Add vanilla to eggs, then add flour mixture and lastly add dates and nuts. Combine sugar, flour, baking powder and salt. Beat eggs very well in mixer. Dust dates and nut meats with a little of the flour.

If you want a more simple dessert, you could opt for whipped cream or coconut cream as the filling instead of this coconut vanilla custard.Step. Keep stirring till the dates have almost dissolved.Recipe: Almond Date Tarts with Coconut Vanilla Custard and Cherries Note These tarts can be made up to three days ahead of time and stored in an airtight container. Then add the cream and bring to a boil. Add 50g butter and dates to a pan and fry till toasted. Lamb and Medjool Date Tagine, Herbed CouscousPreparing The Filling - 1. Cool and then cut in desired size.

The very best growers, roughly 100 in number come from Al Mutairfi village and are considered to be the undisputed masters. Its home is in the kingdomвЂ™s eastern province, more specifically Hofuf the main city of the Al Hasa oasis. Known as Khlas in Saudi Arabia, the name loosely translates as quintessential in Arabic. Apparently date connoisseurs throughout Asia, Africa and the Middle East consider the Khalasah вЂ“ pronounced Kha-lah-sah to be the quintessential date against which all others are judged. Date pudding with cardamon toffee sauceIвЂ™ve just read a fascinating article about dates, so much so that it has whetted my appetite in every sense of the word to make a pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia in search of the very best dates. Pour the mixture onto the tart and bake in a preheated oven at 180C for 45 minutes, or until the tart is crispy and golden.

At first we had no idea what we were supposed to do, then we simply ate them on white bread and butter вЂ“ surprisingly delicious вЂ“ IвЂ™ve always been fond of date sandwiches ever since вЂ“ immeasurably better than sandwich spread which was WednesdayвЂ™s treat!IвЂ™ve experimented with dates on and off in biscuits, bars, tarts and cakes, but it wasnвЂ™t until my first visit Morocco, that I tasted the plump succulent Medjool date вЂ“ a revelation. My next encounter with dates was less exotic, at boarding school a block of dates still in its cellophane wrapper was unceremoniously placed on the table for tea every Thursday. My father had brought them home as a present for Mummy after one of his rare trips to Dublin вЂ“ we all crowded around and were offered one to taste. The shiny sticky dates covered with a disc of cellophane tasted strange but deliciously exotic to a six year old.

When the dates are partially ripe or fully ripe they are referred to as Rutab. The date palm flourishes best between 15 & 35 degrees north, principally in the arid areas of North Africa, the Arabian peninsula, Souther Iraq where dates have been a staple food not only for humans but also for animals for thousands of years.I remember watching a flock of sheep ambling onto the lawn of our hotel near Taroudant in Morocco to hoover up the windfall dates every day.The Food and Agriculture Organisation of the UN estimate that there are approximately 600 different types of dates and 90 million date palms in the world, producing in excess of 3 million tons a year.Dates are dates are dates as far as most of us are concerned вЂ“ not so in date growing countries where there are specific terms to describe different degrees of ripeness.Khalah when the dates are almost fully grown, have started to ripen but are still fresh and crunchy. There are many written references, among them a AKKadran cunuform text from about 2500BC, which mentions the date palm as a cultivated tree. Fossil records reveal that the date palm was widely grown in the Mediterranean and in Mesopotamia as early as the Eocene Epoch some 50 million years ago.

Finally add walnuts and combine with date mixture.Bake at 375F/190C/regulo 5 for approx. Cream butter and sugar together and gradually beat in the egg, vanilla essence, flour, baking powder and salt. 10 slicesShallow tin 9 x 12 inches (23x30cm) or 2 smaller ones, greased.Pour boiling water over the dates and add bread soda.

Gently knead pastry on a lightly floured surface to form a smooth ball. Add flour and process until mixture just comes together in a ball. Rory OвЂ™ConnellвЂ™s Date Tart Serves 8 15 fresh dates, halved and pitted9 inch (23cm) flan tin with a removable baseFor pastry, combine butter, sugar, and milk in a food processor and process until butter is in small pieces. Add a little more icing sugar if too liquid.

Remove paper and beans and bake a further 10 minutes, or until golden.Place dates on pastry in two circles. Place the tart shell on an oven tray, line with baking paper, fill with dried beans or rice and bake at 200C for 10 minutes. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Roll out pastry on a lightly floured surface and line a 9 inch flan tin with a removable base.

Cover with clingfilm and chill overnight.Preheat the oven to 325F/170C/Gas 3. Add the lamb to the large bowl and coat in the spices. Serves 6-81 tbsp each ground coriander and turmeric1.5kg/3lb 5oz lamb shoulder, well trimmed and cut into 4cm/11/2in chunks2.5cm/1in piece peeled root ginger, chopped225g/8oz Medjool dates, cut in half and stones removed4 tbsp chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley and mintMaldon sea salt and freshly ground black pepperGreek style yoghurt and fresh coriander leaves, to garnishMix together the paprika, coriander, turmeric, cinnamon, cumin and pepper in a large bowl, then tip half into a small bowl and set aside. Lamb and Medjool Date Tagine, Herbed Couscous Merrilees Parker gave me this recipe when she was guest chef here at the Cookery School. Cool at room temperature before serving. Pour cream mixture into tart shell, to cover dates, then bake at 180C for about 30 minutes or until just set.

Add the remaining oil to the pan and then add the onion mixture cook for a few minutes until softened but not coloured. Add half of the oil and brown off the marinated lamb in batches. Heat a large heavy-based casserole.

Mix well ensuring that all the grains are completely coated. Season to taste.To make the couscous place it in a large bowl and add four tablespoons of the oil and the lemon juice. Cook for 1 hour, then stir in the dates and cook for another hour until the lamb is completely tender and and sauce has thickened and reduced. Bring to the boil, cover and transfer to the oven.

Smooth the top and roll the stuffed date in castor sugar. Roll a little piece of marzipan into an oblong shape so that it will fit neatly into the opening. Marzipan Dates Makes 28 Use up your scraps of almond paste on these Marzipan Dates.4 ozs (110g) almond paste or marzipan (see recipe)Split one side of the date and remove the stone. Finally garnish with a dollop of the Greek yoghurt and coriander leaves. To serve, stir in the remaining oil and the herbs into the couscous and arrange on plates with the tagine. Pour over the couscous and allow to sit in a warm place for 6-8 minutes until all the liquid has absorbed, stirring occasionally.

(You may not need all of the egg). Beat the egg, add the whiskey and 1 drop of pure almond essence, then add to the other ingredients and mix to a stiff paste. Serve as a petit four or as part of a selection of home-made sweets.Sieve the castor sugar and mix with the ground almonds.

Date Tarts Recipe