Date Preserve in Syrup
This exquisite delicacy makes a ready dessert. Accompany if you like with vanilla ice cream or mascarpone. It is made with fresh dates—the yellow or red varieties, which are hard and sour and totally different from the dried dates with which people in America are familiar. (They are called zaghlouli in Egypt.) It is usual to peel them, but that is an arduous task and, in my view, not all that much worth the effort. They are stuffed with blanched almonds, with which they make a lovely combination.
Ingredients
Preparation
Step 1
Wash the dates well, peel them if you wish, and put them in a pan with water to cover (about 4 1/2 cups) and the lemon juice. Bring to the boil and simmer, covered, for 1 hour, or until they are soft, adding a little water, if necessary, to keep them covered.
Step 2
Lift them out of their water with a slotted spoon, and when they are cool enough to handle, push the pits out with a skewer or knitting needle. You will get the knack of doing it without breaking the dates. It helps to press them tightly in your hand. If you like, replace each pit with a blanched almond through the same hole.
Step 3
Add sugar and cloves to the date liquor and bring to the boil. Simmer for a few minutes, until the sugar is dissolved, then drop in the dates and cook for a further 20–30 minutes. Lift the dates out carefully with a slotted spoon and put them in a clean glass jar, burying the cloves among them.
Step 4
Thicken the syrup by boiling until it coats the back of a spoon or sets when tested on a cold plate. Pour over the dates, let cool, and close the jar tightly.
Variation
Step 5
These dates are also delicious stuffed with pieces of candied orange peel; use about 1 cup.
