Imqaret.

This is another traditional Maltese dish which I love to make. My nanna introduced me to imqaret and I absolutely loved them - and was desperate to learn how to make them for myself!
Imqaret (singular mqarut) are date-filled pastries, scented with orange flower water and served hot or warm. They are traditionally deep-fried but it's much easier to bake them. When we were in Malta we didn't get to try these but when I go back I will search for the real thing.
They are very simple to make and very, very addictive. Even if you aren't great at baking, imqaret are very hard to get wrong.
Below is the way I make imqaret:

500g pitted dates
Water
1tbsp orange blossom (flower) water
6 sheets puff pastry


1. Preheat the oven. I have a fan forced oven and usually preheat to about 180C. If you have a conventional oven, 200C should be adequate. Remove the baking trays from the oven before preheating.

2. Set aside the sheets of pastry to thaw. Traditional imqaret use handmade pastry, but puff pastry is so easy and works really well.

3. Place the dates in a medium sized saucepan, cover with water and add the orange blossom water. Using 500g of dates should be enough, but there is no reason why you can't use more.


*A note on orange blossom (flower) water. This is basically made from distilled bitter-orange blossoms and is used traditionally in Middle-Eastern cooking. It has a great smell and taste and is really nice in coffee. You can only really get orange blossom water from a deli or specialised stores.

4. Heat the mixture over medium heat, stirring frequently. You will notice the dates breaking up and the water going cloudy. As the mixture thickens the water will turn brown and you should end up with a paste. Don't worry if you are still left with whole dates in the mixture, they taste great in the finished product.



5. Cut a thawed sheet of pastry in half, and spread one edge of each half thinly and evenly with the mixture. Fold both long edges of the sheet together and press the sides with a fork. Repeat with remaining sheets. The trick to imqaret is making them as thin as possible. If they seem to be too thick, press them down with your hands once folded.
Note: Always place the puff pastry on a cool baking tray, if you lay the sheets on a tray which has just come out of the oven the pastry will start to cook and will be difficult to manage.

6. Bake for about 15-20 minutes or until evenly golden, then place on a wire rack to cool slightly.

7. Cut each length into about five rectangles while still warm.



Imqaret are best eaten warm, but can also be enjoyed cold. They are a great snack and keep in the cupboard for about a week (mine never last that long!) Great with coffee, tea or on their own.
If you have leftover date mixture, refrigerate it for another batch. Dad tried it on his cereal and said it was really good, so I guess you could do that too.

Enjoy!

Rachel eating her tenth mqarut.