These appetizers are inspired by one of my favorites restaurants. This restaurant had the best Happy Hour and my friends from Graduate school and I used to go just to get the $6 sangria and bacon wrapped dates. That place had strong Happy Hour game. But now that Happy Hours are a thing of the past—and because I live four hours away—I have to try and recreate it at my house.
These are the best appetizers. i mean, what’s not to like here? They’re dried dates, stuffed with chorizo and cheese, and wrapped in bacon. Tip: if you don't like dates or you don't have any on hand, you can always use figs!
As always, Chloe had a few thoughts. She said they were delicious and she understands why I went to happy hour so many times instead of staying home with her—which made me a little sad—but at least now we can do it together!
Notes
Wine Pairing Suggestions
I strongly suggest trying this with Zinfandel. Especially Old Vine Zinfandel since it has a peppery and jammy quality to it that will pair very well with the fatty and fruity appetizer. You can also try pairing it with Port. Yes, you read that correctly. Port would be an excellent pairing with the blue cheese stuffed into the dates. (Try a little Port paired with some blue cheese and it will change your life.) Port also pairs well with this dish because the sweetness cuts the fat from the bacon, and compliments the date nicely. Give it a try and let me know what you think!
Bacon Wrapped Dates
Yield: 20 dates
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time : 20 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes
Ingredients
1 package of Chorizo (any kind! I used soy-chorizo)
20 dried dates, pitted
1 package of the cut bacon
2-3 oz blue cheese
Cilantro, for garnish
Directions
Fully cook the chorizo and set it aside to cool.
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
Take the bacon out of the package and cut the strip in half vertically.
Add about a teaspoon of chorizo to the inside of a date. Then add a ¼ - ½ teaspoon of cheese to the inside of the date.
Take one of the halved strips of bacon and wrap it tightly around the stuffed date. Use a toothpick to hold the bacon around the date if necessary.
Repeat steps 4 and 5 until you’ve used all your dates and bacon.
Put the wrapped dates on a cookie sheet and bake for 20-25 minutes. Flipping them halfway through so the bacon cooks more evenly.
Allow them to cool slightly before serving and sprinkle with an optional garnish of cilantro.
Enjoy!
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