Khoshaf Dried Fruit Salad A great Middle Eastern favorite in which the fruit is not stewed but macerated. A superb dessert. Various dried fruits may be used, but purists feel that only apricots and raisins should go into this classic dish, together with the nuts and almonds. 1 lb. dried apricots 1/2 lb. prunes 1/4 lb. raisins 1/4 lb. blanched almonds, halved 1/3 cup pistachio nuts or pine nuts Sugar 1 T. rose water 1 T. orange blossom water Wash the fruits if necessary and put them all in a large bowl. Mix with the nuts and cover with water. Add sugar to taste (from 1/2 - 1 cup is usual), and sprinkle with rose water and orange blossom water. Let the fruits soak for at least 48 hours. The syrup becomes rich with the juices of the fruit and acquires a beautiful golden color. A less common variation is to add 1/4 lb. each of dried figs and peaches, and a few fresh pomegranate seeds when these are available. Their luminosity brings out the rich orange, mauve, and brown of the fruit, and the white and green of the nuts. Some people dissolve amardine (sheets of dried compressed apricot) in the water to thicken and enrich it. From "A Book of Middle Eastern Food" by Claudia Roden middle eastern recipe index christina m k al-sudairy buy the book!