Looking for a sweet festive treat? Then why not try this recipe from Le Cordon Bleu Confectionery School?
For 12 stuffed dates
Preparation time 25 minutes
INGREDIENTS
12 large dried dates
260g almond paste
3-5ml flavouring of your choice (orange blossom water or rose water for example)
1 drop pistachio green food colouring
1 drop red food colouring
3 walnut kernels.
EQUIPMENT
1 pair thin latex gloves
- Prepare the almond paste (see below)
- Make an incision halfway through the dates and remove the stones.
- Place the almond paste on the work surface, make a small well in the centre, add the flavouring and fold the paste over it. Gently knead until the flavouring is well incorporated.
- Divide the almond paste into 3 x 85g pieces. Set aside one third, which will not be coloured. Place the other two on baking parchment and press down a little to form a small well in the centre. Add the pistachio green food colouring to one well and the red food colouring to the other. Wearing gloves, work the colouring into the almond paste until one is an even pale green and the other is pink.
- Shape each of the three amounts into 1cm thick ropes, then cut them the same length as the dates.
- Stuff 3 dates with plain stuffing, three with the green stuffing and three with the pink stuffing. Place a walnut kernel on top of three three dates filled with the plain almond paste.
- Roll out the remaining plain, pink and green stuffings separately to a thickness of 0.5cm. Make 3 two colour twists, then 1 three-colour plait. Cut to the length of the remaining 4 dates. Stuff each one with a length of twisted or plaited almond paste.
Stuffed dates will keep for at least a month in an airtight container at room temperature.
Almond Paste
Makes 600g
Preparation time: 1 hour
Cooking time: 20 minutes
INGREDIENTS
150g whole almonds
Cooked Sugar Syrup – 120ml water, 300g sugar, 60g glucose
EQUIPMENT
1 cooking thermometer
Food processor.
- Bring a large quantity of water to the boil in a saucepan, then leave the almonds in it for 5 minutes. Using a skimmer, remove the almonds and place them in a bowl of iced water. Skin the almonds and dry the blanched almonds on kitchen paper.
- Place the blanched almonds in the bowl of a food processor and grind to a fine powder.
Cooked Sugar Syrup
- Pour the water and sugar into a saucepan, stir until the sugar dissolved, then add the glucose. Heat to 120°C (firm ball), checking with the thermometer.
- Carefully drizzle the hot syrup over the almonds in the food processor then pulse several times until a paste begins to form. Continue to grind until the paste is smooth in texture, but do not let it heat too much.
- Take the paste out of the food processor and roll until smooth.
- Almond paste will keep for up to 3 weeks in an airtight container at room temperature, or wrapped in cling film.
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