Date-paste Pastries
枣泥点心应该算是我家独创的吧，据我所知市面上很少有卖枣泥馅的点心，即使在北京和天津这两个人们最爱吃点心的地方我也没见到过。当然，也可能是我很少买外面卖的点心的原因，毕竟人们普遍认为自己家里做的点心更卫生并且用料更好，我家也不例外。 我喜欢吃枣泥点心的原因主要是其酥脆的外皮和香甜的枣泥馅，前者可能是我继承了天津人爱吃酥脆口感食物的原因，后者可能是枣子本身质地好，另外，我家做枣泥时是不额外加糖的，这样做的好处是吃过之后不会有口干和口渴的感觉。 我虽然没有自己操作过烤制枣泥点心，但是基本步骤和要点我还是知道的。首先，为了制作多层酥脆的枣泥点心皮，要用食用油和面。其次，就是将枣子去核，上锅蒸，待软糯后，反复挤压成泥状。最后，将枣泥包入到之前和好的面中，放入烤箱大火烤20分钟左右。这里特别要注意的是，枣泥点心不要做的太大，大概掌心大小最好，我也不知道为什么，我吃到的都是这样的。 我家经常烤制枣泥点心，一次大概20多个，自己吃，偶尔也会送人品尝，大家都很喜欢。
As far as I’m aware, date-paste pastries might be considered a unique creation of my family since such pastries with date-paste filling are rarely found on the market. Even in Beijing and Tianjin, where people have a particular fondness for pastries, I haven’t seen them. Of course, that’s because I seldom buy pastries from outside, as it’s a common belief that homemade pastries are more hygienic and use better ingredients, and my family is no exception.
I mainly enjoy date-paste pastries because of their crispy crust and sweet date-paste filling. The former might be due to my Tianjin heritage, where people love crispy texture, and the latter could be attributed to the high-quality dates themselves. Additionally, we don’t add extra sugar when making date paste, which prevents the dry mouth and thirst that can follow eating sweet goods.
Although I have never personally made these pastries, I know the basic steps and key points. First, mix flour and cooking oil to make a multi-layered crispy crust. Then, the dates are pitted, steamed until soft and mushy, and repeatedly pressed into a paste. Finally, the dates paste is wrapped in the previously prepared dough and baked in a hot oven for about 20 minutes. It’s important to note that the pastries should be a manageable size. Palm-sized is the best, though I’m trying to figure out why, but that’s the size I’ve always encountered.
My family often bakes date-paste pastries, usually more than 20 at a time, for our consumption and occasionally to give away for others to enjoy. Everyone seems to love them.