Date paste (pictured here on apple crumble) is a whole food plant-based sweetener so it’s handy to have some in the fridge all the time. I soak a cup of pitted dates overnight in enough water to cover them then tip the whole lot into a high speed blender and blitz until smooth. You can vary the texture of date paste by adding more or less liquid. You can also add a little vanilla bean to make it a little different for desserts.
Date glaze: If you simmer the blended date paste in a saucepan with half a cup of balsamic vinegar, stirring for around 10 minutes until it thickens, it makes a delicious savoury glaze. Taste it as it thickens to get the balance right between the dates and vinegar. I put dollops of the balsamic date glaze into soups, sauces and casseroles especially tomato based dishes.
