This no-bake middle eastern dessert covers a lot of happy ground for me:
It’s very easy to make, but I know of no western recipes like it. None. The method and deliciousness surprise me every time.
The hardest part is pitting the dates and filling each with a toasted walnut.
There are dates and walnuts (also cardamom and pistachios.) These tastes are to me are what chocolate and bacon are to others.
There is no baking. Line a dish with walnut-filled dates. Then make a roux, cooking butter and flour together until it is dark and liquid. Pour that roux over the dates, and sprinkle the whole thing with a substantial layer of confectioner’s sugar (tossed with cinnamon and cardamom) and pistachios. Allow it to sit for at least an hour. The sugar penetrates and sweetens the roux. When cut, each square is dates bound by a shortbread-like mortar, crumbing with salty pistachios.
I learned how to make this unusual square of date, nuts, and the cozy shortness of butter and sugar from Niaz Dorry, who celebrates Persian New Year (on the vernal equinox) every year she can with a lavish feast of Iranian dishes. I’ve come to love these foods so much that even if Niaz is away for Nowruz, I try to make a few of them myself. This year I made the Kuku (in the blog below) and Fesenjen, a fragrant stew of walnuts, chicken, butternut squash and pomegranate molasses. I cannot shout loud enough from tall enough rooftops how wonderful this stew is, and it improves during the week. ( I used the New York Times recipe, but you may have to subscribe for that. There are a number of other good ones online.) Make the Fesenjen; serve it over rice. Serve tea or wine. After dinner, pass squares of Ranginak. This is a meal to brighten and surprise tired Western palates. Happy New Year. Happy Vernal Equinox. Happy spring.
Ranginak, Persian Date and Walnut Cake
adapted from New Food of Life: Ancient Persian and Modern Iranian Cooking and Ceremonies
1 cup walnuts
3 cups pitted dates, or about 36 dates (try to find soft, medium - large size dates)
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup unsalted butter
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 cup ground unsalted pistachios
Heat a skillet over medium heat and toast walnuts for 3-5 minutes. (Alternatively, toast them for 5 minutes in a 350 degree F. oven.) Allow to cool. Place a walnut in each date.
In a medium sauce pan, add butter and flour, bring to medium heat until butter is melted and forms a thick paste with the flour. Stir constantly for 10-15 minutes, until golden caramel color. The mixture will be a thick paste at first and as you get closer to 15 minutes, it transforms into a thin caramel.
Spread about 1/3 of the flour mixture in a 9″ round ceramic tart pan or rectangular ceramic dish that will hold your dates snugly. Place dates in a single layer on the hot flour mixture (be careful not to burn yourself). Arrange the dates in rows and packed tightly together. Pour the remaining flour mixture over the top and smooth out with the back of a spoon.
In a small bowl, mix together the cinnamon, cardamom, and powdered sugar. With a large spoon, sprinkle this evenly over the date cake. Press the back of your spoon down onto the cake, so that the sugar is pressed into the cake. It will begin to soak into the flour and will no longer be powdery.
Evenly distribute the chopped pistachios over the cake. With your hands, press the nuts into the cake, so they are not loose. Allow to cool before cutting into small squares (use a sharp knife).