Don’t go by how these look- I know they don’t look too pretty. But I guarantee they taste wonderful! A perfect combination of salty & sweet, gooey & crunchy. And it takes just half an hour to put together, including the baking time.
This recipe comes from Anna at The Yellow Table, one of the inspirations behind this series. What I love about Anna’s blog is her focus on entertaining, and how to put together menus and parties for every occasion. She has some great appetizer recipes, ranging from ridiculously easy (like this one!) to more sophisticated but still simple stuff like crostini.
The dates soften and caramelize a little during their time in the oven, and the bacon strips get nice and crispy- it’s a pretty much to-die-for combination. I pitted the dates and added some slivered almonds in the middle, but you can use cheese, too- that would make for a more indulgent bite!
So seriously- the next time you have a party, ditch the chip & dip, trash the tartines and avoid the antipasti. (It’s been awhile since I alliterated, folks! I was itching to!) Just wrap some dates in bacon and stick ‘em in the oven like so. Your guests (a long as they’re not vegetarian/vegan) will be happy.
BACON-WRAPPED DATES (From The Yellow Table.)
INGREDIENTS
- 30 dates, pitted
- 30 almond slivers
- 450 grams bacon strips, each strip cut into thirds
METHOD
- Preheat the oven to 190 C
- Place an almond sliver in the middle of each date.
- Wrap each date in a strip of bacon, wrapping the ends under.
- Place on a baking tray/sheet, and bake at 190 C for 15 mins until the bacon is crisp and golden.
- Cool before serving.
Sugar, Spice, Etc 
Salty, crunchy and sweet…… what more could one ask for?? I would go with a nice piece of some hard cheese instead of the almonds…… imagine the yummy deliciousness of the melting cheese combined with the salty tang of the crisp bacon and the gooey sweetness of the caramelized dates ……….
These are the perfect holiday treat!!
Thanks Mel! It’s very easy to put together too. I saw some variations online with all kinds of cheeses in the middle instead of almonds…yummy! Thanks for stopping by 🙂