I am pretty ambitious when it comes to putting together the menu for our annual holiday party; inevitably I end up having to abandon a dish or two at the last minute when I run out of time. One of the savory appetizers I had planned to make this year was stuffed dates wrapped in bacon. I had everything I needed on hand before the party -- Asiago cheese, bacon, and nine pounds of Medjool dates.
That might seem like an excessive amount of dates, but I couldn't help myself. Last October I visited my friend Katherine in Northern California, and we made a trip to the farmer's market in Mountain View. I stopped by a table where someone from Del Real was selling dates and tried a sample. It was the softest, most flavorful dried date I had ever tasted. I bought a pound and a half of dates on the spot. And after I returned home to Washington, D.C., I went online to buy some more, justifying the large purchase with the idea of putting stuffed dates on the party menu.
But dealing with our broken oven before the holiday party threw off my prep schedule. And I never got around to making the stuffed dates for our party, although I did manage to put out some dates on the cheeseboard. I also took dates to my parents and aunt and uncle over Christmas. Nevertheless, I still had an ample supply of dried dates on hand after the holidays. And even though I would happily eat a half a pound of dried dates in one sitting, I figured I should try to find a way to use some of them up in a baking project before I consumed them all myself.
So I found a recipe for Date Pecan Pumpkin Squares on epicurious.com. It's quite easy. You cream softened butter with brown sugar; add eggs, followed by canned pumpkin, vanilla, and water; incorporate the sifted dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and salt); and stir in chopped dates (that have been tossed in a bit of the sifted flour mixture) and pecans. You bake the cake in a 13-inch by 9-inch pan.
This is a great cold-weather cake and my tasters loved it. It's dense and hearty, chock full of moist dates and pecans that are evenly distributed throughout. The flavors of pumpkin and spice are cozy and comforting. I was afraid the dates might make the cake overly sweet, but that wasn't the case. And while I was looking at this cake to showcase dates, I actually think the most critical part of this cake is the pecans. I had toasted my pecans beforehand, and the flavor and texture from the nuts were the highlight of the cake for me. I still have quite a few dates in the cupboard, and I would definitely make this homey but satisfying cake again.
Recipe: "Date Pecan Pumpkin Squares" from epicurious.com.
Previous Post: "Baked Sunday Mornings: Date Squares," December 7, 2014.
That might seem like an excessive amount of dates, but I couldn't help myself. Last October I visited my friend Katherine in Northern California, and we made a trip to the farmer's market in Mountain View. I stopped by a table where someone from Del Real was selling dates and tried a sample. It was the softest, most flavorful dried date I had ever tasted. I bought a pound and a half of dates on the spot. And after I returned home to Washington, D.C., I went online to buy some more, justifying the large purchase with the idea of putting stuffed dates on the party menu.
But dealing with our broken oven before the holiday party threw off my prep schedule. And I never got around to making the stuffed dates for our party, although I did manage to put out some dates on the cheeseboard. I also took dates to my parents and aunt and uncle over Christmas. Nevertheless, I still had an ample supply of dried dates on hand after the holidays. And even though I would happily eat a half a pound of dried dates in one sitting, I figured I should try to find a way to use some of them up in a baking project before I consumed them all myself.
So I found a recipe for Date Pecan Pumpkin Squares on epicurious.com. It's quite easy. You cream softened butter with brown sugar; add eggs, followed by canned pumpkin, vanilla, and water; incorporate the sifted dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and salt); and stir in chopped dates (that have been tossed in a bit of the sifted flour mixture) and pecans. You bake the cake in a 13-inch by 9-inch pan.
Recipe: "Date Pecan Pumpkin Squares" from epicurious.com.
Previous Post: "Baked Sunday Mornings: Date Squares," December 7, 2014.
Comments
You can make a few stuffed dates and keep them in a closed container. After seeding the dates, we overstuffed the date a little with peanut butter, then just rolled them in a dish of granulated sugar. I remember making them with my mom at Christmas time.