Carnivorous Cowboy

I must admit that although I really, really love eating these, the main impetus for posting this recipe was to make a picture of a Tasmanian devil on a horse. So I made two. Watching Tasmanian devils ride horses while eating cheese-stuffed, bacon-wrapped dates would be a pretty excellent past time. Even better than roller derby.

These are perfect cocktail party food. Easy to make, delicious, alcohol absorbing. What more do you want?

makes 12 dates
Ingredients

• 12 large medjool dates, dried
• 115 grams (4 ounces) piece of Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
• 6 thin slices of bacon, cut in half widthwise

Instructions

1. Heat the oven to 175°C (350°F).
2. Use a bamboo skewer to push the pits out of the dates, or buy pitted dates, the choice is yours.
3. Using a sharp knife, cut the parmesan into 12 small pieces, roughly the diameter of a pencil. You are going to put the cheese inside the dates, so judge the size from that.
4. Stuff the cheese pieces into the pit holes of the dates.
5. Wrap each date in bacon and place the dates seam-side down on a baking tray, piercing each with a toothpick to hold it in place.
6. Bake for about 20 minutes, until the bacon is crispy. Careful! These are super hot when they come out of the oven, let them cool for about 5 minutes before serving.

Devil on horseback