Bacon Wrapped Stuffed Dates

These are sometimes called Devils on Horseback. Recipes vary, but in general they are a variation on Angels on Horseback (bacon wrapped oysters), made by replacing oysters with dried fruit. The history of Devils on Horseback dates back roughly to the late 19th century with its close sibling Angels on Horseback. The angels were popular at Victorian dinner parties as a way to end a dinner. The idea is likely French in origin, though the Devils on Horseback spin is decidedly British. According to the late Alan Davidson in The Oxford Companion To Food, devils on horseback were ‘prunes stuffed with chutney, rolled up in rashers of bacon, placed on buttered bread and sprinkled with grated cheese and cooked under the grill’. Devils on Horseback became immensely popular in the United States in the 1960s and 1970s as Americans turned their attention to exotic finger foods.

FMM: I initially made these with cream cheese for the cheese stuffing and wrapped them in bacon. They were good, but I thought that a stronger cheese would be better. The next time I made them, I used sharp Cheddar cheese in some dates and blue cheese in others. I was not fond of the blue cheese filled dates (on the Internet this seems to be a popular filling), but those made with Cheddar were very good, but the cheese tended to harden. Since then I have found that goat cheese works well. It has a little tang and the cheese does not melt out. The pecan and almond stuffed ones are good also.

A trick I discovered is to pre-cook the bacon about half way. This ensures the bacon cooks through and the cheese has less time to melt out before it becomes crispy. Put the bacon on a rimmed baking sheet and bake in a 350 degree oven for about 10-12 minutes. It'll remain flexible enough to wrap around the dates. Put the stuffed and wrapped dates back in the oven for 15 minutes or so and you'll have perfectly crisp bacon with a gooey cheese center.

Cheese Stuffed:

8 ounces (approximately 24) pitted dates
12 slices bacon, cut in half, and partially cooked
goat cheese, about 4 ounces

Another popular recipe: place 24 whole pecans or almonds, in place of cheese, in the date and wrap with bacon per the recipe.

Preheat oven to 350°. Cut the bacon in half, lay, without overlapping, each slice on a baking sheet with rack insert and partially cook in the oven for 10-12 minutes just until it starts to get crisp. Thick sliced bacon may take a little longer. The bacon should still be flexible so it can be wrapped around the dates.

Cut dates down the center being careful not to cut all of the way through. Remove date pit if necessary, as well as the hard end that attached to the tree. It will pull right off. Stuff each date with a chunk of goat cheese or a pecan, almond. Wrap 1/2 slice of bacon around each stuffed date. Secure the loose end of the bacon with a toothpick and place on a baking sheet with rack insert, or lay on the rack with the loose end of bacon down so it stays in place.

Bake at 350° until bacon is crisp - 10 to 15 minutes.

Place dates on a paper towel to absorb grease.

Serve warm.

Make Ahead Instructions: To Make Ahead: fully assemble the dates with the goat cheese and bacon wrapped around them, cover and refrigerate for up to 48 hours (depending on how fresh the bacon is).

24 appetizers