Calling all date lovers, Ayesha Erkin has brought out a hardback version of her book, Date Of The Day, that sees her share her very favourite sweet and savoury date options from corn dog dates to chicken and waffle dates, and for pudding, her take on a crème brûlée date. What’s more, they are all easy to make and an impressive snack when presented to friends and family.
To mark her recipe book, Ayesha has shared three delicious recipes that we can try at home.
Tahini, sea salt and mint dates
Ingredients
10 medjool dates, pitted
¼ cup tahini
¼ tsp sea salt
10 small fresh mint leaves
Method
- In a small bowl, mix the tahini and sea salt until well combined.
- Stuff each date with about ½ teaspoon of the tahini mixture, using a small spoon or your fingers to gently press it into the centre of the date.
- Place the stuffed dates on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
- Garnish each date with a small mint leaf on top of the tahini mixture.
- Serve immediately or store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to five days.
Halloumi, honey and chilli oil dates
Ingredients
10 medjool dates, pitted
100h halloumi cheese cut into small cubes
2tbs chilli oil
2tbs honey
Method
- Preheat the oven to 180°C.
- Stuff each date with a small cube of halloumi cheese.
- Drizzle ½ teaspoon of chili oil over each date.
- Place the stuffed sates onto a baking tray lined with parchment paper.
- Bake for 5-7 minutes or until the cheese is melted, and the dates are slightly caramelized.
- Drizzle ½ teaspoon of honey over each date.
- Serve warm.
Everything but the kitchen sink date
Ingredients
10 medjool dates, pitted
½ cup creamy peanut butter
½ cup crushed pretzels
½ cup crushed potato chips
¼ cup mini M&M’s
¼ cup edible coffee beans
Method
- In a small bowl mix together the peanut butter, crushed pretzels, crushed potato chips, M&M’s, and edible coffee beans until well combined.
- Take a pitted date and stuff it with the peanut butter mixture, using a small spoon or your fingers to press the mixture into the date.
- Repeat the process with the remaining dates.
- Serve and enjoy! These can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week.
All imagery credit: Ayesha Erkin/Date Of The Day
