This holiday season, you might want to add something very special to your sweet trays such as the fresh dates grown in the Bard Valley that surround the lower Colorado River Valley.
Soft and chewy like caramel, the dates are large and moist and excellent to stuff into puffed pastry for a decadent treat.
Date Walnut Puff Pastry
Thaw puff pastry at room temperature for 30 minutes, or overnight in fridge.
400 g pkg frozen puff pastry, thawed
125 ml (1/2 cup) dates, pitted (5 to 6 dates)
125 ml (1/2 cup) finely chopped walnuts
125 ml (1/2 cup) flaked coconut
50 ml (1/4 cup) all-purpose flour
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2 ml (1/2 tsp) ground cinnamon
125 ml (1/2 cup) sugar
50 ml (1/4 cup) butter, softened
1 egg, beaten with 15 ml (1 tbsp) of water
Preheat oven to 200 C (400 F). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a food processor fitted with a metal blade, place dates, walnuts, coconut, flour and cinnamon and pulse until well combined.
In a large bowl, beat sugar and butter together until well blended. Gradually mix in date-walnut mixture.
Unroll one sheet of puff pastry and place on a lightly floured work surface. Using a lightly floured rolling pin, roll out puff pastry to a horizontal rectangle measuring 40 by 30 cm (16 by 12 inches). Pastry will be very thin. Using a pizza cutter or sharp knife, make three vertical cuts and two horizontal cuts to divide the rectangle into 12 10-cm (4-inch) squares.
Place 15 ml (1 tbsp) of the filling in centre of each square and dampen edges with water. Gather 4 corners and bring them up to the centre, pinching dough together firmly to secure it at the top, forming square pouches. Leave the seams along the edges open to allow some of the filling to show. Brush the top and sides of each pouch with beaten egg.
Unroll second sheet of puff pastry and repeat. Transfer to baking tray and bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool slightly on wire rack. Great served warm or at room temperature.
Makes 24 pastry pouches.
Nutritional information per pouch: 198 calories; 13 g fat; 2 g protein; 20 g carbohydrate; 1 g fibre; 66 mg sodium.
Source: Natural Delights Medjool Dates.
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