This delicate Middle Eastern confection tends to crumble between your fingers, so do have a plate or a napkin on hand to put it on. It's so moreish that you will want to chase every last crumb.
Preparation: 45 minutes, plus setting and cooling
Cooking: 20 minutes
Ingredients
● 100g walnut halves, plus 55g walnuts, roughly chopped
● 500g dried pitted dates
● 300g unsalted butter
● 300g plain flour
● 50g icing sugar
● 1 tsp ground cinnamon
● ½ tsp ground cardamom
● A pinch of salt
● 55g pistachios
● 55g almonds
Method
● Toast the walnut halves in a heavy-based pan over a medium heat for 2–3 minutes until golden brown and fragrant, shaking the pan often.
● Stuff a toasted walnut into each date and then pack them tightly in a 20cm/8in baking tin, 3cm/1¼in deep.
● Melt the butter in a deep heavy-based saucepan over a medium–low heat, then add the flour, icing sugar, cinnamon, cardamom and salt and stir constantly for 10–15 minutes, until the mixture resembles a smooth golden caramel.
● Pour the mixture over the dates and smooth out with the back of a metal spoon. Leave to set for 20 minutes.
● Grind the walnut pieces, pistachios and almonds separately using a pestle and mortar.
● Sprinkle a thin layer of pistachios over the fudge, then one of walnuts and finally almonds, then repeat until all the nuts have been used. Press the nuts down with your hands so that they stick to the fudge.
● Leave to cool, then, using a sharp knife, cut into small squares or diamonds to serve.
