Bacon Wrapped Dates

You might look at these first few pictures and think to yourself, "this frickin' broad has lost her mind." And in part you will be correct.  Because I have lost my marbles over these bacon wrapped dates.  Word.

Allow me to begin with more of an ambiance photo so as to get your curiosity going.  I realize they may look crazy, but lemme tell you they are di-vine (and the perfect company for a 12 hour marathon of The Hills don't judge).

I first tried a similar version of these a few years ago when we were at a little tapas restaurant in the neighborhood, and they  remain one of my faves.  If you're looking for something a little different to add to the menu, or a simple addition to a barbecue these will not fail.

Here's the recipe and how-to...hope you enjoy!

Bacon Wrapped Dates
Ingredients
6 ea dates
2oz blue or goat cheese
3 strips bacon (cut in half)

Method
Preheat grill or oven to 450 degrees.

Gather the cheese and dates.

See what I mean about they look a little kooky?  Don't let that sway you if you haven't had them before because they taste delish.

Because you have to slice open one side of the dates, it's best if you can buy dates without the pit (that's what we were able to do) to save on the hassle.  If not, slice open one side and remove the pit from each.

Next, slice up the cheese into small blocks (or crumbles) that will fit into your date.  Place the cheese into the date like so:

You can over stuff each one a little because the cheese is soft and will be able to be smushed in and sealed.  The natural sugar in the date is sticky and will seal it closed.

See?  No problem at all.  So you do this with each date until you have all your little date soldiers lined up in a row.

Wish I could get this kind of order happening in my closet.  Not so much.  Aneeeeway.

So now comes the rolling process.  Lay a strip of bacon flat on your cutting board and press it onto the board so it sticks.  Place a date at one end of the bacon strip and roll it up.

The moisture in the bacon will hold it together so you don't need to secure them with toothpicks, although you can if you want and are cooking them in the oven.  The grill - maybe not due to flame issues.

So continue this process until you have all your dates in a row.  (ducks in a row, dates in a row - get it? hehe)

Mmmmm bacon.  I'm thinking all the non-meat eaters have left the building by this time.  There'll be more non-meat posts coming up ladies!

So now you can place the dates on the grill, or in an oven safe pan and transfer them to the oven.  We used the grill which, given the coming heat wave, will be getting used frequently (summer has arrived so i should be whining for cool weather and a scarf within 2 days).

Cook until the first side is crispy (about 5min) then flip and cover in grill or oven. Once crispy (another 5 min) remove from heat and eat.  Make sure your grill or oven are hot or the cheese will leak out before the bacon is crisp.

 

For my Hills brain suckage extravaganza (which I thoroughly enjoyed by the way) the Chef got out a bottle of wine so it was Bacon Wrapped Dates and Merlot for an appetizer, followed by a Cobb salad with grilled steak instead of chicken and turkey or whatever else the meat is on Cobb salad.  This is an excellent appetizer to have with red wine.  We order it frequently when we're out sharing small plates.  The blend of sweet and salty is unexpectedly tasty, and I think why I like these so much.  If you're a non-pork person the Chef said to make them with turkey bacon and they'll be just as good.

Let us know what you think if you try them!