Emeril's Favorite Flower Recipes

The orange flower water and orange blossom syrup used in the date rolls adds a floral, perfum-like note often found in both savory and sweet Middle Eastern dishes.

Ingredients:

2/3 cup clear, light honey, such as orange blossom
1/2 cup water
2 Tbs. orange flower water, or more to taste
3/4 lb. pitted Californian dates
water
approximately 8 sheets of phyllo (This will depend on the size of the sheets you purchase.)
1/4 lb. melted butter
1/4 cup finely chopped toasted walnuts or pistachios

Preparation:

In a small saucepan, combine the honey and water and bring to a boil. Cook for one minute and then remove from the heat and set aside to cool completely. When cooled, add the orange blossom water and stir to combine. Set aside to cool.

In the bowl of a food processor, add the dates and pulse, adding water one teaspoon at a time as necessary to form a soft paste. Set aside. Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F.

Cut the phyllo sheets into strips about 4.1/2 to five inches wide and 12 to 14 inches long and stack them. Orient the sheets of phyllo with one of the short sides closest to you and the length of the strip forming a line perpendicular to your body. Lightly brush the top piece of phyllo with some of the melted butter and place about one tablespoon of the filling along the edge closest to you in a line parallel to the edge, leaving about one inch of space on both ends.

Using your fingers, roll the phyllo sheet up and over the date filling, then continue rolling upward and away from you until you have used about half of the length of the phyllo. Turn both outer edges inward over the filling so that the roll is now sealed on all sides and continue rolling until you have rolled the entire piece of phyllo around the filling.

Transfer to a baking sheet and repeat with the remaining filling and remaining phyllo sheets. Brush the tops of the rolls with some of the remaining melted butter and bake until lightly golden and crisp — about 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside until cool enough to handle but still warm. Dip the rolls briefly in the cooled honey syrup and arrange on a serving dish. When ready to serve, pour the remaining syrup over the rolls and sprinkle with the chopped nuts.

These are best served within several hours after baking.

Yield: About 2 dozen pastries