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Dried Fruits and Nuts: Stuffed
Stuffed Dates Wash and stone as many dates as are needed and stuff with any of the following:
English walnut meats, broken in pieces Pecan nut meats, broken in pieces Salted peanuts, chopped Peanut butter Candied ginger, cut fine Candied pineapple, cut fine Roasted almonds Brazil nuts, brown skin removed After stuffing, roll the dates in granulated or powdered sugar, and arrange on a doily, or pack in layers in a box between wax paper. Fried Stuffed Dates 3/4 pound dates 2 tablespoons butter 1/2 cup chopped nuts 1/2 teaspoon vanilla 1 cup cocoanut Wash and dry dates, remove stones, and saute in butter on both sides. Stuff dates with chopped nuts flavored with vanilla, and roll dates in shredded cocoanut. Wrap in wax paper and twist the ends, or pack in layers in a box lined with wax paper.
Two simple confections that need almost no equipment. The main adjustments are to the dates themselves, which are sold in a very different state now than in 1920.
- Washing the datesDates of the period were commonly sold loose and in bulk, which is probably why the recipe opens with a wash. Modern pitted or Medjool dates sold in sealed packs need no rinsing; if you do wash them, dry them thoroughly or the sugar coating will dissolve into syrup.
- "Stone" the datesSlit each date lengthwise along one side and press the pit out, keeping the fruit in one piece so it can be closed around the filling. Buying whole dates rather than pre-pitted gives a neater pocket.
- CocoanutPeriod shredded coconut was unsweetened and fairly dry. Sweetened flaked coconut works but pushes an already sweet sweet further; unsweetened desiccated or flaked coconut is closer to the intent.
- Quantities for the fried version3/4 pound of dates may be anywhere from about fifteen large Medjools to forty or more smaller Deglet Noor, so the half cup of nuts and cup of coconut will stretch further with some varieties than others. The vanilla is stirred into the nuts, not the butter.
- Sauteing datesUse medium heat and keep it brief, as dates are very high in sugar and will scorch quickly. Thirty to sixty seconds a side in foaming butter is enough to soften the skin and glaze the surface.
- Order of operationsThe dates are fried before stuffing, then rolled in coconut; rolling while they are still warm and tacky should help it adhere. Let them cool fully before wrapping or the coconut will sweat.
- Sugar coatingGranulated sugar gives a crunch that holds up; powdered sugar looks better but absorbs moisture from the fruit and goes patchy within a day. Coat close to serving if using powdered.
- KeepingLayered between wax paper in a tin, both versions keep a week or more at cool room temperature. Refrigeration makes dates firm and dulls the flavor.
Stuffed dates appear in American candy books and at church-fair sweet tables from the late nineteenth century onward, helped by a growing supply of imported dates and, from the early twentieth century, commercial date planting in California's Coachella Valley, as the fruit shifted from a curiosity to a pantry staple. Because they require no thermometer, no boiled syrup and no marble slab, they sit alongside the other uncooked confections a household could make without candy-making skill. The long list of possible fillings -- candied ginger, candied pineapple, salted peanuts, peanut butter -- is a good snapshot of what a well-stocked 1920s American pantry held.