Growing up in the Middle East I have very fond memories of our magnificent date tree which stood outside my bedroom window. Once the tree was bursting with fruit we would lay down mats around it and give it a good shake, making sure that not one juicy fruit was wasted.
Gleefully clutching our carefully caught bundles, we would run into the house, to devour these delectable sweet jewels. Those, we were too full to consume; my mother would turn into cakes and other tantalizing deserts.
One such family favorite was Almond dates. The sweet almond center combined with the rich juicy pulp of the date was a marriage made in culinary heaven. One could never consume ‘one’ almond date, to be truly enjoyed they have to be consumed in batches, and many a hot desert afternoon was spent just doing that.
Try my family’s favorite, almond date, it’s definitely a ‘date’ you won’t forget!
Ingredients
500g (1 lb.) dates
150g (one heaping cup) almonds
60g (1/4 cup) sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons orange flower water (optional)
1 ½ tablespoons of almond essence
1 tablespoon butter, melted
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
Granulated sugar, for garnish
Method
Bring some water to a boil in a small pot. Add the almonds and leave to boil for one or two minutes.
Remove the almonds from the heat and drain. While the almonds are still warm, remove the skin by pinching individual almonds between your forefinger and thumb. Leave the skinned almonds to cool.
Process the almonds, sugar and cinnamon in a food processor until the almonds are a powdery mixture which is moist enough to pack.
Add the butter and orange flower water and continue processing until a smooth paste forms around the blade. Living in the Middle East we were able to get such exotic ingredients like orange flower water, but just almond essence will also give a fantastic flavor.
Roll small cylinders of almond paste the same length as your dates, but only about 1/3 the diameter.
Take a date, make a vertical cut deep enough to remove the pit, but not so deep as to cut the date in half. Discard the pit, insert a cylinder of almond paste, and press the sides of the date firmly around the paste, while leaving a portion of paste exposed.
Repeat with the remaining dates and almond paste.
Roll the stuffed date in sugar for the finished delicacy.
By Mayuri Jayasinghe
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