Author Notes
Mid-Snowpocalypse I picked up a worn and long ago well read copy of the Mists of Avalon...and my mind was still on ancient witchy magical stuff when cardamom popped up. Dates wine cardamom orange blossoms...speaks to me of long ago and far away...also I totally stole the idea of stuffing the dates with almonds from Lupa...they make something very similar.
You can make extra dates & puree them for a really nice condiment (add a dab of harissa)...delicious with duck breast. - Aliwaks —Aliwaks
Test Kitchen Notes
This dish had both the warming spice of a winter treat, as well as a burst of sun-kissed citrus to remind someone (stuck in snowpocalypse) that summer is not far off. After the long soak in hot liquid, my dates didn't keep their shape very well. Because I love dates so much, and knew this recipe was a good one, I decided to give it a bit of a makeover. So instead of putting the yogurt on the dates, I put the dates in the yogurt. I chopped them up into a rough dice and then mixed them in with the tangerine and orange blossom notes. Perhaps next time I will let the mulled wine cool before adding the dates and then soak them overnight in order to infuse the flavor and keep the texture. But even with the prunish consistency of this first round, I will surely make this again. —Sodium Girl
Ingredients
- Dates
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16
Big Fat Pitted Dates
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16
Almonds toasted..skin off (though mine were skin on)
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1.5
Cups Spicy Fruit Red wine
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5
Green Cardamom Pods, crushed
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3"
Chunk of ginger, cut into matchsticks
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4
Black Pepper Corns
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1/2
a vanilla pod, this is a good place to use a vanilla pod husk
- Orange Blossom Yogurt
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2 cups
Greek yogurt
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2 tablespoons
Orange Blossom Honey
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teensy tiny drop orange blossom water
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1
tsp Ground cardamom
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2 tablespoons
tangerine juice (or orange or mandarin)
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2 teaspoons
tangerine zest (or orange or mandarin)
Directions
- Dates
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Find the hole where the date pit was removed and jam an almond in there
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Toast cardamom pods, vanilla & peppercorns lightly in pot with lid over low heat.
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Raise heat to medium and add Ginger & Wine
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Let wine get up to a simmer
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Add dates, cover pot, lower heat and simmer for 20 min. Turn off heat, let sit another 30.
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Remove dates from liquid
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Strain liquid & reduce slightly
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Serve with dollop of yogurt on the side a a drizzle of reserved liquid. (extra liquid is yum used as an add-in for an exotic sangria or a marinade for lamb or duck)
- Orange Blossom Yogurt
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Mix it all together... taste, add more orange blossom water if you;'d like. It should be a romantic hint in the back ground, too much and you risk this tasting more like a face mask and less like exotic yogurt
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You may have some left over yogurt.. fab with Whole Foods Ginger/Cashew Granola or as a base for a Pineapple or Papaya Smoothie
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