancestors who, according to old beliefs, visited homes on Christmas Eve. Eating poppy seeds was also supposed to ensure prosperity in the coming year. Due to these customs and traditions, dishes containing this product still appear on Christmas menus.
If we have had enough of the traditional poppy seed cake, we can prepare a unique cake, which is a poppy seed tart with pears. To prepare it we will need the following products – for the dough:
- 170 g of flour,
- 2 tablespoons of sour cream,
- 3 yolks,
- half a teaspoon of baking powder,
- 70 g of butter,
- a pinch of salt.
However, to fill the tart, we have to get ready such as:
- 250 g looks, it
- 3 tablespoons of sugar,
- 250 ml of pear juice (if it is sweet, reduce the amount of sugar by 0.5 tablespoon),
- 100 g raisins,
- 50 g of butter,
- 70 g of dried fruit,
- 370 ml of milk,
- 1 kg of pears.
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Cut the cold butter into cubes and mix with flour, salt and baking powder until fine crumbs are formed. Then add the yolks and sour cream, kneading briefly until smooth and uniform . Wrap them in cling film and put them in the fridge for half an hour.
Meanwhile, cook the poppy seeds in the milk. Then we drain it and grind it twice in a meat grinder. The next step is to heat the juice with 2 tablespoons of sugar, dried fruits and raisins. It should be cooked to reduce the volume by 1/3. Combine the cooked juice with poppy seeds and caramelize the remaining sugar in a pan. We also put peeled and halved pears on it. Let’s also remember to get rid of the seeds. After 2-3 minutes, add the butter and simmer the fruit for 5 minutes, turning them occasionally.
Finally, roll out the dough to a thickness of 3 mm and place it in a tart tin with a diameter of 24 cm. Prick it with a fork and bake for fifteen minutes at 180 degrees Celsius. Spread our poppy seed mixture onto the baked base and arrange the pears on top. Bake everything for 35 minutes.
