Appetizers
Bacon-Seared Dates
(Workman Publishing).
Here’s a popular tapas bar snack that pits the creamy sweetness of dates against the salty tang of bacon and Cabrales blue cheese, and you come out the winner. When you cook it right, the crisp bacon gives way to the creamy dates and oozy Cabrales—a perfect contrast of textures and flavors.
Bacon-Seared Dates Recipe
Bacon-Seared Dates
Recipe Notes
- Advance Prep: 5–10 minutes (to stuff the dates and wrap in bacon; can be done ahead and refrigerated)
- Active Prep: 10–15 minutes (making slits, stuffing cheese, wrapping with bacon)
- Grill Time: 4–6 minutes (2–3 minutes per side on a hot griddle or plancha)
- Total Time: 15–20 minutes (including prep and cooking)
- Yield: Makes 16, Serves 4
- Method: Griddled (on a plancha or stovetop griddle)
- Equipment: Griddle or plancha, Toothpicks, Rolling pin (optional, for flattening bacon), Parchment paper (if flattening bacon), Paper towels (for draining)
Ingredients
- 16 pitted Medjool dates or other soft sweet dates
- 3 ounces (85 g) Cabrales cheese or other favorite blue cheese, cut into 16 equal slivers
- 5 or 6 slices of thin bacon (see What Else), gently stretched lengthwise and each cut crosswise into thirds
- Extra virgin olive oil for the griddle
You'll Also Need:
- Toothpicks
Recipe Steps
1: Make a slit in the long side of each date. Stuff each with a sliver of Cabrales cheese. Wrap each date crosswise in bacon, securing the bacon with a toothpick.
2: Heat your griddle or plancha to medium-high and oil it well.
3: Arrange the dates on the griddle and grill until sizzling and browned on the outside and hot in the center, 2 to 3 minutes per side; 4 to 6 minutes in all.
4: Transfer the dates to paper towels to drain, then arrange on a platter or plates and serve while still sizzling hot.
Recipe Tips
What Else
Make your life easy and buy pitted dates for this recipe. Likewise, for the bacon, thin works better than thick. (Yes, I know, thin-sliced bacons tend to come from big commercial food processors, but they’re easy to wrap around the dates. Better yet, use thick-sliced, real woodsmoked artisanal bacon and flatten it with a rolling pin between two sheets of parchment paper.) Cabrales is a tangy blue cheese from Asturias, Spain. If unavailable, substitute French Roquefort or Italian Gorgonzola.
What’s More
The beauty of this simple appetizer is its almost limitless variations. Stuff the dates with Marcona almonds or slivered chorizo instead of Cabrales cheese. For that matter, you could griddle the dates wrapped in thinly sliced serrano ham in place of bacon. Or substitute pitted prunes for the dates.
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