Turkish Haroset for Passover

Last week I pulled out my tattered, splattered Jewish cookbooks to plan our Passover Seder. I really love this time of year. For years I’ve been cooking from these books religiously. Literally. I converted to Judaism 23 years ago and immersing myself in cooking enhanced my new Jewish identity. Even today, all these years later, I’m still evolving yet holding onto traditions and rituals that are dear to me. And with Passover beginning this week I’m all in, but it’s not as easy as when we lived in Seattle.

In Seattle, our local grocery store dedicated a large area to Passover. The shelves were stocked with kosher-for-Passover products,

and while shopping I’d run into friends and swap Seder menu ideas and ask questions like, “Want to share a box of matzah cake meal?” In Seattle, being a Jewish mom was a significant part of my identity. I’m still Jewish and still a mom but my children and my Jewish community are not here now, which gets me thinking about who I am and where I am now. I’ve happily chosen to be here in the Methow Valley, much as I happily chose to become Jewish, so what does it mean now, for where I am in life and where I’m finding meaning? Yes, asking questions is an important part of Passover.

There’s no place I’d rather be, both physically and in life. I’m drawn to the quieter pace and nature, and I’m growing in completely new ways. I’ve become a pilot.

Yes! Well, I’m not yet licensed but Oh! I have slipped the surly bonds of Earth. Since I was a little girl I’ve wanted to be a pilot and now I’m doing it. Since moving here I’d been looking up at the sky longingly, and when a friend out here got her pilot’s license six months ago that was the final inspiration I needed to go for it. I absolutely love flying. I have soloed now, which means I can fly alone, and I still have a LOT to learn and practice before I get my license. But I’m so happy in the air. It’s magical. This valley is the best, most beautiful place to learn to fly.

The poem High Flight by John Gillespie Magee, Jr says it better than I can. I’ve put out my hand, and touched the face of G-d.

I’m now a pilot and I’ve still got my tattered cookbooks and it’s Passover and it’s time for haroset.

Passover is filled with symbolic foods on the Seder plate. We gather around the table and talk about each of them as we tell the story of Passover (haggadah means “telling”) leading up to the meal.

Haroset represents the mortar used with the bricks when the Jews built the pyramids in ancient Egypt. Traditional haroset is a mix of chopped apples, walnuts, cinnamon and sweet wine.  We eat it on matzah during the Seder and the eight days of Passover. There are harosets from all over the world and we often have haroset tastings from Surinam, Yemen, Italy or Persia at our Seders. About seven years ago, a Turkish exchange student lived with us so, of course, we needed Turkish haroset on our table.

For this delicious one, apples, dates, raisins and pistachios are chopped up together and flavored with orange zest and juice. The flavors are sweet, simple and refreshing. The original recipe calls for cooking the haroset until the apples soften, but I prefer to keep it raw for the crunchy freshness.

During the Seder we look back and remember the story of Passover and then look forward to what’s ahead (the Seder ends by saying “Next year in Jerusalem”).  I’ve moved to a place where I’m finding meaning in the quiet and physical beauty and diving into new opportunities. Moving forward and back, layering the new on old and feeling gratitude.

Haroset from Turkey
Adapted from The Book of Jewish Food by Claudia Roden

2 sweet apples, peeled and chopped into small pieces
½ pound dates, pitted and roughly chopped
1 cup raisins (I use golden)
Juice and grated zest of 1 orange
2 ounces pistachios (or walnuts)

Place all the ingredients in a food processor and pulse until it forms a rough mixture. You can process until it becomes a paste, too, if you prefer. Serve in a bowl with matzah or chill in the fridge until ready to eat.

Chocolate Date Truffles

With the snow melting away and the sun shining, I feel warm and hopeful and glad to wear something other than snow boots.  My skis are put away and I’ve even slipped on some flip-flops. My toes are happy!

Spring is a time for new beginnings. Soon the wild flowers will emerge from the earth and there’s talk of planting seeds on the radio. I, too, am embarking on a new beginning. When we moved to this beautiful valley last summer, I knew I was starting on a journey but had no idea what direction it might take.

I mentioned previously that I’ve been keeping busy (an understatement!) with a new project. I’m delighted to tell you a bit about it now – it’s a kitchen and home store! A fantastic opportunity emerged and I decided to jump on it. I’m beyond excited! You never know what life will bring, do you? I’ve been learning and planning and painting and designing and ordering and falling into bed exhausted every night. But it’s thrilling and a whole new adventure to embrace.

Needless to say, I haven’t been cooking much lately and I miss it! One evening before I collapsed I just had to get back into the kitchen. I made a little sweet that didn’t involve any cooking but still scratched the itch (and was delicious!): Chocolate Date Truffles.

My dear friend, Tristan, gave me the original recipe (thank you again!). Raw cashews are whirled in the food processor with honey, cacao powder, vanilla and shredded coconut to create a rich, lightly sweet truffle to scoop and roll. I began nibbling right away! The original recipe calls for rolling in citrus zest, nuts or seeds, but I decided to stuff some luscious, plump dates with it instead. What an indulgent treat! These didn’t last long and I know I’ll be making them again soon.

Off to the shop now – I can’t wait to share details and photos with you in a couple of weeks after we’ve opened.

Chocolate Date Truffles
Makes about 22
Filling adapted from Nourish and Heal, 2014

1 cup raw cashews, soaked in a bowl of water for 20 minutes and drained
1/2 cup raw honey
1/2 cup raw cacao powder
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
3/4 cup unsweetened shredded coconut, plus extra for garnish
22 whole, plump Medjool dates

Add the drained cashews and honey to the bowl of a food processor and process until smooth, stopping to scrape the sides once. Add the cacao powder, vanilla, kosher salt and coconut and process until well combined, stopping again to scrape the sides.

Scrape the filling into a small bowl, cover and chill for about an hour. You can prep the filling the day before serving and leave to chill overnight, too.

To assemble the truffle dates, slit each date open along one side and gently remove the pit. Place a small scoop of filling into each date and shape it to fit smoothly. Arrange the dates on a serving plate and scatter a little coconut over the top. Indulge!

Coconut Date Shake

Date shakes are good. I mean, seriously good. A week ago, Bob and I slipped out of town to Palm Springs to meet some friends. It had been more than 20 years since I was last there. Memories of road trips to Palm Springs were on my mind, taken with my friend Rebecca during our years of living together in Los Angeles. The two of us would bop into town, shop for howling coyote- and cactus-themed tchotchkes for our apartment, spend the afternoons by the pool with frosty cocktails, and then gobble Mexican food at our favorite little hole-in-the-wall spot.

A trip to Palm Springs was never complete, though, without a stop along the way for date shakes at Hadley Fruit Orchards. Date shakes are synonymous with Palm Springs, given all the date palms that grow in the surrounding Coachella Valley. According to California legend, the date shake was invented in the 1930s by a local date farmer. I hadn’t thought of date shakes in many years, and during our whirlwind visit I developed an intense craving.

There are many varieties of dates and Hadley’s uses deglet noor. These also happen to be my favorite dates, with their irresistible soft, sticky, caramel sweetness.  Vanilla ice cream, milk and dates are the classic date shake ingredients. Lately, though, we’ve been devouring pints of coconut milk ice cream, so I decided to use a vanilla flavored one along with coconut milk for my date shake. After chopping the dates, I blended them with coconut milk until they were almost smooth and then added the coconut ice cream.

Oh my. Luscious, rich, creamy and filled with sweet dates, this shake is heavenly and truly a blast of nostalgic taste for me. Today, there was an afternoon break in our April showers, so after whirling one up I was able to steal outside and sip my shake in the sun. Granted, this wasn’t the hot sunshine of Palm Springs (last week was 90 degrees!), but I popped in a festive little umbrella and pretended I was sitting under a palm tree in the desert. Life is good.

Coconut Date Shake
Serves 2-3 (it's rich!)

1 1/2 cups deglet noor dates, pitted and roughly chopped (medjool dates can be substituted)
1 cup whole coconut milk
1 cup vanilla coconut milk ice cream (we’re quite fond of Luna & Larry’s Coconut Bliss)

In a blender, whirl the dates and coconut milk together until fairly smooth. Add the ice cream and blend until creamy. Pour into glasses and serve. The shake is thick, so a spoon may be needed, as well.

Our Persian-Inspired House Haroset

Spring has arrived, and in celebration I brought home tulips today and painted my toes pink. Between the pouring rain and lashing wind, though, it’s not feeling particularly spring-like yet, but once I start thinking of the balmy days ahead there’s no stopping me.

Having Passover fall in March this year is creating a bit of a scramble as I scrub the kitchen and clear out all the hametz (leavened items like pasta and bread). Fortunately, I also get to plan the seder menu which is so much more fun! A seder is the traditional Passover dinner that celebrates the ancient Israelites’ journey from slavery to freedom. I also get to dust off my seder plate, which is used to hold symbolic foods during the seder. I love our seder plate! Bob and I brought it home from a pottery co-op in Jerusalem back in 1994, where we celebrated our 1st wedding anniversary. Such special memories.

I keep a Passover file with each year’s notes, suggestions and recipes I want to try. Once it’s all spread out over the dining room table, I get out my pen and notepad and start planning.  We have eight days of eating unleavened foods (including matzah roca!), which leads to some creative cooking that I truly enjoy.

One of the symbolic foods we put on the seder plate is haroset. Haroset is typically made of fruit and nuts mixed with wine and spread on matzah to eat. The chunky mixture represents the mortar that the Israelite slaves used when in Egypt. Haroset is made with a quick blitz in the food processor or you can crunch it together with a mortar and pestle. The most familiar version is made with chopped apples, walnuts and sweet wine.

There are many different harosets reflecting different Jewish cultures. Suriname, Egypt, Yemen and Turkey are just a few – you can take a trip around the world just eating haroset! Each year, I like to do a haroset tasting and sample some different flavor combinations. There’s one haroset that’s always on our menu, though, and it’s this one: our house haroset.

I discovered this Persian-inspired recipe almost twenty years ago, when Joan Nathan’s book Jewish Cooking in America was first published. It includes strawberries, dates and bananas in addition to apples and nuts. Sweet, spicy, soft and crunchy ... let’s just say it was love at first taste! I’ve changed a few ingredients and spiced it up a bit over the years and it’s become a family tradition.

Some of my favorite times volunteering in my sons’ Jewish elementary school were when I taught each of their classes to make this haroset. I roughly chopped up dates, strawberries, bananas and apples and let the students scoop the ingredients into small bowls and sprinkle on cinnamon and a splash of cherry juice. Then their little hands got busy pounding away with wooden spoons to create a chunky paste. We slathered the haroset on matzah and happily snacked away.

Haroset
Adapted from Jewish Cooking in America
By Joan Nathan
Makes about 4 cups

1 cup pistachios, shelled and roughly chopped
1 cup raw almonds, lightly toasted and roughly chopped
1 cup dried, unsweetened cherries
10 ounces strawberries, stems removed and cut in half
1 medium banana, peeled and chopped
1 medium apple, cored and chopped (I use Granny Smith)
6 ounces dates, pitted and sliced in half
2 tablespoons cherry juice (I used dark cherry concentrate) or pomegranate juice
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon cloves
1/4 teaspoon cayenne (optional, provides a little kick)
Matzah or crackers for serving

Combine all the ingredients in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse the mixture until a chunky paste is formed. Spoon the haroset into a bowl to serve alongside matzah. It can be made a few hours ahead and kept covered in the fridge.

Haroset also makes a marvelous breakfast when spread on matzah (or toast) with some cream cheese.

Barley Fruit Salad for Tu B’Shevat

While it’s too early for buds to be appearing here, in Israel the fruit trees are beginning to awaken from their winter slumber. This time of season signifies the arrival of Tu B’Shevat (the 15th day of the Hebrew month of Shevat), the agricultural holiday marking a new year for trees. I just love this celebration of nature and recognizing the trees’ cycle of life. In Israel, the festival has evolved to include planting new trees, as well.

On this day, it’s traditional to eat foods made from fruit and nuts, especially the seven species of Israel - olives, dates, wheat, barley, pomegranates, grapes and figs. With this in mind, I wanted to create a salad that highlights these traditional species. I started with barley. Barley is a rather quiet grain and doesn’t get a lot of fanfare, other than in mushroom barley soup.  I appreciate barley’s chewy texture and earthy flavor and I thought it would shine in a salad.

Roasted grapes are unbelievably good. While I am not really a grape fan, I’ll happily eat a pan of these. The heat transforms the grapes and a flavor emerges that is much more interesting to me. A simple drizzle of olive oil and quick roast softens the grapes and releases their juices, which mix with the oil and create the dressing for this salad.

Tart, crunchy pomegranate arils and sweet dates and figs add texture and color, while fresh mint and lemon zest bring a bright finish to the salad. This one is bursting with flavor! And it provides a nice balance to the heavy stews we are still eating during our chilly, damp season. We can savor this salad and dream about warm sunshine and flowering trees ... soon enough.

Tu B’Shevat Barley Fruit Salad
Serves 4

1/2 tablespoon unsalted butter
1/2 cup barley, rinsed
2 cups water
2 cups red grapes, stems removed
1 tablespoon olive oil
Zest of 1 lemon
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 cup pomegranate arils
1 cup dates, pitted and roughly chopped (I used deglet noor dates)
1 cup dried figs, stems removed and quartered
1/4 cup fresh mint leaves

In a medium sized sauce pan, melt the butter over medium heat and add the barley. Stir to coat with butter and sauté until the grains are toasted and a bit browned, about 3 minutes. Pour in the 2 cups of water, raise the heat and bring to a boil. Give the barley a stir, cover, lower the heat and simmer until the barley is soft but still has a bit of a chewy bite, about 30 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside, uncovered.

While the barley is cooking, preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Pour 1 tablespoon of olive oil on a rimmed baking sheet and add the grapes. Roll the grapes around to coat them in the oil. Roast the grapes for about 15 minutes, until they are soft and sweet and release their juices. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool.

In a serving bowl, scoop the barley in and gently stir in the lemon zest and salt. Add the pomegranate arils, dates and figs. Scrape the roasted grapes and collected juices/olive oil into the bowl and gently mix together. Scatter the mint leaves over the salad and fold them in.

This salad can be made a few hours ahead. Cover and let sit at room temperature until ready to eat.

Lamb and Date Stew for Sukkot

I could not be happier. October is here, we are celebrating Sukkot this week and the sun continues to shine every day.

Each year, the sounds of drilling, hammering and music on the radio (or sometimes a football game) ring out from the back yard as Bob, Sam and Isaac construct our sukkah. I cut branches from bushes around the yard for the sukkah’s roof, we string lights to decorate, and the picnic table is set for dinner.

Sukkot celebrates the fall harvest and we gather together to welcome guests into the sukkah. Sukkot also signals the time when I open my arms to fall cooking and embrace the warming soups and stews of the season.

Lamb stew is a favorite on our menu during Sukkot.  Hearty and cozy, it is a bowl full of rich flavor, spiced with ginger and cinnamon. I like to include dates and honey since their flavors melt into the lamb and evoke the sweetness of the holiday. This year I used date paste brought to us by our lovely friends, Galit and Roni, when they visited from Israel in August.  An extra sweet treat!

The stew is best made a day or two ahead of time, giving time for the flavors to marry. This makes it ideal to entertain with since you only need to pop it in the oven to warm while you pour wine and chat with your guests.

For the next week, we’ll have dinner every night in our sukkah. With the wonderful extended summer we’re having, we’ll be able to linger around the table and I am grateful for this gift.  And later in the evening, I love seeing the twinkling sukkah lights through the kitchen door as I call the dogs in and head out to close the chicken coop up for the night. Happy autumn.

Lamb and Date Stew
Serves 6-8

2 onions, sliced thinly
2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons ground ginger
2 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
12 ounces date paste (purée pitted dates with a bit of water in the food processor or use packaged date paste, usually found in a Middle Eastern market)
3 tablespoons honey
5 pounds boneless lamb, cubed
1 cup red wine
1/2 cup sesame seeds, plus more for garnish
Chopped parsley for garnish

In a Dutch oven or large, heavy soup pot, sauté the onions and garlic in olive oil over medium low heat until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the ginger, cinnamon, salt and pepper and stir.

Add the date paste and break into small chunks to begin softening it. It will be sticky - don’t worry about getting it smooth, it will melt and blend as the stew simmers. Add the honey, lamb cubes, red wine and sesame seeds and stir gently to combine. Increase the heat to medium high until the stew begins to bubble, then lower heat, cover, and simmer for about 2 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally. During the last half hour, remove the lid and let simmer uncovered to thicken and reduce the liquid.

Let the stew cool to room temperature, cover and pop in the fridge. It can be made a day or two ahead. On the day you want to serve it, remove and scrape any congealed fat off the top. Cover and warm in a low oven until ready to eat. Sprinkle with additional sesame seeds and a bit of parsley. It’s very good served with whole wheat Israeli couscous.

Pomegranate Glazed Carrots and Leeks for Rosh Hashanah

Pomegranates are a sure sign that Rosh Hashanah is here!  This is such a beautiful season, a time of renewal with a fresh year ahead. We eat pomegranates during Rosh Hashanah with the wish that our good deeds in the coming year will be as abundant as the seeds of a pomegranate. And they taste so good, too!

Our new year will begin with a meal of round challahs filled with chocolate and figs, brisket, maple sweet potatoes, jujubes (a new fruit we just discovered at the farmer’s market), apple honey cake and this side dish of Pomegranate Glazed Carrots and Leeks.

Sweet carrots and caramelized leeks are glazed with a mix of pomegranate molasses and honey. Pomegranate molasses is wonderfully tart, and I added a drizzle of honey to balance it out. I couldn’t resist tossing in some sliced dates, and a sprinkling of crimson pomegranate seeds added a pop of color. Filled with fall flavors, it is a delightful dish.

I look forward to gathering around the table with family and friends and dipping apples in honey. These are special days to savor; crisp, sunny days with leaves blushing the color of pomegranates – for that, and for so much more, I am grateful.

L’shana tova – a sweet and happy new year to you!

Pomegranate Glazed Carrots and Leeks
Serves 6-8

2 1/2 pounds carrots, ends trimmed and sliced in 1 inch diagonal slices
1 1/2 pounds trimmed leeks, sliced in 1 inch diagonal slices
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons kosher salt
3 tablespoons pomegranate molasses
2 tablespoons honey
12 dates, pitted and sliced in slivers lengthwise
1/4 cup pomegranate seeds
1/4 cup Italian parsley, roughly chopped

Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add the carrot slices. Cook the carrots until they are soft, about 6-8 minutes. Drain and return them to the pot.

While the carrots are cooking, heat the olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium high heat. Add the leeks and salt and stir. Let the leeks cook until the bottom layer begins to brown, then stir and let them brown again. Sauté the leeks until they are golden brown and soft, about 10-15 minutes.

In a small bowl, whisk together the pomegranate molasses and honey. Pour this over the warm carrots and stir to coat. Add the leeks and dates and gently mix.

Spoon the carrots into a serving dish and scatter the pomegranate seeds and parsley over the top. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Dates and Butter (and Goodbyes)

We’ve been leading up to two goodbyes in our household.  Did I mention they are happening on the same day?  That’s a lot for one mom to handle.  My first goodbye will be my younger son, Isaac.  He is going to Japan to visit Kyoto, Hiroshima and Kanazawa with his Japanese class from middle school.  Big sigh… so far away.  He will have a marvelous two week experience and I’m excited for him.

The second farewell is our exchange student, Mohammad.  We’ve been hosting Mohammad for the past year from Saudi Arabia.  What a special year!  He is 17 years old and truly became our son and brother.  We learned about each others’ cultures, countries and religions, and mostly realized how much we have in common.  Mohammad and my sons, Sam and Isaac, share so many of the same interests.  The sounds of them laughing and chatting together every day makes me smile.  Sports, music, movies, Xbox... all part of the universal language of teenaged boys. Hosting exchange students has allowed our family to expand in such a unique way.  I love that we can bring someone into our home and hearts and establish a relationship that will grow over the years.

It is fun for me to learn about traditional foods that Mohammad eats, especially for the holidays of Ramadan, Eid al Fitr and Eid al Ahda. He shared a simple Ramadan treat with us that is divine.  In Arabic, it is called Tamr Bizebdah, which translates as Dates and Butter.  Hmmmm … dates and butter.    Sweet, rich, sticky and addictive.  Dates are abundant in Saudi Arabia and there are many varieties.  Often, this date and butter dish is referred to by the name of the dates used to make it.  When Mohammad first told us about this treat, he said, “You might not like it.”  When I asked why, he said, “It has a lot of butter in it.”  I smiled and said, “I already love it!”  He cooks pureed dates with butter until it forms a soft pudding which is served warm.  During Ramadan, the first food eaten each evening to break the fast is a date.  Children are given this date and butter confection and it is understandably very popular with them.  It is often served with Arabic coffee or a thick yogurt drink.

During our dinner to celebrate Eid al Ahda, we did a tasting with medjool, golden zahidi and deglet noor dates.  Medjool are the ones that we see here most often and it was wonderful to compare sweetness and textures.  The deglet noor became my favorite.  Expanding on the theme of dates and butter, I made a Date Butter Tart for dessert from Suzanne Goin’s Sunday Suppers at Lucques.

Mohammad also introduced us to Vimto, and we dubbed it “Saudi soda.”  It has a flavor similar to Red Bull, which kids love. He described it to us as something special that he drinks during the holidays.  Imagine our thrill when we discovered it while eating at an Egyptian restaurant, Shawarma King, in Seattle!   I found I could purchase Vimto at Goodies Mediterranean Market.

The official exchange year may be coming to an end, but the future with Mohammad is just beginning.  Dates and butter (and Vimto) will always remind me of him and his infectious laugh.  And fortunately I’ll say hello to Isaac again in two weeks.  A mom can only take so much at one time!

Dates and Butter (Tamr Bizebdah)

from Mohammad

serves 3-4 children or 6-8 adults (it’s very rich)

13 oz date puree  (I have found packages in Middle Eastern markets of good quality date purees, or you can pit and puree whole dates with a little water to form a paste)

4 oz unsalted butter

In a medium saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat and swirl so it coats the sides of the pan.  This keeps the dates from sticking to the pan.  Add the date puree and stir with a wooden spoon until the dates absorb all the butter. This will take about 10 minutes.   Serve in small glass bowls and enjoy.

Date Butter Tart

from Sunday Suppers at Lucques by Suzanne Goin

serves 6-8

For the pate sucree:

2 tablespoons heavy cream

1 extra large egg yolk

11/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

31/2 tablespoons sugar

1/8 teaspsoon kosher salt

1 stick unsalted butter

For the tart:

35 to 40 deglet noor dates (another variety may be used, just make sure they’re plump and juicy)

1/2 vanilla bean

9 tablespoons unsalted butter

2 extra large eggs

2/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

Vanilla ice cream

Make the pate sucree: Whisk the cream and egg yolk together in a small bowl.  In a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, combine the flour, sugar, salt and butter on medium speed until you have a coarse meal.  (Or use a food processor and pulse until you have a coarse meal.)  Gradually add the cream and yolk and mix until just combined.  Do not overwork the dough.  Transfer to a large work surface and bring it together with your hands to incorporate completely.  Shape it into a 1-inch disc and put in the refrigerator for 5 to 10 minutes to firm up.  Place it on a lightly floured work surface, sprinkle a little flour over the dough and roll it out into a 1/4 -inch-thick circle.  Starting at one side, roll and wrap the dough around the rolling pin to pick it up.  Unroll the dough over a 10-inch tart pan.  Gently fit the dough loosely into the pan, lifting the edges and pressing the dough into the corners with your fingers.  To remove the excess dough, roll the rolling pin lightly over the top of the tart pan for a nice, clean edge.  Chill for 1 hour.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Prick the bottom of the dough with a fork and line the tart shell with a piece of parchment paper.  Fill the lined tart shell with beans or pie weights and bake 15 minutes.  Take the tart out of the oven and gently lift out the paper and beans.  Return to the oven and bake another 10 to 15 minutes, until the tart is an even golden brown.  Set aside on a rack to cool completely.

Make a vertical slit in each date and carefully remove the pit.  Use your finger to press the dates back into their natural shape.  Place the dates, slit side down, in concentric circles in the tart shell, leaving 1/2 inch between each date.

Slice the vanilla bean in half lengthwise and use a paring knife to scrape the seeds and pulp onto the butter.  Heat a medium sauté pan over medium heat for 1 minute.  Add the vanilla-streaked butter and the vanilla pod to the pan and cook 6 to 8 minutes, until the butter browns and smells nutty.  Discard the vanilla pod.

Whisk the eggs and 2/3 cup sugar together in a bowl.  Whisk in the flour and salt and stir in the warm butter to incorporate.

Pour the batter over the dates in the tart shell.  Sprinkle the top with the remaining tablespoon sugar. Bake 30 minutes, until the filling puffs up, browns and sets.  Cool tart at least 20 minutes and serve with scoops of vanilla ice cream.