I have spent a quarter of my life in India mellowing in different cities of the country – Hyderabad, Nagpur and Bombay. Inherently my taste buds unconsciously adapted to the kind of Indian or Pakistani food we’d eat on normal days. Yes, Pakistani too because many dishes in Bohra cuisine are inspired from the very rich cultural influences from the region. There would definitely be a few treats on certain occasions – like for celebrating a cousin’s birthday or hosting an ice cream party at the terrace, welcoming grandma’s friends over for a kitty or indulging in sweets from school canteen only on the day of the result and most often than not the flavors would all be familiar – sweet or savory. No French or Chinese or Lebanese cuisine in sight until we passed out from school. Sound quite boring right? However it really wasn’t. I have some wonderful memories of growing up and of the taste of different kind of Indian food from various parts of the country that I still prefer is too exhilarating even to explain in words. Growing up I wasn’t exposed to western food, if that’s a better way of putting it.
Further ahead, I was too fascinated with the idea of Barista’s, rich chocolate pastries at cafes, hot-dog and burgers so easily affordable, Penne’s in Italian joints in Bombay I hadn’t heard of before and muffins/profiteroles/cupcakes luxuriously available at pop-up bake sales. I loved how easily a slice of cake could be obtained at any of the patisserie in Bombay while it was a luxury in my formative years. I loved the changing times. And I was only evolving in those teenage years! That’s when my interest in baking commenced. My inclination for finding new recipes on the web that I hadn’t eaten before kept cropping up until it reached a point where it became easier for me to understand the mix of flavors and then combining it into something esculent. In the process, it was ofcourse mom who led me to explain intricacies of ingredients and how pairing of certain spice mix with western desserts will work among other things.
So, while I was in Bombay last year we converted her kitchen into a sort of bakery. And one day we experimented with the leftover dates that were in abundance from Ramadan by turning them into cute miniature pies. We spiced them up with a hint of cardamom since the dates are naturally sweet and we wanted to bring down the palatableness of the dates slightly to not make the taste too empowering. A very simple take on mini pies that can be gathered in no time and yet you have a delicious snack to go with your afternoon tea or coffee or to nibble upon when the hunger strikes.
Mini Cardamom Date Pies
- Servings: 8 mini pies
- Difficulty: Medium
For the pie crust dough, I always follow this simple recipe of Martha Stewart. Here is the link. Add in few drops of ice-cold water to bind the dough if required.
Ingredients:
(for the filling)
- Soft Majdool Dates – 200 gms, pitted and chopped
- Cardamom Powder – 2 tsp., freshly ground
- Walnuts – 2 tbsp, finely chopped
- Vanilla Paste – 1/4 tsp
Method:
Boil 4 cups of water in a deep and wide-mouthed vessel and place a strainer on top. Turn the heat to low so that water doesn’t enter the strainer while boiling. Place chopped dates in the strainer and keep stirring till the dates become softer and come together. Will resemble a paste after 8-10 minutes. Remove it in a bowl and mix in cardamom, walnuts and vanilla while it is still warm (also brown sugar, if using). Preheat the oven at 180 Degrees Celsius and line the baking pan with parchment paper. Roll out the dough and cut them into rectangles (we did 16) using a sharp knife or a pizza cutter in any size you want. Lay half of the rectangles on the parchment paper and place the dates mixture at the center leaving a cm from the sides. Cover these rectangles with other cut outs and seal each pie using a fork. Cut a cross slit into the top of each pie for steam to release. Brush each pie with an egg wash and sprinkle some icing sugar if you fancy. Bake for 20-25 mins or until the edges are slightly brown and top is golden brown in color. Remove and cool on a wire rack. Serve warm!
