75 bad dates
August 5, 2014 9:36 PM Subscribe
I bought a box of 2 pounds of Fancy Amary Dates at the imported food store, because they were the cheapest. Now I know why - they're kind of tough and fibrous and not very sweet. Normally I can finish off a box of dates in a week, but these ones are going slowly. What can I do to redeem these dates?
Response by poster: I've never had a larabar, so I looked it up - does this look like a good recipe?
posted by moonmilk at 9:45 PM on August 5, 2014
posted by moonmilk at 9:45 PM on August 5, 2014
Pit them, stuff them with Gorgonzola and shove half a walnut into each one. Eat them all yourself. Do not share with anyone.
Or wrap the pitted dates in bacon and roast them in the oven until crispy.
posted by fancyoats at 9:49 PM on August 5, 2014 [3 favorites]
Or wrap the pitted dates in bacon and roast them in the oven until crispy.
posted by fancyoats at 9:49 PM on August 5, 2014 [3 favorites]
Yes, I think that recipe looks about like the ones I tried. I should say that they turned out pretty well, even the batches where I didn't have whole almonds and supplemented with Trader Joe's almond meal.
posted by instamatic at 10:06 PM on August 5, 2014
posted by instamatic at 10:06 PM on August 5, 2014
Sticky date pudding. Definitely include the sauce, and vanilla ice cream for maximum lusciousness.
posted by Athanassiel at 10:16 PM on August 5, 2014 [2 favorites]
posted by Athanassiel at 10:16 PM on August 5, 2014 [2 favorites]
You can make a yummy date loaf as recipes usually involve reconstituting/softening dates in boiling water and baking soda.
posted by oceanview at 10:16 PM on August 5, 2014
posted by oceanview at 10:16 PM on August 5, 2014
Grill them on a skewer! Crispy outside and chewy inside and more concentrated flavor.
posted by perkinite at 10:52 PM on August 5, 2014
posted by perkinite at 10:52 PM on August 5, 2014
I took some dry dates tonight, pitted and mashed them up a bit, added a couple of glops of sugar and a glop of water and microwaved them for a minute or so. Stirred it all up good and put it in the fridge. I'm calling it Date Jam and trying it on toast tomorrow morning.
posted by SLC Mom at 11:07 PM on August 5, 2014 [1 favorite]
posted by SLC Mom at 11:07 PM on August 5, 2014 [1 favorite]
Make a smoothie with them?
posted by RaRa-SpaceRobot at 11:23 PM on August 5, 2014
posted by RaRa-SpaceRobot at 11:23 PM on August 5, 2014
Combine in a pan with sugar, eggs, butter, vanilla, crushed pecans and rice crispies. Roll in coconut. And you have yourself some rather decadent date balls. (My family makes them around Christmas every year).
posted by mandymanwasregistered at 11:30 PM on August 5, 2014 [2 favorites]
posted by mandymanwasregistered at 11:30 PM on August 5, 2014 [2 favorites]
Cut the dates into 2 or 3 pieces, add to microwave oatmeal.
Maybe not with substandard dates, but a better grade of fruit can be made into a dessert tray snack. Insert a pecan where the seed was, role the date in granulated sugar. Be prepared for people to snicker that they look like frosted cockroaches.
posted by Cranberry at 11:33 PM on August 5, 2014
Maybe not with substandard dates, but a better grade of fruit can be made into a dessert tray snack. Insert a pecan where the seed was, role the date in granulated sugar. Be prepared for people to snicker that they look like frosted cockroaches.
posted by Cranberry at 11:33 PM on August 5, 2014
Chocolate cake! I made this and it was good. (Replaced Splenda with sugar).
posted by travelwithcats at 3:42 AM on August 6, 2014
posted by travelwithcats at 3:42 AM on August 6, 2014
Response by poster: I'm going to have to buy more yucky dates so I can try all of these.
posted by moonmilk at 4:24 AM on August 6, 2014 [2 favorites]
posted by moonmilk at 4:24 AM on August 6, 2014 [2 favorites]
Response by poster: I think that fancyoats' gorgonzola suggestion will be the first one, though. Any other savory recommendations?
oceanview - do you have a favorite date loaf recipe?
posted by moonmilk at 4:26 AM on August 6, 2014
oceanview - do you have a favorite date loaf recipe?
posted by moonmilk at 4:26 AM on August 6, 2014
My family has a beloved recipe for spiced date and nut cookies. I don't have the recipe in front of me, but it's a pretty stiff cookie dough spiced with cloves and allspice and cinnamon, with chopped dates and walnuts. As long as you chop the dates small enough to counteract the fibrous quality, I think these might do the trick.
We call them rock cookies, because they last a really long time, but just get a little hard. Great to dunk in coffee after a week or so.
posted by Liesl at 6:08 AM on August 6, 2014
We call them rock cookies, because they last a really long time, but just get a little hard. Great to dunk in coffee after a week or so.
posted by Liesl at 6:08 AM on August 6, 2014
My grandmother made these delicious date pinwheels for the family every Christmas. They were so beloved that my mother and I have both taken up the cause to try and recreate them for the family now that my grandmother's passed away.
posted by PearlRose at 6:25 AM on August 6, 2014
posted by PearlRose at 6:25 AM on August 6, 2014
Bacon. Wrap 'em up!
posted by Bunglegirl at 8:10 AM on August 6, 2014 [1 favorite]
posted by Bunglegirl at 8:10 AM on August 6, 2014 [1 favorite]
I think I found this spicy lemon date spread on metafilter but now I can't find it to give credit to the original poster. I have made it and it is pretty great and everyone who had it commented on how much they liked it.
posted by InkaLomax at 10:50 AM on August 6, 2014
posted by InkaLomax at 10:50 AM on August 6, 2014
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by instamatic at 9:44 PM on August 5, 2014