Devils on Horseback

I was supposed to make desert for my grandmother's dinner party Saturday night. I was supposed to make something light...something that would be good on a warm fall night. That's what I was supposed to do. However, after a little cajoling and not near enough bribery, my sister talked me into bringing a fruit platter so she could make lemon verbena ice cream (she said she'd post the recipe soon).

It hardly seemed fair that I could go from having such an important role in dinner to a mere side note. So I was determined to go for the gusto. If I were to make a fruit platter, then it would be a fruit platter for the ages. So I promised my grandmother a fruit plate that would knock her socks off.

Being only a few days removed from fry night, my first thought was to deep fry bananas, peaches, apples, and grapes in a sweet corn batter, but a hearty, "Are you sure you want to transport fried fruit?" from my girlfriend...I had a change of heart. But I still had the problem of promising a fruit plate of epic proportions and no plan to bring it to fruitition.

And so it was, after much consideration and one dick cheney/pig with lipstick joke, the thought occurred to me, "What would bacon do?" Would it sizzle under pressure? No! Would it raise your cholesterol...NO! Would it stuff dates with goat cheese and hazelnuts and then wrap itself around it. HELL YES! Bacon saves the day! God bless bacon!

Inspiration: Everything tastes better with bacon
Time: 30 minutes
Difficulty: easy
Special equipment: cookie sheet, tooth pick
Servings: 16 bites of heavenly goodness


Ingredients:
16 fresh dates (not dried)
8oz goat cheese
16 hazelnuts
8 slices of bacon, cut in half

1. Move oven rack to upper third of oven. Preheat to 500 degrees
2. Pit dates by slicing in half (but not through) length wise and pinching on edges.
3. Fill date cavity with 1/2 ounce goat cheese, and then stuff with hazelnut.
4. Wrap 1/2 slice of bacon around stuffed date, and skewer with a toothpick to hold into place. Place on cookie sheet. Repeat with remaining dates.
5. Back for 10-15 minutes, turning dates every 5 minutes to ensure even cooking.

Note: When dates are in the oven, keep a close eye because bacon can cook quickly.