Sephardic-Style Charoset with Dried Fruit and Nuts

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups red wine
• 1 pound red raisins
• 8 ounces dried dates, chopped fine
• 4 ounces dried apricots, chopped fine
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, or more to taste
• 8 ounces roasted almonds
• 1 teaspoon orange blossom water, optional

Directions

1. Warm the wine over medium heat until it reaches a gentle simmer, then mix in the fruit and spices. Let it cook without a lid until the fruit has plumped and the wine has cooked down into a thick syrup, about 15 minutes. Season with salt to taste, then take it off the heat and set it aside.
2. Use a food processor to break up the almonds with brief pulses. You want every almond chopped, with some bigger pieces and some fine bits rather than an even meal. Empty the almonds into a large mixing bowl.
3. Put the fruit mixture in the food processor and pulse only until it starts to hold together like a paste, 2 to 3 one-second pulses. Stop before it gets smooth, since plenty of larger fruit pieces should remain.
4. Scrape the fruit into the mixing bowl and stir it thoroughly with the almonds. Mix in the orange blossom water, along with more salt if it needs it. The haroset’s flavor will deepen as it sits. Serve it warm or at room temperature.