Parmesan-Stuffed Dates Wrapped in Bacon
Adapted from Gourmet Magazine
Ingredients
- 18 1- by 1/4-inch sticks Parmigiano-Reggiano (from a 1/2-lb piece)
- 18 pitted dates preferably Medjool
- 6 bacon slices cut crosswise into thirds
- Special equipment: 18 wooden picks
Instructions
- Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 450°F.
- Stuff 1 piece of cheese into each date, then wrap 1 piece of bacon around each date, securing it with a pick. (Just one layer of bacon is fine, because you want the bacon to render its fat and get crispy.) Arrange dates 1 inch apart in a shallow baking pan.
- Bake 8 minutes, then turn dates over with tongs and bake until bacon is crisp, 8-12 minutes more (baking time will largely depend on the thickness of the bacon - I use a thick bacon so I bake my dates for longer). Continue baking until the bacon acquires a deeply crispy appearance and toasty color and its fat appears to have completely rendered out. Drain on a paper bag or parchment. Serve immediately.
Notes
Make sure to use a baking pan with raised edges - copious amounts of bacon fat will render out, and you do NOT want to set a grease fire in your oven, as I did!
If your dates are on the smaller side, feel free to stuff a smaller piece of Parmigiano-Reggiano inside the dates - err on the side of less cheese rather than more, because the bacon will also contribute saltiness, and you want the bacon, cheese, and dates to be equal partners here, rather than the dates be overwhelmed by the bacon and cheese.
Use the best cheese you can find - with only three ingredients, the quality of your cheese will really shine.