Dried Fruit

Mince pies, basically rich tarts filled with dried fruits and spices soaked in alcohol, were once a status symbol because only the rich could afford these delicacies. The combination of fruits and spices is often diverse, but raisins, currants, and candied lemon, citron, and/or orange peel are standard. Some old recipes also contain prunes, dates, figs, or candied ginger. Spices are usually cinnamon, cloves, mace, and nutmeg. There is always grated apple or pear and sometimes also lemon or orang.…

As a last-minute party snack or an addition to your dinner party table, these one-biters can’t be beat. 

Classically French, prune‐Armagnac ice cream is one of the most graceful ways to serve a prune. Whereas most fruits become hard and icy when frozen, these prunes remain chewy and soft.

Inspired by Moroccan tagine, this vegan holiday centerpiece is stuffed with dried fruit, hearty barley, and fragrant spices.

A raw fruit relish is a refreshingly punchy change from the typical cranberry sauce, and far less sweet, making it great for roast meats as well as turkey.

These cookies resemble a chewier, soft cookie version of a Nutter Butter, made a little more glam with a peanut butter coconut cream filling.

You can store this all-purpose sweet-and-spicy vinegar in clean mason jars, but it is easier to keep it in repurposed glass bottles. Note that this recipe can be adjusted as you like—try using different chiles or other spices like bay leaf.

A sophisticated take on the beloved children's snack of celery with peanut butter and raisins, this salad is a study in textures with chewy dates, crisp apple, and fresh herbs.

These superlative oatmeal cookies skip the raisins and use Medjool dates instead. Once chopped, become nearly indistinguishable from the buttery, caramel-rich flavor of the chewy cookie.

With a simple sweet onion dressing, roasted peanuts, and crunchy potato chips, this salad is an easy favorite. As the salad sits, it becomes even more flavorful.

Serve these raisin-studded griddle cakes hot or cold, with butter, jam or ice cream, as a mid-morning snack, or as a stand-alone dessert.

The collar is one of my favorite parts of the fish. Baste it with naturally sweet and salty flavor from briny kombu and dark sweet prunes. The briny and sweet sauce is easy to make ahead and store in the refrigerator. The collars of a large fish, such as cod, is the part between the head and the body; it has a (healthy omega-3) fatty richness that is ultra-satisfying. 

June Edelmuth has become known all over Sydney for this legendary bread. The deliciously dense cinnamon and sugar-swirled babke honors the memory of June's Russian grandmother, Minka.

These date balls, which I make each year for Diwali, are nutty and fudgy—without any chocolate. In years when the celebrations for Diwali and Thanksgiving are close together, I like to make a double batch to add to our Thanksgiving spread. They fit right in. 

In essence, this is a sweetened cake made from cheese. I sometimes equate this dessert to the Indian version of Mexican flan because of its caramelized topping.

Fish and chips, when done well, is a cornerstone of British culinary success. It can be wrapped in old newspaper and eaten at the beach with a wooden fork with the same fervor and joy as a finely dined fish and chips served on white china with an expensive bottle of Chablis next to it. That comforting combination of carb and fish protein can be seen in many other cultures too. (Fish tacos, anyone?) So why wouldn’t Ghana have its own version?