Dates are one of the sweetest, most natural confections you can put in your mouth, and a classic Middle Eastern sweet. They remind me of brown sugar, of caramel ... nature’s caramel. I learned about these almond-stuffed dates with lime at Tante Marie’s Cooking School in San Francisco, from the great chef, author, and teacher Tori Ritchie. She learned about them from Patricia Wells on a culinary trip to Morocco. I’d buy fresh, big, chewy California Medjool dates every week from a stall at the Ferry Farmers Market near the little culinary school. I had to force myself to save them, rather than eating them all on my hilly walk home, so I could eat them warm, stuffed with almonds, that evening. The dates are wonderful as an appetizer or after a meal (let your guests know there are almonds inside, not a pit!). The best dates to eat and use for this recipe are fresh (not dried) Medjools, which happily are showing up regularly now in most grocery stores. –Maureen Abood, author of Rose Water & Orange Blossoms: Fresh and Classic Recipes from my Lebanese Kitchen

Makes 12 stuffed dates