Date smoothies

[Neely_Ohara]

I'm trying to make a date smoothie with a nice consistency AND with the dates mixed evenly throughout. When I tried the other night, I used some chopped-up dried dates. Was that a mistake -- should I have used fresh? The dates ended up in a goopy mess on the bottom of the glass, NOT what I've seen in some date smoothies I've bought.

I also didn't freeze the yogurt in advance -- I suppose I should do that next time.

Also -- I'm using a two-speed Osterizer -- do I need to upgrade my blender to make a proper smoothie?

TIA for the advice!

[MacGuffin]

I'm not into chunks and so would never use dates--at least those that are commonly found for sale--without soaking them. There's a lady on YouTube who came up with the idea of soaking them (pitted, of course) in coconut water and keeping it in the refrigerator for smoothies. She uses fresh water, I use canned, and it works great (I admit to giving it a once-over with my Bamix before I use it which is undoubtedly overkill).

You can also seek out a soft variety such as barhi, halawi, khadrawi, or honey dates; these blend up well without soaking but I'm still inclined to soak, especially if they're going to be used in something cold like a smoothie or shake. And if you're going to do smoothies seriously, consider a Vitamix. The reconditioned machines are good value and carry the same warranty as new.

[luckyfatima]

I make date chutney sometimes, and what I do is remove the stone and boil them until they mush together into a soft mass. I use about 1 cup dates to 1 1/2 cups water. They blend will with my other chutney liquid ingredients, so I think you could apply the same principle to a shake/smoothie.

[haiku.]

I'd love to get your recipe for the date chutney! It sounds like it would be really good.

[luckyfatima]

I don't usually measure, but I can give you an idea. I boil the dates into a soft mass, 1 cup dates, 1.5 cups water. I soak about 1/2 cup tamarind (the Indian kind with seeds and fibers) in 1 cup hot water. When it is cool, I strain this and get tamarind water. I boil this with the date pulp and stir in salt, +/- 1 tbs roasted cumin powder, =/- 1 tsp roasted red chile powder, and a bit of chaat masala, maybe 1-2 tsps (Shan Brand is good). Add water if it looks too thick. Sometimes it needs a little sugar as well. It should taste tangy, sweet and mildly hot and be liquidy but thick enough to glaze a spoon. I chill, then taste again and adjust for seasonings. Keeps well for a few weeks. Goes well with kabaabs and fried snacks like pakoras, samosas, kachoris, etc.

[haiku.]

Thanks. I'm definitely going to make some this weekend.

[luckyfatima]

I forgot to say that I put the tamarind water and date pulp in the blender, season, and then boil it down. Hope it comes out to your liking.

[nasigoreng]

Soak a cup of dates in a cup of water overnight. Put it through a food processor the following day. This will make a paste / emulsion that will blend beautifully. Do not use too much as it is very sweet. Make a lot of it and freeze small portions in plastic baggies

[nasigoreng]

Try using a half (1/2) cup of water with one cup of dates overnight before processing. This is a better consistency.

[mimilulu]

Bon Appetit has a recipe in their current issue for a Vanilla Date smoothie... 1 cup each of nonfat yogurt and skim milk, 1 c of pitted medjool dates and 1/2 tsp of vanilla. Blend that all together until smooth then add a couple cups of ice. I made 1/2 recipe this morning in my osterizer (using Fage Total 0% Greek yogurt) and it came out great. Actually next time I'll cut back on the dates a bit as this is too sweet for my taste.

[rachaels]

Sunday Suppers at Lucques has a recipe for date shakes I believe. . .

[xnyorkr]

Dates have that hard skin that might be a problem. I wonder if you soaked them in hot water for a while to soften them, they might blend better in a smoothie. I know some recipes call for doing this with raisins before you cook them.

[Neely_Ohara]

You know, that makes sense. The texture of the dates probably had something to do with why they "globbed" at the bottom of the mixture.....I'll try that....

[amyzan]

It's been a while since I made a date shake, but I use a 450 watt Osterizer, with ten speeds. Some shakes take longer to blend, but this model always does the job. With dates, I used the fresh medjools, pitted and cut up a bit. I use ice and lowfat milk, though, rather than ice cream. My blender came with a special blade for ice cream shakes, though I've never used it. Maybe if you're using ice cream, you could ask if there's a new blade for your model at an appliance shop? Oster sells tons of parts, according to the guys at the shop.

[ben61820]

wow, ive never heard of, or thought of making, a date smoothie or shake but it sounds great. i love dates. when i used to work in a restaurant, there was never time for breakfast so i used to raid the walk-in and grab one or two of the nice jumbo deglets we used to have for cooking, etc. one or two of those big boys can go a long way. id nibble them while sipping coffee while prepping for the day. i figured i got a bit of fruit, decent little bit of fiber, and all that sugar (natural tho it maybe) made me smile and made the coffee taste great. ahhh, memories.

[Dagney]

I mean a thick jam.

[Dagney]

There is a small town off the 8 freeway in Southern California called Dateland...it's some kind of date growing mecca. Anyway, there is a diner in Dateland that sells a mixture for date shakes. The consistency is like a think jam.

[Rickb]

Dateland is in Arizona East of Yuma.

[Pei]

I've only been able to get the dates to float throughout when I use really thick ice cream. If you want to minimize chunks, blend the dates with a little milk or water at the beginning so it becomes a paste before you add in the bulk of your ingredients.

[just4a2nd]

I have cooked with dates for years and when I put them in once specific cookie recipe it said to cook the dates on the stove with a little water. This made a quick paste which I think could be used for a date shake or smoothie..worth a try

[kare_raisu]

I believe shields date farm in Indio uses crystallized dates for their famous date shakes. They almost look like pellets/

[Neely_Ohara]

Hmmmm...OK, thanks, that's one difference. I think the yogurt temp. is another. The date shakes out that way (I've been to a place called Hadley's) are what I'm sort of trying to replicate...

[xnyorkr]

I've been to Hadley's! Near Palm Desert! Date shakes ....mmmm!!

Hadley's sells a date shake "base." If worst comes to worst, you could probably order it from them.