Ingredients:
1 cup 2% milk
1 cup pitted California Medjool dates
1 pint vanilla bean gelato

Directions:
Place the milk and dates in a blender. Pulse until smooth. Add gelato. Pulse until blended. Serve immediately.

Yield: 2 large date shakes

My thoughts:

I had read about date shakes, the supposed invention of a farmer with a Coachella Valley roadside stand in 1928, years ago and wanted to make my own but dates aren’t as easily to come by here in Baltimore as they are in California. Sure, the stores occasionally stock them but they are often shriveled up and dried out. Not appetizing. So when I saw a big bag of fresh from Coachella Valley dates at Costco, of all places, I snatched it right up. Traditionally the shakes are made with ice cream but I used gelato for a lighter shake. It is sweet, but very refreshing on a hot, humid Baltimore afternoon.