188: To make a date tart

A very different tasting dessert, with dates as the featured and celebrated ingredient. Try to use organic dates, they will have a richer flavor.

 

Armstrong’s Translation

Cut up the dates and take out the pits, cook them in sweet wine, let them boil a little, lay them attractively on a pastry shell and sprinkle sugar and cinnamon on top of it, and lay the dates in a circle. And again sprinkle sugar and cinnamon on top. And make a cover over it and pour on it some of the broth in which the dates were cooked, and let it bake.

Reconstruction

16 oz package of dates, whole and pitted

1 c sweet port wine

1 c water

Sugar

Cinnamon

1 double crust pie shell (recipe 61)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F

Place dates, water and wine in a medium sized sauce pan and stir well. Bring mixture to a gentle boil and remove pan from heat. Let cool completely.

Lay one half of pastry crust in bottom of 9″ pie tin and trim edges of crust. Arrange 1/2 cooled dates on bottom of shell. Sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon. Lay remaining dates on top. Sprinkle with more sugar and cinnamon. Add about 1/4 of the broth in which the dates were cooked.

Wet edge of bottom crust with water. Place cover on pie and press edges firmly together with fingers. Brush top with a mixture of one beaten egg and 1T water.

Bake at 350 degrees F for 40 minutes