23 August, 2020
Bacon-Wrapped Dates
Goat-Cheese Stuffed Dates Wrapped in Bacon
Sweet dates stuffed with tangy goat cheese wrapped in salty bacon and drizzled with sweet maple syrup.
Equipment
- Bar-B-Q Grill
- 30 Toothpicks
- Kitchen Tongs
- Aluminum Foil (to cover tooth picks, so they don't char in flames)
Ingredients
- 2 Pounds Very thin bacon
- 30 Dried, Pitted Dates (Dried plums can be a substitute)
- Goat Cheese (Blue cheese can be a substitute)
- Maple Syrup (Honey can be a substitute)
Instructions
- Preheat bar-b-q to 300 Fahrenheit (150 Celsius) degrees.
- Take cheese out of fridge and bring to room temperature. It will be softer to work with.
- Cut bacon slices in half.
- Slice dates open.
- Stuff each date with goat cheese (blue cheese can be substitutes, for bolder flavor)
- Wrap each date in half a piece of bacon and secure with a toothpick, skewering all the way through both ends, through the bacon.
- Place dates on the wire rack of your bar-b-q.
- Grill, turning the dates halfway through so the bacon is evenly cooked, about 20 minutes.
- Use kitchen tongs to transfer to plate/platter.
- Drizzle lightly with maple syrup or honey.
- Let cool a few minutes before serving.
- Enjoy!
Notes
This appetizer is best served warm, off the grill.
You can prep them ahead of time. Place the stuffed and wrapped dates, covered, in the fridge and then cook them when you are ready. The dates can be kept it the fridge prepped for up to two days. Cooking time may increase by a couple minutes as they will be chilled.
In all honesty, we used to stuff the dates with plain cream cheese, until our friend Missoula artist Courtney Blazon, at a summer dinner at our house, suggested to use goat cheese instead. It has been goat cheese ever since.
Enjoy, or as we say in German: Guten Apetit!
