A conundrum with dates
I was given some dates, and I have no idea what to do with them! I will admit that I've never knowingly eaten dates. Since I hate to waste food, I've looked on a few recipe sites, but nothing has really inspired me. I'm up for sweet or savory applications. Do you cook with dates? How do you use them?
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19 Comments:
Hi JC! Try this: Pit them, stuff them with almonds, wrap them in bacon, drizzle with honey and roast.
CookiePie at 11:21AM on 04/05/08
Try the Wednesday Chef's Date Cake--or, sticky toffee pudding, easily googled...
http://www.thewednesdaychef.com/the_wednesday_chef/2008/03/heather-stewart.html
Bumblebutton at 11:31AM on 04/05/08
I recently had this conundrum and made the Date Spice Cake from the Joy of Cooking. Classic cookbooks don't lie, especially Joy--it was delicious! If you don't have a copy, here's the recipe:
Pour 1 c. boiling water over 1 c. chopped dates; let cool.
Combine: 1 1/2 c. flour, 2 t. baking powder, 3/4 t. nutmeg, 1/4 t. salt, 1/4 t. baking soda.
In a separate bowl, whisk together 1 egg, 3 T. softened butter, and 1 c. sugar until pale and fluffy. Then add 1/3 of the flour mixture, alternating with the date/water mixture until combined. Fold in 1 c. chopped nuts, then scrape the batter into a greased 9 x 5 loaf pan and bake at 325*F for 40-45 minutes. Let cool for at least 10 minutes in the pan on a rack before turning out to cool.
I made quite a few changes to the recipe, using 1 c. spelt and 1/2 c whole wheat flour (highly recommend the ww flour, it gives it a deeper flavor), pouring out some of the date water and instead using a few T. of rum, and adding vanilla extract. I also only used about 3/4 c. sugar, which I think was a wise choice. However, even without these changes, it's still a wonderful cake. The dates turn into silken bits of pure date flavor that melt in your mouth, and it has a nice crumb that slices pretty easily. And of course on top of it all, it's fairly healthy--for cake.
Christina at 11:34AM on 04/05/08
MEDJOOL DATE NUT LOAF
3/4 C Brown Sugar
3 C Sifted All-Purpose Flour
3 1/2 tsp. Baking Powder
1 tsp Salt
1/2 C Chopped Nuts
1 C Chopped Medjool Dates
3 T Melted Butter
1 Egg
1 1/2 C Milk
2 Tbsp. Molasses
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a loaf pan and set aside. (A Bundt pan will also work.)
Place brown sugar, flour, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl and whisk to sift. Add the nuts and chopped dates to the flour mixture, stir and set aside. Use a 2 cup measure to mix your wet ingredients. Start with 1½ cup milk, and add melted butter, egg and molasses. Stir with a fork or whisk. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and beat with a mixer until well combined. Pour into the prepared loaf pan and allow the batter to rest 20 minutes. (Do not skip the resting step.)
Bake the loaf in the preheated oven for 60 to 70 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted at the center of the loaf comes out clean.
Best eaten fresh but leftovers can be toasted and drizzled with honey or buttered.
chiff0nade at 11:48AM on 04/05/08
Oooh, I thought you meant the other kind of dates.
Kerosena at 2:42PM on 04/05/08
i like to chop them and put them in banana bread and other baked goodies in place of raisins. but i mostly enjoy them plain.
stumbler02 at 3:08PM on 04/05/08
Oooh, I thought you meant the other kind of dates.
@Kerosena - I think all of those types of dates constitute a conundrum. But too many of the fruit kind present a delicious problem, unlike the other type.
chiff0nade at 3:15PM on 04/05/08
In addition to CookiePie's suggestion - they can be stuffed with Parmesan, Manchego or Blue Cheese (I guess almost any cheese) and wrapped in bacon. I cook them in a 400 degree oven about 15 minutes.
SSMom at 5:18PM on 04/05/08
Stuff the dates with good cream cheese and l/2 a pecan then dredge in confectioners sugar. If serving to guests, place on small plate lined with a pretty paper doily....my mother served these at the holidays but fresh dates are good anytime!
elaine nan at 7:22PM on 04/05/08
My mom makes this cake by boiling dates then mixing with walnuts. Has the rich density of a brownie but with less fat.
browntown at 8:33PM on 04/05/08
Oatmeal + chopped dates = nice breakfast
baboo at 8:44PM on 04/05/08
I chop them and add them to Moroccon vegetable tangines over couscous.
You can also make a sweet snack by processing them with nuts until you get a sticky mix, rolling the mix into balls, then rolling the balls in shredded coconut.
KarynMC at 8:45PM on 04/05/08
Thanks so much for all the wonderful suggestions! I'm looking forward to trying several of them this week.
jcwest47 at 12:34AM on 04/06/08
They're great stuffed with a little cherve and baked until the cherve is melty. I also like eating them plain; I joke that they're nature's candy.
jenilowrance at 3:18AM on 04/06/08
At the Spanish cooking class I volunteered at last night, we stuffed them with a chorizo-leek mixture, wrapped them in serrano ham, and served them in a fresh tomato sauce. Unbelievable.
tacroy80 at 6:21PM on 04/06/08
Have not read all the comments so I don't know if this has been mentioned. The way I love to use dates for cocktail parties is:
Whole, pitted dates
Whole, blanched almonds
good quality, thick sliced hickory bacon
Your amounts will depend on how many appetizers you want to make. You will need equal amounts of dates and almonds. Each slice of bacon will be sliced into thirds, so figure how many slices of bacon you will need.
- toast whole, blanched almonds on a baking sheet until brown in a 350° oven.
- Stuff each date with toasted almond.
- Wrap each date with a third slice of bacon and secure with toothpick.
- Bake dates on cookie sheet in a 350° oven until bacon is crisped.
These are, surprisingly, just as tasty at room temp as they are hot out of the oven; well not AS good as hot out of the oven, but still tasty!
DancingShoes at 9:44AM on 04/07/08
When I was in Morocco, a good high-energy snack was large, unsalted peanuts stuffed into unbelievably soft and fresh dates. So tasty (and portable!)
I think I've already posted this recipe for fruitcake, but it's great, so I'll do it again.
Additionally, I've been wanting to try this cinnamon-date chicken recipe but haven't gotten around to it yet. If you do, let me know how it turns out!
emmab at 10:37AM on 04/07/08
I chop them and add them to my alton browns protein bars or my ellie kreiger energy bars, which you can find on the food network, or I absolutely love the anise scented fig and date swirls which you can find on epicurious.com
jennywenny at 8:38PM on 04/07/08
Food for the Gods! A friend of my mom's makes these for the holidays, and we usually get a huge box that everyone fights over. I like to fool myself into thinking these are healthy, what with the dates and nuts. But who am I kidding?
lorelei76 at 9:47PM on 04/08/08