Ramadan is a joyous time of year that is filled with festivity, family, spiritual reconnection, and of course some very delicious meals. Ramadan is the month of fasting where Muslims abstain from eating or drinking from sunrise to sunset for the lunar month. At sunset, traditionally we break our fast by eating a date before embarking on dinner.
I have so many incredible memories from Ramadan. My mother would take extra care preparing special dishes that we did not eat often at other times, reserving them for special occasions as they were either more indulgent than our typical diet or required a bit more care and time in preparation.
I've shared with you here my favorite way to elevate dates, taking them from ordinary to extraordinary. The simplicity of this recipe is not to be underestimated, it's sometimes in the combination of a few simple yet complementary flavors that emerges a depth of richness that creates a uniquely scrumptious experience. I love the balance of how the cream cheese cuts through the sweetness of the dates, and adding a creamy texture, finished off with a delectable crunch of the nutty toppings. Pistachio and coconut both provide differing flavor profiles, though both share a more subtle note of salty and nutty, tying the cream cheese and dates together to complete an explosion of unexpected complementary flavors that entirely change the experience of enjoying a date.
It's a delightfully surprising adventure discovering how different of a flavor profile both the date truffles and stuffed dates have, despite sharing the same ingredients. The combination and placement of the ingredients is essential in creating two distinct ways of enjoying the flavor profiles. Noshejaan!
Date Truffles Recipe
Ingredients:
2 cups dates
8 oz cream cheese
1/3 cup crushed pistachios
1/3 cup shredded coconut
Instructions:
Combine dates and cream cheese in a food processor to blend well to a fine texture. You may need to occasionally utilize a spatula to push the ingredients down together as you pulse the food processor a few times. (see video)
Using a spoon, roll out a ball like dollop of the date cream cheese mixture into your palm. Roll the dollop between your two hands until it becomes a solidified, smooth ball approximately 1 inch in diameter.
Place shredded coconut and crushed pistachios in separate bowls.
Roll the ball into either the coconut or pistachios. The date ball itself is sticky enough to be completed coated by the nut.
Continue this process until you have completed making all of the date cream cheese mixture into truffles. Half of them should be coated in shredded coconut, the other half of the truffles should be coated in crushed pistachios.
Lay truffles on to a baking pan or tray and refrigerate for 15 minutes before serving. Noshejaan!
Stuffed Dates Recipe
Ingredients:
2 cups dates
8 oz cream cheese
1/3 cup crushed pistachios
1/3 cup shredded coconut
Instructions:
Remove pits from dates. Pull apart the two lips of the dates to create room in the natural center where the pit traditionally sits for the filling.
Allow cream cheese to reach room temperature prior to creating filling. This can be done by letting it sit on your counter out of the refrigerator for an hour before utilizing it.
Combine 4 oz of cream cheese with crushed pistachios in a bowl, using a spatula or fork to mix thoroughly.
Combine 4 oz of cream with shredded coconut in a separate bowl, using a spatula or fork to mix thoroughly.
Using a fork, take approximately a teaspoon of the cream cheese pistachio mix and carefully stuff the center of your date, allowing some of the cream cheese to be exposed. Dip this exposed top of your date into a separate bowl of crushed pistachio to allow it to have a crust covered in crushed pistachio.
Repeat this same process with the shredded coconut cream cheese mix, dipping the stuffed date into a separate bowl of shredded coconut to allow it to have a crust covered in shredded coconut.
Lay the stuffed dates on to a tray and refrigerate for 15 minutes prior to serving. Noshejaan!
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