Hot Date!: Sweet & Savory Recipes Celebrating the Date, from Party Food to Everyday Feasts

**The first comprehensive cookbook on an ancient superfood and the cultures that revere it. Mesmerizing and art-packed, *Hot Date!* features 99 **mouthwatering, date-centered** recipes that are the perfect mix of traditional favorites and inspired new creations.**This is not simply a cookbook about dates. It is a love song, a celebration of food and culture from a global perspective. Every page is a surprise in this highly colorful volume, with recipes ranging from Brooklyn to Babylon. Author Rawaan Alkhatib draws inspiration from her Middle Eastern and Indian cooking background to bring a unique perspective to her topic. As a global citizen who has lived and traveled throughout the world, she explores both the significance of the fruit and its chameleon-like characteristics in cooking. Divided into six chapters, *Hot Date!* features recipes that are big on flavor and low on fuss, ranging from Party Food (stuffed dates of all kinds!) to Breakfast; Mains; Soups, Salads & Sides; Sweets; and Drinks & Condiments (the Date Chili Crisp is a life changer). Informative sidebars that read like a scrapbook, how-to content, timelines, and historical snippets feature Rawaan's watercolor illustrations, patterns, and elegant hand-lettering, exploring such topics as: - Date-growing cultures, history, and visits to date farms in Palm Springs, the United Arab Emirates, and Egypt - The evolution of the classic Palm Springs date shake - How date palms are pollinated (entirely by hand, to this day-millions of them!) - How to stuff dates - Dates at different stages of ripeness - Shopping and sourcing suggestions - Extensive suggestions for more reading to enter the world of the date *Hot Date!* is doing away with the Western practice of viewing dates as a sugar-free substitute and instead gives the fruit the platform and profile it deserves: an entire book filled to the brim with praise, knowledge, and delicious recipes for date novices and connoisseurs alike. Perfect for: - Date lovers - Home cooks of all ages - Anyone interested in Middle Eastern-inspired cooking - Whole food-oriented cooks seeking flavor-rich recipes - Anyone looking to switch up the menu for an Iftar gathering - Gift-giving to food lovers, cookbook enthusiasts, and art book collectors