RFCJ RECIPE ARCHIVE
Posted by : Ruth Heiges Date Pinwheels - dairy, pareve
One of the four species represented in the lulav-etrog array of Sukkot is the date, manifested in the date-palm frond. Some think the biblical reference implies date honey, but the clearest culinary option is serving dates in some form. If you want to have a really easy representation of this agricultural species of Israel, the easiest thing to do is to make "candies" of pitted dates, stuffing the space where the pit was removed with a half walnut or pecan. Or, consider stuffing it with a paste of chopped nuts and raisins, bound together with some honey or a fruit preserve. To make them a bit more decorative, optionally sprinkle some flaked coconut over the filling. Arrange on a platter or place in small paper cups. Here is a friend's easy cookie recipe which is bound to please. Since dates are of themselves so sweet, you might want to consider cutting the sugar in the dough by 1/4 to 1/2 cup. I have not made these so am uncertain of the yield. Date Pinwheels ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Filling: 1/2 lb./225 grams dates 1/3 cup water 1/4 cup sugar 1 teaspoon lemon juice Cook until thickened and cool to room temperature. You can speed up cooling by refrigerating. Dough: 1/2 cup butter or margarine 1-1/2 cups brown sugar 1 egg 2 cups flour 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon baking powder Mix together all ingredients. Roll out the dough to a thickness of 1/4 in./4 mm. Spread with date filling. Roll up in jelly-roll fashion. Wrap in waxed paper or plastic wrap. Chill overnight. Preheat oven to 350 F/175 C. Slice dough log into thin slices and place on a greased or parchment-lined cookie sheet. Bake for 8 minutes, or until golden. Ruth
