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In Search of Date Shakes
Feb. 22nd, 2014 11:29 amSo, when I was in Palm Springs, walking up and down the main drag, I noticed several shops offering "date shakes." One gift shop even sold packages of Medjool dates stuffed with nuts and coconut.
Well. Living in the US epicenter of Arabic cuisine, I've come to take Medjool dates for granted over the last decade. Even as a kid in California, I knew Medjool dates were the best, and a whole different experience from the sugar-crusted desiccated date bits that came out of the Dromedary box, but they weren't a regular treat. Here in Dearborn they're pretty much a staple of my grocery expeditions.
[If you ever see the incredibly rare and luscious Black Sphinx Date, buy them. They are actually better than Medjool dates.]
But it turns out Palm Springs is right in the key date-distribution region that sends yummy Medjools and such around the US, and date milkshakes are a tradition going back to the 1930s. And I didn't have time to fit one in my trip. Oh well, I thought, there are recipes galore to use, and I'm pretty sure I can access Medjool dates easier than most people outside of the Palm Springs/Indio region.
Yeah, there are recipes. Some call for frozen yogurt to break up the intense sweetness of dates and vanilla. Some call for vanilla gelato.
I used this recipe, with some modifications to my own milkshake tastes. I don't really like milkshakes from a blender, as I like a certain level of heterogeneity as the milkshake settles out. I want to have to eat the last lump with a spoon. Also, my food processor up and died a couple of years ago and I still haven't shelled out for a new one.
Low-Tech Date Shake
Ingredients:
1/2 cup Medjool dates (other dates will be harder to work with)
1/2 cup cold milk
1 cup good-quality vanilla ice cream
1/4 teaspoon freshly-grated nutmeg (optional)
Preparation:
Pit the dates, removing any attached stems, and chop coarsely. Put in a small bowl with the milk and let sit for about 10 minutes, mashing every few minutes with a potato masher. The milk will start to turn a light honey-brown and the dates will begin to break down into a thick paste. Break it all up with a spoon so you have date particles floating in the date-infused milk. Add the grated nutmeg, which helps temper the sweetness. Then incorporate the ice cream, 1/2 cup at a time, until it reaches your desired milkshake consistency.
Pour into a serving glasses and consume. I wouldn't recommend using a straw-- just bottoms up, with a spoon for the end.
Makes 1 serving unless you want to be nice to somebody.
Well. Living in the US epicenter of Arabic cuisine, I've come to take Medjool dates for granted over the last decade. Even as a kid in California, I knew Medjool dates were the best, and a whole different experience from the sugar-crusted desiccated date bits that came out of the Dromedary box, but they weren't a regular treat. Here in Dearborn they're pretty much a staple of my grocery expeditions.
[If you ever see the incredibly rare and luscious Black Sphinx Date, buy them. They are actually better than Medjool dates.]
But it turns out Palm Springs is right in the key date-distribution region that sends yummy Medjools and such around the US, and date milkshakes are a tradition going back to the 1930s. And I didn't have time to fit one in my trip. Oh well, I thought, there are recipes galore to use, and I'm pretty sure I can access Medjool dates easier than most people outside of the Palm Springs/Indio region.
Yeah, there are recipes. Some call for frozen yogurt to break up the intense sweetness of dates and vanilla. Some call for vanilla gelato.
I used this recipe, with some modifications to my own milkshake tastes. I don't really like milkshakes from a blender, as I like a certain level of heterogeneity as the milkshake settles out. I want to have to eat the last lump with a spoon. Also, my food processor up and died a couple of years ago and I still haven't shelled out for a new one.
Low-Tech Date Shake
Ingredients:
1/2 cup Medjool dates (other dates will be harder to work with)
1/2 cup cold milk
1 cup good-quality vanilla ice cream
1/4 teaspoon freshly-grated nutmeg (optional)
Preparation:
Pit the dates, removing any attached stems, and chop coarsely. Put in a small bowl with the milk and let sit for about 10 minutes, mashing every few minutes with a potato masher. The milk will start to turn a light honey-brown and the dates will begin to break down into a thick paste. Break it all up with a spoon so you have date particles floating in the date-infused milk. Add the grated nutmeg, which helps temper the sweetness. Then incorporate the ice cream, 1/2 cup at a time, until it reaches your desired milkshake consistency.
Pour into a serving glasses and consume. I wouldn't recommend using a straw-- just bottoms up, with a spoon for the end.
Makes 1 serving unless you want to be nice to somebody.
