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What Shall I Do With My Dates?

At the Mahane Yehuda market in Jerusalem, I was transfixed by the mountainous piles of dates I saw, lustrous, dark, and sticky. To be sure, we’d seen dates wherever we went in Israel, but the ones at that market seemed particularly glossy and fragrant, just itching to be bought. They bewitched me in the end.

I bought two sacks of dates. One was filled with the darkest, fattest, juiciest dates I’d ever seen. They promptly got squashed in my luggage and are now a fudgy lump that I have to gingerly pry apart, but when I do, I’m rewarded with soft, yielding fruit that melts in my mouth. The second bag was filled with caramel-colored dates, slightly wrinkled, and hardier than their brethren. They are not the sensuous joy to eat than the other ones are, but they have great flavor, so I think I might cook with them instead.

Shall I make a Sticky Toffee Pudding? Or this Date-Nut Loaf? Am I missing out on your favorite date recipe? Do you have to tell me about it, quick, before I go wasting those dates on something not worthy enough? Hurry, tell me what to do!

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35 responses to “What Shall I Do With My Dates?”

  1. judi0044 Avatar
    judi0044

    How about Bon Appetit March 2008 issue for Honey, Date & Pecan Tart? Will your dates stand in for Medjool dates? Sounds yummy.

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  2. radish Avatar
    radish

    This might sound lazy, but i think that dates are SO good on their own, that anything I’ve made with them, including date honey scones were not nearly as good. I am a fan of the scones though – overall. I haven’t found a good recipe for those, but I used a scone recipe found in my Martha Stewart cookbook and just put scones and honey to taste and they came out beautifully.

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  3. Dee Avatar
    Dee

    This might sound terrible, but it’s delicious…Mix dates with tahini and eat. The dates “marinate” in the tahini. I had this all the time when I was living on kibbutz over 30 years ago.

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  4. Jessika Avatar
    Jessika

    You could have a look at a recipe for persian kolucheh (date bun) or a persian rice polow. I’d certainly cook something middle-eastern, seems they, especially fresh, were made for that.

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  5. deb Avatar
    deb

    That honey-date tart judi mentioned sounds great! I need to pose the same question, though for a different fruit. Some kind person sent me a box of meyer lemons fresh from her backyard, and I’m overwhelmed with options: I want to make everything.

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  6. judi0044 Avatar
    judi0044

    Meyer Lemon and Ricotta pancakes are wonderful as is “Risotto” with pearl barley.

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  7. Claudia (cook eat FRET) Avatar
    Claudia (cook eat FRET)

    sticky toffee pudding

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  8. SarattogaChef Avatar
    SarattogaChef

    My favorite is to stuff them with just enough stilton or other sharp bleu-veined cheese and warm up. The sharpness of the cheese really compliments the sweetness of the dates!

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  9. scott Avatar
    scott

    Stuffed with cheese and wrapped in bacon.

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  10. Heather Avatar
    Heather

    Luisa – I have an amazing date cake recipe from my Granny that is perfect for dates that are a little mangled or tough. The dates soak in hot coffee or chicory so they kind of fall slightly apart, giving the cake this awesome texture. It’s got a little bit of chocolate in it for good measure. Let me know if you want the recipe!

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  11. Luisa Avatar
    Luisa

    Heather – that cake sounds wonderful, since I really think these dates need to be cooked as they’re a bit dry and leathery. Please do send me the recipe, if you don’t mind sharing!

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  12. Alisa Rosseter Avatar
    Alisa Rosseter

    perfect date recipe for me is dates, gruyere and honey on sliced baguette…in the broiler for just a minute to warm. yum yum

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  13. Leah Avatar
    Leah

    Can Heather please send that recipe to ALL of us? It really does sound wonderful? I mean… dates and coffee?
    Luisa, I hope we get to hear more about your travels. And the dates, because oh man do I love dates.

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  14. Elizabeth Avatar
    Elizabeth

    I swoon over dates. I have a delicious recipe for a chickpea and vanilla tagine that is made with chicken, tomatoes, chopped dates, and a vanilla bean. It is a fantastically-flavored dish, with multiple layers of spices. Easy too. I’m happy to email the recipe if you like!

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  15. Warda Avatar
    Warda

    I loooooooooooooooooooove Dates. My favorites are Algerian Deglet Noor (And it’s not because I’m Algerian and proud of my dates…No!) Besides eating them on their own, I like to stuff them with homemade Marzipan (or store bought). They are so good. And if they are all mashed, try making a sort of Banana nut cake with dates, which I am going to do right now.
    Another thing, dates work beautifully with Orange 🙂 Good Luck, Luisa!

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  16. dara Avatar
    dara

    I made these several times and everyone raved. They strike me as the sort of dessert you might really like:
    http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/109179
    I also am a big fan of cutting one or two of the harder dates into little squares, and soaking them overnight in the fridge with rolled oats, enough good whole milk to cover, and a little cinnamon. Then in the morning you have a sweet, healthful breakfast with no work, just stir well to blend. If you do it in a well-sealed container, it makes a great breakfast to tote along when you leave the house. The texture of the dates becomes addictive. Enjoy!

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  17. Emily Avatar
    Emily

    My favorite way to make dates is to stuff them with a small chunk of good parmesan, wrap them in bacon and then bake until the bacon’s cooked, the dates are soft and the cheese is getting gooey. I’ve also wanted to try experimenting with different cheeses such as chevre and maybe wrapping in proscuitto. I’m not sure if this technique will work with your dates, Luisa, but keep the idea in mind to try at some point!
    In regards to the meyer lemons, Deb, I’d recommend starting with the meyer lemon and green olive salsa in “Sunday Suppers at Lucques”. It’s absolutely divine on EVERYTHING.

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  18. kickpleat Avatar
    kickpleat

    here’s my favorite recipe for dates:
    http://everybodylikessandwiches.blogspot.com/2006/09/nice-evening-for-date.html but you’ve got a ton of great recommendations already!

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  19. michelle v Avatar
    michelle v

    I know there are a lot of date recipes out there, but this one seriously is the best! I make it for every dinner party and it’s the first thing to go. It’s based off of the date tapas at Avec in Chicago. Here is the link: i posted the recipe on my blog. I promise you will love these! http://clevelandfoodie.blogspot.com/2007/07/avec-dates-best-appetizer-ever.html

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  20. eg Avatar
    eg

    Here is another vote for Sticky Toffee Pudding. Yum!

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  21. Patty Avatar
    Patty

    Pull out your “Sunday Suppers At Lucques” — date tart and date shakes from a famous date/hamburger stand outside of Palm Springs.

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  22. Mercedes Avatar
    Mercedes

    You know dates freeze well? I always keep an emergency batch of really good ones in the freezer.
    As for your mediocre dates, I say make a date tart (link below). There’s also a date tart recipe in “Sunday Suppers at Lucques” I’ve had my eye on.
    http://desertcandy.blogspot.com/2007/12/maryas-date-tart.html

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  23. Mrs.W Avatar
    Mrs.W

    Oh, my… I LOOOOVE dates! If I’m not going to eat them out-of-hand, I like bacon-wrapped dates–dee-licious!

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  24. Paige Avatar
    Paige

    If they’re fresh, I them stuffed with cheese–either parmesan (room temp for me, though the bacon wrapped and baked version sounds unbelievably good!) or with labneh–drained yogurt cheese. I think I got that idea from a Nigella cookbook maybe? Can’t remember, but, oh, sooooo good. I used to buy dates every week at the Hollywood Farmer’s Market…

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  25. Sarah Avatar
    Sarah

    Bacon Baklava from Food and Wine’s “100 Tastes to Try in 2007”. Sounds crazy but the Bacon, Dates, and Almonds in the Baklava are grest together.
    http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/bacon-baklava

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  26. Myrtille Avatar
    Myrtille

    How about date and orange muffins? Chocolate date cake?

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  27. Helen Avatar
    Helen

    I have to say one of my favourite ways to eat dates is chopped up, with a little bit of rosewater in greek yoghurt. My go-to quick snack.
    Also if you are a porridge(oatmeal?) eater they taste great chopped up on top as well.
    Stuffed with some cream cheese or mascarpone mmm and even better with an almond pushed in too.
    I also make a very tasty “relish” to have with cous cous and roast chicken. Some dates, rasins/sultanas, a bit of orange juice and some rose/orange water simmered gently till it thickens – soooo yummy.

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  28. elarael Avatar
    elarael

    I never made this but it sounded like a better than average recipe:
    Date, Apricot, Walnut Bread:
    http://fingerineverypie.typepad.com/my_weblog/2006/01/sugar_high_frid.html

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  29. mindy Avatar
    mindy

    Luisa, I have tried the date tart from the “Lucques” cookbook–looked funky, but tasted wonderful.
    I will be visiting Israel in a few months. Do you have any restaurant recommendations (Tel Aviv, Jerusalem), or recommendations on what foods I should definitely bring back with me (other than the dates)?

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  30. coquus Avatar
    coquus

    What would be better than Dates filled with Chocolate Cream and Almonds Recipe??? 🙂
    Bon Apetit! 🙂
    http://www.101cookbooks.com/archives/000144.html
    -coquus

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  31. Sara Avatar
    Sara

    I, too, have been lusting over the date tart recipe in Sunday Suppers, but no one in my house loves dates as much as me, so I haven’t tried it, but I’d be so happy if you did.
    At Upstairs on the Square in Cambridge, MA they serve “hot dates” at tea — they are dates, stuffed with cinnamon butter and a marcona almond, wrapped in bacon and broiled. The restaurant serves them with some sort of balsamic reduction, and they are addictive!

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  32. Linda Avatar
    Linda

    The recipe for date nut bars in the King Arthur Baking book is just wonderful. It’s simple, delicious and very addictive.

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  33. Jerusalem girl Avatar
    Jerusalem girl

    I hope you liked Machne Yehuda as much as I love it…
    For a super fast and healthy snack, stuff the dates (the hard ones are fine for this)with almonds (or marzipan, as suggested above).
    In my family we use dates to lend a sweet undertone and lovely shade of brown to slow cooked dishes. When we prepare Cholent for Shabbat (the Jewish stew of meat and beans which is slow cooked all night long), we make sure to add two or three dates to the pot to get a beautiful brown color.

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  34. Martha Avatar
    Martha

    A hot date with a nut. It’s worth it just for the name. Pit the dates. Stuff roasted almonds inside. Sprinkle a little coarse salt on the dates. Warm them in the oven and serve immediately. Yum.

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  35. Jennifer Musty Avatar
    Jennifer Musty

    Hi,
    Here’s a great recipe for a date cake, which happens to be my favorite cake:
    http://makelifeart.typepad.com/beautify_simplify_make_li/2008/03/date-orange-cak.html
    LOVE your blog!
    Jen

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