Ingredient 5 - Take 2 - Dates

This last Friday night I remade the dates.  I used center cut bacon and a proper pan.  No fires were started.  Because there are only two date eating residents in our home, I made approximately eight dates for hors d'oeuvres hour (the 45 minutes it took me to make chicken wings and fries for dinner).



8-10 pitted dates
4 strips center cut bacon
Blue cheese

I tried cutting the bacon in half lengthwise like all the recipes suggested, but the bacon fell apart.  I ended up cutting each strip of bacon in half or in thirds; bigger dates got longer pieces of bacon.  I stuffed most of the dates because I wanted to use up the blue cheese I purchased for the previous attempt. 

 

I used toothpicks to help secure the bacon to the dates.  You don't have to use toothpicks but I thought it keep everything together better when turning.



I baked the dates at 400 degrees for 10 minutes before turning them and baking them another 3 to 4 minutes.  I thought I might have to cook them cook them 8 to 10 minutes after turning.  However, I kept a close eye on these after last week's fiasco.



I would recommend baking the dates for about 14 minutes, turning halfway through.  Watch them closely because bacon is a fickle friend.  It can turn from wonderfully crispy to burnt all too quickly.



Let the dates cool for 5 to 10 minutes before consumption.

Not surprisingly, Dave and I thought these dates were much better than the first batch.  The bacon was crispy and the dates and cheese melted in the mouth.  Overall grade: B.