Cheese-Stuffed Dates

Cheese-Stuffed Dates

Continuing with the theme of mixing savory with sweet, cheese-stuffed dates make for a great appetizer or dessert. The creamy saltiness of the cheese pairs excellently with the subtle sweetness of the dates, and, even better, you can have them done in 10 minutes.

To make them, I will have you call upon your improvisational culinary skills, because that’s in fact what I did. There are so many recipes online with exact measurements, but part of the fun for me (in addition to not being tied down to exact measurements) is seeing what works as I go.

Here is what you’ll need:

Ingredients

Your favorite kind of date, preferably pitted

Your favorite soft cheese - I used plain goat cheese and creamy havarti (separately)

Pistachios, chopped (not too small or you’ll lose out on the crunch). You can chop them on a cutting board with a knife, or you can put them in a plastic bag and crush them with a meat tenderizer.

How much of everything? That depends on how many dates you’d like to fill. As a guide, 1/4 cup of cheese fills about 8–10 dates, depending on how stuffed you’d like them. For the pistachios, use enough to complement but not overwhelm the cheese.

To prepare the dates, slit them along one side (longways) with a paring knife—and pit them if they weren’t already.

In a bowl, combine the cheese and chopped pistachios. I did this with my hands, wearing gloves.

Then put the mixture in the dates. A couple teaspoons should be sufficient, but go with what looks good to you. Less cheese will allow you to fully re-close the dates and have the filling be a surprise, while more cheese will let you leave the dates partially open, which makes for a nice color contrast when plating.

And that’s it! All that’s left for you to do is enjoy.