I made this lush, dense, moist Medjool date and almond tart the other week for that Middle Eastern soiree we had at our place. But rather than go on and on about who was there and what we ate, I thought I'd share a little passage from Arabesque by Lucy and Greg Malouf as it's a far better read.



'All it took for us to fall under the spell of these ancient fruit was a visit to the Middle East. Here were names and places familiar since primary school: Nazareth, Bethlehem, Jerusalem and Jericho, the oldest continuously inhabited city in the world, as described in the Old Testament as 'the city of palm trees'. Under the hot desert sun our guide pointed out a small oasis of date palms swaying gracefully in the perfect, picture-postcard fashion. Clustered among the fronds were fresh dates, as big as amber-hued eggs. We could smell their sweetness in the air, and they were soft as warm toffee in our mouths.

Dates have been a staple food in desert lands for many thousands of years. Their high sugar content meant that they became the mainstay of the nomadic Bedouin's sever diet, and the prophet Mohammed was said to have survived entirely on dates and water during his self-imposed fast. Dates still have a special significance for Muslims during Ramadan - the day's fast is broken with a bowl of dates and a glass of water, or they are served whole with a wedge of lime as a garnish for the traditional harira soup.

It is thought that dates first reached England in the thirteenth century. As with so many new foods brought across the seas by returning crusaders and merchants, they were very expensive and their use was mainly for sweet puddings and desserts. Even today English recipes for dates revolve around the bakery - recipes for date slices and loaves, scones, cakes and sticky puddings abound.

In the Middle East, however, they are not so restrained. Moroccan and Persian recipes frequently partner dates with lamb or pigeon. Rice and grain dishes are often garnished with chopped dates and a sprinkling of nuts. Dates are also used extensively in sweet dishes: they are preserved in syrup, cooked into jam and chopped and stuffed into shortbread biscuits. Some of the most exquisite sweetmeats are made by stuffing dates with an almond, a pistachio nut or nob of rose-scented almond paste'.
                                                                                  Malouf (2006, 109-110).

 
Medjool Date & Almond Tart

Recipe adapted from Mediterranean (1999)

 
Ingredients

Shortcrust pastry

115g of unsalted butter

1/3 cup castor sugar

1 organic egg yolk

½ tsp vanilla extract

185g plain flour, sifted


For the filling

180g unsalted butter

180g caster sugar

3 organic eggs

2 cups of almond meal

3 tbsp organic plain flour

12-15 Medjool dates, halved & stoned

3 tbsp orange blossom water

4 tbsp apricot jam



 
Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas mark 4

2. Place flour, sugar and butter in the Magimix or food processor and process for 10-15 seconds or until mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Add egg yolk and vanilla extract and continue to process until the pastry clings together and forms a ball. Remove pastry from the machine and knead it gently to form a smooth ball. Wrap in cling wrap and refrigerate for an hour.

3. Lightly flour work surface and rolling pin and roll pastry to a thickness of 2-3mm. Line 28cm diameter tart tin with pastry, trim the edges and then blind bake for 15 minutes until pale golden. Remove paper and weights and return to the oven for a further 5 minutes. Remove and cool.

4. Meanwhile blend the butter, sugar, eggs, almond meal, flour and 2 tbsp of orange blossom water in the food processor until smooth. Spoon the almond mixture into the tart case and arrange dates cute side down on top of the mixture. Bake for 30-40 minutes or until just golden and firm to touch.

5. Put the apricot jam in a small saucepan and gently bring to boil. Once the jam is warm press it through a sieve and then stir through the remaining orange blossom water. Brush the top of the tart with the jam and serve at room temperature.