Page 184 - United States of Pie

Date Pie

You may think of Southern California as the land of beaches,
movie stars, and billboards, but it is also date country. Sweet,
honeyed dates grow in abundance here, thanks to the arid climate
and warm weather. The weather in SoCal is similar to the
Mediterranean regions of the Middle East, where people have prized

this fruit’s candylike taste and long shelf life for six thousand years.
If you are munching on a date in this country, chances are it came
from the Coachella Valley, not far from the resorts and golf courses
of Palm Springs. In Coachella, spiky fronds of date palms heavy with
fruit punctuate the skyline. Farm stands sell everything from date
rolls, to date shakes made of ice cream blended with date crystals. If
you’re really lucky, you may even find a slice or two of date pie.

My date pie is sweet, with a chewy bite from the pieces of
chopped fruit. A bit of tangy sour cream tempers the candied flavor
of the dates, and the sweetened coconut that tops the pie lends it an
almost tropical feel. It is the perfect dessert to make in the dead of
winter while dreaming of that warm California sun.

½ recipe Standard Pie Dough

1 /3 cup sour cream
½ cup whole milk
½ cup dark brown sugar
½ cup sugar
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Pinch of kosher salt