wrapping it up
Recipe: bacon-wrapped boursin-stuffed dates
It snoooooowed! It’s snooooooowing! *running around with joy* I can’t tell you how happy this makes me (and Jeremy and Kaweah)! We’ve gotten over a foot at home and more than 18 inches on the local hill the last couple of days. And it’s not just the skiing, it’s the precipitation we desperately needed. But… THE SKIING!!
my first day of the season at the local ski hill
the prettiest morning commute – on the way to get first tracks!
a quick afternoon ski tour before dark
jeremy pretends to take a rest on a trailside bench
sunset from the trail
Despite the jaunts out in the snow, I’ve finished my baking and packaging and most other holiday-related stuffs. The oven has been working overtime (as have I) and the house smells of ginger and spices and baking. Several varieties of cookies are packed, tagged, and nestled in their gift boxes or gift bags to be delivered. We’re looking forward to wrapping up 2012 with some skiing, Kaweah snuggles, work (it never ends), and good food. If you’re in search of an easy appetizer for a holiday party or maybe nibbles to tide folks over for a big holiday meal – might I suggest this super easy little old party in your mouth?
bacon, dates, and boursin cheese
Three ingredients, minimal preparation, and ten to twenty-five minutes of baking. Say yes with me. And hello, there’s bacon. Start with the dates. I like to use medjool dates as they are large, sweet, and have a nice chewy, almost velvety texture. They are also sticky as all get out. You can purchase them pitted, but the only organic ones I can find are not pitted. It’s not hard to pit them, though. Just take a sharp knife and slit the side open and pop the pit out.
slice the date open and remove the pit
pitted dates, sliced bacon, and boursin in a pastry bag
I made the mistake of cutting my bacon into thirds. In hindsight, I should have cut the bacon into halves since it shrinks when cooked. As for the Boursin, you can let it soften to room temperature and put it in a pastry bag, or keep it cold and crumble it. Either way, the goal is to stuff some Boursin into each date.
piping cheese into the date
wrapping the bacon around the stuffed date
If the bacon barely wraps around the date when it is raw, then it will likely unravel in the oven as it shrinks. In this case, a toothpick or enough overlap (i.e. a longer slice of bacon) helps to keep everything in place. Set the dates in a baking dish or rimmed baking sheet so the grease doesn’t drip off onto your oven floor. It takes about ten to twenty-five minutes to bake and you are done.
ready for the oven
serve with toothpicks to avoid greasy fingers
salty, sweet, and creamy
It’s a decadent nugget of cocktail party wonder. Low-risk, high payoff, and did I mention bacon? Also, if you make a batch, Kaweah will follow you around forever.
try it, you’ll like it
Bacon-Wrapped Boursin-Stuffed Dates
[print recipe]
24 dried dates (medjool is a good variety)
12 bacon slices
3 oz. Boursin cheese
Preheat oven to 450Β°F. If the dates are not pitted, slit them open lengthwise with a sharp knife and remove the pit without mangling the date too much. Cut the bacon slices in half so you have 24 pieces (you could go with thirds and use less bacon, but I found it shrunk too much in the oven and some of the dates became unwrapped). You can stuff the dates with the Boursin cheese in one of two ways: 1) keep it cold and crumble the cheese, quickly inserting the crumbled pieces into the dates or 2) letting the cheese come to room temperature and piping it into the dates with a piping bag. Totally up to you, just don’t overstuff the dates. Close each date over the cheese and then wrap each date with a piece of bacon. You can use a toothpick to secure the bacon around the date if you like (I didn’t and they worked out fine). Place the bacon-wrapped dates in a baking dish about an inch apart. Bake for 5 minutes, then flip the dates and bake another 5 minutes for lightly baked bacon (it will be a little chewy) or 10-12 minutes each side for crispy bacon and caramelized date sugar (this is amazing). Bake to your desired texture. Remove from oven and serve hot. Makes 24.
December 20th, 2012 at 8:37 am
yum!! this is such a great idea!
December 20th, 2012 at 10:37 am
These look amazing! Salty and sweet is the best. I’ve had these stuffed with Parm before but not Boursin. And I happen to have some in the fridge. Yum!
December 20th, 2012 at 11:42 am
Of course, I see this after I go out to my store to buy a ridiculous amount of dried figs (to stuff with ganache!) but I did not purchase any dates. Doh! Wonder how bacon would work around some rolled calmyra figs….
December 20th, 2012 at 3:04 pm
Ooh, these are so good with roasted almonds stuffed into the cheese too!
December 20th, 2012 at 4:05 pm
They look great! What variety of Boursin cheese did you use?
December 20th, 2012 at 5:16 pm
I love bacon-wrapped dates so much! I like to use goat cheese, and, like jwen said, they’re great with an almond in the middle – gives them a nice crunch.
December 20th, 2012 at 5:32 pm
Never made these myself but I keep hearing how delicious they are!
December 20th, 2012 at 7:29 pm
I’ve made these with gorgonzola before, and they are amazeballs. And now I am inspired to make them again!
December 21st, 2012 at 12:16 am
I have to ask…..how do you make the toothpicks so cute with a twist? Or are they store bought that way? Nice presentation!
December 21st, 2012 at 5:57 am
Ooooh. Just bought ingredients to take a different appetizer to a friend’s party….would it look odd if I took two?
December 21st, 2012 at 5:59 am
Bacon wrapped dates are perfect for a party… easy to prepare and yet they look so sophisticated. Happy Holidays to your family!
December 21st, 2012 at 7:05 am
I have a friend from South Africa who rolls candied cherries in bacon and bakes. Sounded strange, but they are really good. I’m going to Whole Foods today…picking up dates and applewood smoked bacon. Yummmm!!!
December 21st, 2012 at 11:51 am
Bacon wrapped dates are so good. Its the perfect combo of sweet and salty. These in particular look great!
Happy Holidays!
December 21st, 2012 at 3:41 pm
I’m happy to see your recipe for bacon-wrapped dates. I LOVE them and made some for Thanksgiving but they came out a little burned. I’m going to try your way. I want to wish you a VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS!!! Please give Kaweah a BIG smooch from me!!
December 21st, 2012 at 7:14 pm
I’ve been in a baking haze and just found out the mid west had been dumped on. We’re not getting dumped on. It’s raining. I came right here to hear all about it. And the pictures, awesome. Your’re SO lucky! Thanks for sharing, made my day. Happy Holidays.
December 22nd, 2012 at 7:12 am
I have the maddest respect for tele skiers (said the girl who’s been taking the stairs at 1/4 speed to try and build some quad strength…just in case we actually get some snow here in the Northeast). I love watching those long graceful genuflecting turns! And aren’t those some pretty skis; Rossi and K2 make some of the prettiest skis for women.
December 22nd, 2012 at 9:36 am
Next year when I host a wine & dine group, this will be one of the appetizers on the table. It looks so pretty and delicious. Thanks Jen for sharing.
December 23rd, 2012 at 1:48 am
Jen – your ski/snow pictures are doing wonders for my soul!! in dublin at the moment and, while they certainly go all out for Christmas, it’s just not the same when it’s almost 60 degrees outside!
December 23rd, 2012 at 8:58 am
NOM NOM!!!!
December 25th, 2012 at 2:08 pm
I made these for a party this weekend. Super easy, and a big hit. I did have to cook them longer to get the bacon crispy. I cooked them most of the way through earlier in the afternoon, then just heated them through when I got to my friend’s house. Thanks for a great recipe.
December 26th, 2012 at 12:13 pm
It is almost to the point where I cannot subscribe to your blog anymore. The pictures of the food are making me drool to the point where I look like I should be put into a nursing home.
January 3rd, 2013 at 10:41 pm
megan – it’s a classic.
Ali – I’ve had them with Parm too, very very wonderful.
Christine – oh, I think bacon wrapped around anything is probably a winner :)
jwen – I haven’t tried that yet! Sounds great!
Curt – I believe it’s the garlic and herbs Boursin.
Bridget – I have since made these again and baked them for almost 30 minutes which gives the bacon a nice crunch too. Mmmm, bacon…
debbie – they are crazy good
Emmy – :)
amy – oh, I bought them that way! :) ha ha!!
Kristin – I wonder if they’ll make it out of your house? They are so addictive!
Brian – thanks and same to you and yours, my dear!!
Carla – doesn’t sound strange at all! How lovely.
Bernadette – thank you and happy new year!
Melanie – I think the 5 min a side is too short a cooking time and so I made another batch for a party that baked for 30 minutes. They caramelized nicely, but perhaps it should be closer to 20-25 minutes? Thanks and Kaweah sends waggles back!
farmerpam – thank you! Happy holidays to you xo
GG – tele is very pretty and super fun. I have to agree, Rossi and K2 make such gorgeous women’s skis!! The designs get better and better each year.
Lisa – they’re easy too (but they splatter a lot of grease in the oven)
Jessica – wow! 60 degrees is rather warm. I hope you had a lovely holiday regardless of the weather :)
Jill – :)
Carole – yes, I agree. I think I’ll have to edit that in the recipe as I baked a batch longer and they were soooo nice in that crispy/chewy way.
Carl – ha ha!! You are very very sweet xo