Wrap a date in bacon;

Put it in the pan;

Slowly sauté ’til it’s golden;

Take it out again.

What little else there is to to add  to these few lines on how to make Bacon-wrapped Dates is briefly described below.  Dates and bacon are an agreeable sweet and salty combination.  In the diplomatickitchen’s Occasional Menu, Blunting the Keen Tooth of Winter: A Supper Party following an Out-of-doors Afternoon, these dates are served with Rosemary Walnuts, which is in accordance with a tradition that has lasted because the pairing of walnuts with dates is another naturally good one.

Bacon-wrapped Dates (for 12 dates…a recipe easily increased)

Note: To print this recipe, or any other diplomatickitchen recipe, go to the bottom of the page, at the end of the post, and click on the icon: Print & PDF. You will have the option of printing in smaller text size and without photos.

Ingredients:

• 12 Medjool Dates, pitted
• about 6 strips of European Breakfast Bacon, or 3 long strips of American Bacon, preferably thin-sliced:  European Breakfast Bacon is very thin and is especially good for making these dates, but any bacon will be fine.
• a little Olive Oil in which to sauté the dates

Equipment:

• a flat-bottomed Pan
• a couple of Forks to turn the dates as they sauté in the pan
• Toothpicks or small Forks for serving

1.  If using European Breakfast Bacon, cut each slice lengthwise into 2 strips.  (A strip of it is shorter than a strip of American Breakfast Bacon).  If you are using strips of American bacon, cut each strip in half lengthwise and cut each half crosswise to form 4 strips.

2.  Starting at one end of a date, wind a strip of bacon around it so that only the two ends of the date are visible. Smooth the bacon around the date as you wind it so that it hugs the shape of the date.  Wind strips of bacon around all the dates.

3.  Heat a little oil in the pan over medium heat and add the dates.  Sauté them gently and not too quickly, turning them with the help of two forks, so that the bacon crisps slowly all around the date.  The bacon will fasten itself around the date as it crisps rather than coming away from it.

4.  Serve the dates hot, with some small forks or toothpicks at the side to use for picking them up.

A Note:  Bacon-wrapped Dates are an hors d’oeuvre in the Occasional Menu:  Blunting the Keen Tooth of Winter: A Supper Party following an Out-of-doors Afternoon.

An Invitation: You are invited to request suggestions from the diplomatickitchen for your own menus for any occasion by clicking on the feature ‘Ask and Tell’ here or in the Menu at the top of the page. Do you have a menu concept with a gap or two that wants filling…or perhaps you are an expat looking for ways to adapt your recipes to what is available in your temporary home…maybe you are just looking for a new way to use a familiar ingredient or would like suggestions on how to adjust quantities of a recipe from the diplomatickitchen for smaller or larger groups…Replies will be published in ‘Ask and Tell’ or sent by email if you prefer.

© Elizabeth Laeuchli, the diplomatickitchen, 2011-2013