Varied Date Recipes

New Zealand Listener, Volume 41, Issue 1049, 2 October 1959, Page 22

Varied Date Recipes

ATES are useful in so many ways-in cakes, puddings, desserts, savouries, schoolchildren’s sandwiches and even in a chutney. They are good for children to eat straight from the packet instead of sweets and_ satisfy hunger too, especially if a banana goes along with them. Dates and raisins minced together make a good spread, with a sprinkling of lemon juice to take off the sweetness or chopped and mixed with peanut butter. Those people who haven’t a sweet tooth find dates mix well with cheese or preserved ginger, and, of course, chopped walnuts. Sandwiches

(1) Spread slices of bread with cream cheese, mashed dates and chopped walnuts. (2) Spread thin slices of tasty cheese on lightly buttered bread and cover with mashed dates. (3) Soak equal quantities of dates, prunes, raisins and figs in a very little water for some hours. Then put through a mincer with or® or two apples and keep in a glass screw-top jar with a little cinnamon sprinkled on top. The cinnamon acts as a preservative. Cocktail Savouries Use plump dates, bought whole and then the stone removed. Stuff with tasty cheese and perhaps a wee squeeze of pineapple. Date Slices (Uncooked) These are delicious morsels, and nceurishing too. Put through the mincer 2 |b. stoned dates and 2 oz. preserved ginger. Spread a pastry board with a dusting of icing sugar and on this put a good teacupful of chopped walnuts. Roll and knead all three together, using icing sugar to prevent sticking. Work in a teaspoon of orange flavouring. Make into a roll or a bar about an inch in diameter and serve cut in slices, Date Fillings Mix together equal quantities of butter and sweetened condensed milk and add minced dates to taste. Or use 1 tablespoon sugar, 1% lb. dates, 2 tablespoons water, grated rind of 1 lemon, juice of half a lemon. Boil dates, sugar and water till soft, then add lemon juice and rind. Beat well. Date Scones Two cups flour, 2 heaped teaspoons baking powder, 1 tablespoon butter, pinch salt, 1 tablespoon sugar and about 34 to 1 cup milk (or milk and water) to mix. Sieve flour, etc., rub in the shortening lightly and mix to a soft dough. Roll out not too thinly and spread half with the cut-up or mashed dates (about 14% cups) and cover with the other half of the dough. Pat lightly together, cut into squares or diamond shapes with a sharp knife. Brush over with a little milk to glaze and bake in a quick oven, 15 to 20 minutes. Date and Cheese Fingers Five ounces of flour, 1 egg yolk, 3 oz. butter, 1 tablespoon milk, 2 oz. grated cheese (dry), % teaspoon cayenne, pinch salt. Rub butter into flour, add other ingredients, bind with egg yolk and milk, then roll out and

cover one half with dates. Fold over and cut into fingers. Bake about 15 minutes. Make dates soft by adding a

little hot water. They must be quite cold before spreading on paste. Family Date Pudding One cup each of breadcrumbs, flour, sugar, shredded suet and dates, 1 teaspoon baking soda dissolved in 34 cup milk, 1 teaspoon spice and any essence desired. Mix fairly wet and steam 21% to 3 hours. A little more milk may be added and a beaten egg makes it extra good. ~ Date and Banana Shortcake

Four ounces wholemeal, 3 oz. white flour, 1 level teaspoon baking powder, 4 oz. butter, 1 oz. cornflour, 2 oz. sugar, 1 egg. Cream butter and sugar, add egg, sifted flours, etc. Roll out and with half of the mixture, line a sandwich tin. Spread with a cut-up medium-sized banana, with a good squeeze of lemon juice, then spread with 14 cup dates, which have been boiled a minute or two with about 2 tablespoons water, and vanilla or other essence to taste. Put on rest of pastry and bake as usual. Date Bread Stone and cut into pieces 1 cup dates. Put dates in a basin and add 1 level teaspoon baking soda. Pour over this 3% cup boiling water and stand to cool. Beat 1 egg in basin with rather less than 4% breakfast cup sugar, add a little salt and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Now add date mixture. Stir in lightly 11% scant breakfast cups flour and 1 ‘large teaspoon baking powder. Bake in a well greased tin about 14% hours or less, depending on the size of the tin. To have bread smooth and glossy, cover with paper while baking. Date and Nut Loaf One cup dates soaked in 1 cup boiling water with 1 teaspoon baking soda. Beat together % Ib. butter with 4% breakfast cup sugar and vanilla to taste. Add 1 egg, then 2 breakfast cups fiour with 1 teaspoon baking powder. Add alternately, with date mixture. Lastly add 1 cup walnuts. Bake 1 hour. Nice and moist. Canadian Date Cake Two cups flour, 1 cup sugar, ™% Ib. butter, 1 teaspoon baking soda, %4 cup cold water, 1 cup dates, 1 cup walnuts, 2 eggs, 1 tablespoon maple or golden syrup. Use breakfast cup for measuring. Cream butter and sugar, add beaten eggs. Dissolve soda in water and pour over dates. Let stand 1 hour. Add this to the creamed sugar, etc. Mix in syrup and flour. Bake 114 hours in moderate oven, in tin lined with buttered paper. Date and Apple Pudding (Steamed) _ Half a pound chopped dates, 1% Ib. flour, %4 Ib. butter, 1 egg, 42 Ib. apples weighed after peeling, 1 teaspoon baking powder, 1 oz. sugar, milk to~ mix. Cream butter and sugar, add beaten egg. Sift flour, baking powder and pinch of salt, and add alternately with the milk, Fruit last. Mix well together. Steam in greased basin about 2 hours.