Date paste
Description
Date paste, also known as date puree, is the perfect preparation to sweeten your dishes. It is also an excellent alternative to refined sugar.
Preparation
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Place the dried, pitted dates in a saucepan with boiling water to soften.
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Let the dates stand until they are soft.
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Place in a blender (water+dates) and add the vanilla extract.
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Blend the mixture until you obtain the desired texture (puree). Add a little water if necessary.
Ingredients
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Pitted dried dates
250 g -
Water
200 ml -
Vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon
Category
Versatile preparation
Versatile preparation
Preparation
15 mn
15 mn
Cook
10 mn
10 mn
Servings
1 jam pot
1 jam pot
A word about this preparation...
Refined sugar is everywhere, even where we least expect it. It’s highly addictive because it stimulates the production of pleasure hormones like dopamine, and its taste is widely appreciated by most people. The problem is that an excess of refined sugar is harmful to our health: tooth decay, obesity, type 2 diabetes, fatigue, and, in the long term, cancers and heart problems.
The solution is to replace refined sugar in your culinary preparations with homemade date puree. Your body will thank you!
Indeed, date puree also has a sweet taste, but its absorption by the body is slower and does not cause the same insulin spikes as refined sugar. It’s a natural sweetener, rich in fiber, that will sweeten all your dishes without harming your health. Dates also contain minerals such as potassium and calcium, and they have antioxidant properties!
It’s also possible to soften the dates by soaking the water + date mixture in a container in the fridge for at least 2 hours or overnight, rather than cooking the mixture over low heat. Other people use the microwave.
It’s simple to prepare, healthy, and you can store it in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to two weeks. If you’ve made a large batch, you can even freeze it.
It’s a versatile preparation that can be used in many ways, to enhance other dishes or to make desserts.
You can flavor your date puree with vanilla, as I did here, or with other spices like cinnamon. It’s up to you to decide based on your preferences.
No, seriously, dates are way more amazing than artificial intelligence. So when you do your shopping, don’t forget to grab a box to replenish your stock of date puree.
Oh, and I almost forgot—it also works with other dried fruits like apricots, cranberries, raisins... with the same preparation method. Isn’t life wonderful? :)