How to Make Poppy Seed Filling
Many eastern European pastries are based on a variety of fillings which include fruits, cheeses and nuts. One of the fillings that truly stand out with Czech and Polish baked goods are poppy seeds. As a young child I did not immediately succumb to the taste of poppy seeds when I had the pick of kolacky filled with tasty fruits such as apricot, plum and raspberry. My young taste buds at the time had no desire for any cookie or slice of coffee cake containing this thin black paste containing seeds. Our poppy seed consumers in the home were mainly mom and dad. My spat with poppy seeds did not stop there. While attending college I worked part time in a hospital kitchen. Our particular kitchen (or hospitality) unit prepared the meals for the patients temporarily residing in the substance abuse wing. Working in an institutional kitchen, I actually learned a great deal of cooking and quickly realized hospital foods could actually be quite tasty given the right menus, management and a respe