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SOUPS/SAUCES/CONDIMENTS

DATES, NUTS AND BRANDY TART WITH MASCARPONE CHEESE

DATE AND NUT TART

The tart:
125 g/4.4 oz dates, stoned and chopped
½ cup/125 ml boiling water
½ teaspoon/3 ml bicarbonate of soda
½ cup/125 ml butter, room temperature
100 g/3.5 oz soft brown sugar
1 large egg, beaten
1 cup/250 ml cake flour
½ teaspoon/3 ml baking powder
a pinch salt
50 g /1.7 oz walnuts or pecan nuts (chopped)
½ teaspoon/3 ml cinnamon
½ teaspoon/3 ml nutmeg
2 teaspoons/10 ml fresh ginger, minced
zest of 1 orange

The syrup:
2 teaspoons/10 ml butter
½ cup/125 ml soft brown sugar
⅓  cup/80 ml water
1 cinnamon quill
¼ cup/60 ml brandy
1 teaspoon/5 ml vanilla paste
pinch of salt

The garnish:
200 g/7 oz mascarpone cheese
or 200 g/7 oz fresh cream, whipped

Mascarpone is a thick, double or triple cream, soft cream cheese with a very high fat content. The texture is that of thickened cream that is on its way to becoming butter. Making your own mascarpone at home is simple, cheaper than the shop bought ones and utterly delicious. It can be used for both sweet and savory dishes and enhances the flavor of the dish without overwhelming the original taste. Mascarpone is used in ie the Italian dessert, Tiramisu, cheesecake (see Baked cheesecake with blackberry sauce) or served alone with fruit or fruit syrup. It makes charming canopies, topped with anchovies, tomato, smoked salmon, etc in fact, any topping you would normally put on top of a cream cheese snack. Mascarpone needs to be consumed within a few days.

Preheat the oven to 180° C/356°F.
Pour the boiling water over the chopped dates in a saucepan and heat to boiling point. Remove from heat and mix the bicarbonate of soda into the mixture and leave to cool.

Cream the butter and sugar and add the egg. Beat well to make a smooth batter. Sift the flour, baking powder and salt and fold into the creamed mixture. Add the nuts, stir in the date mixture, the spices and orange zest, and mix well. Pour the batter into a well greased 23 cm/9 in) baking tin (preferably with a loose bottom), and bake for 30 to 40 minutes. Have the syrup ready and pour over the hot tart as soon as it comes out of the oven.

Prepare the syrup while the tart is baking. Heat the butter, sugar, water and cinnamon for approximately 5 minutes. Take off the heat and stir in the brandy, vanilla and salt. Keep the syrup hot. Remove the cinnamon quill and pour the hot syrup over the pudding as soon as it is removed from the oven, reserving half a cup for drizzling when serving. Let the tart cool to room temperature before serving.

To serve:
Cut a slice from the tart and serve it with a dollop of mascarpone cheese (optional) or fresh cream. Drizzle the reserved syrup around and serve.

 

STELLA's avatar

By STELLA

I have had no formal chef’s training. Classical piano was my parents’ choice, and that took care of the first 20 years of my life. Journalism and radio followed (my own choices, this time), and these opened many doors for me into different countries, people, cultures — and, of course, foods. In a six week series on radio I used it as a platform for my love of food and shared lots of interesting recipes and food news with listeners.
My earliest memories of food come from the family kitchen at home; I can still remember the wonderful smells of the dishes my mother prepared. I became aware of the flavors of her creations at an early age. Some I enjoyed and preferred, while others depressed me with their lack of interesting flavors. My mother was a good cook, but not a gourmet, and sadly this often showed. What I did appreciate was that she always involved me in the preparation, sharing her knowledge of nutrition, flavor, color, and the harmonies of each plate she dished up. She was also a genius with leftovers and quick meals when unexpected guests arrived. This is one of the things that stands out in my mind, and it inspired me to create wonderful dishes from leftover foods myself.

I carried on with the tradition of carefully planning meals to combine nutrition, color and flavor, while at the same time offering variety and elegant presentation. In the process, I developed a passion for seeking out the best available products, adhering to each season’s offerings, and treating it with the respect it deserves, which eventually became part of my daily culinary life and travels. I did these things not because I wanted to become a chef, but to satisfy myself, family and friends with creations of gorgeous food and exciting flavors. All of which, I hope, is reflected in this blog.

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