stuffed dates

Ingredients for 500 g (1 lb 2 oz) of almonds:

*  500 g (1 lb 2 oz) of best Algerian dates (not over-ripe) * 250 g (9 oz) of caster sugar

* 3 soupspoonfuls of orange-flower water. *  red or green colouring matter

Skin the almonds, wipe with a clean cloth and brown lightly in the oven. Add the caster sugar and the orange-flower water and put through the mincer twice. Add a drop of green or red colouring matter to make the mixture a pale pastel shade. Wipe the dates and take out the stones through an incision in the side. Stuff with a little roll of smooth almond paste. Roll in sugar and put on a plate.