Dátiles con Beicon
Dátiles con Beicon·(DAH-tee-les kon BAY-kon)
Chapter 3: Hot Tapas
If there is one bite that encapsulates the intoxicating, high-contrast thrill of a Friday night at a great American tapas bar, it is this one. A masterpiece of flavor engineering born in the date capital of Elche and perfected in the chaotic, roaring dining rooms of the States, it delivers caramel sweetness, salty Marcona crunch, the sharp, lactic funk of Spanish blue cheese, and smoky, rendering fat. Served with a sharp apple-mustard reduction that cuts cleanly through the richness, it is exactly what you want hitting the table as the first bottle of Albariño is popped.
Before you start
Assemble completely in advance.
Do not try to wrap and stuff these while your guests are drinking vermouth in the living room. You can assemble the dates up to 24 hours in advance, leave them on the wire rack in the fridge, and simply blast them in a hot oven for 15 minutes right as the night begins.
Make the sauce ahead.
The apple-mustard sauce can be prepared up to three days in advance and kept in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
Ingredients
- unsweetened apple cider1/2 cup
- unsweetened applesauce1/4 cup
- smooth Dijon mustard2 tbsp
- sherry vinegar1 tbsp
- sea salt1 pinch
- Medjool dates24 large
- Marcona almonds24
- Valdeón blue cheese or goat cheese3 oz
- thin-cut smoked bacon12 slices
Method
- 01
Reduce the apple-mustard sauce.
In a small saucepan over medium heat, whisk the apple cider, applesauce, Dijon, and sherry vinegar. Simmer and reduce for 5 to 7 minutes until thickened to a glaze, season with salt, and let cool. The sherry vinegar's deep, nutty acidity is crucial here to mimic the true restaurant flavor, so do not swap it out for standard red wine vinegar.
- 02
Prep and pit the dates.
Using a small paring knife, pry open the single lengthwise slit down each Medjool date and extract the pit. Leave the bottom of the date attached so it forms a small, intact pocket.
- 03
Stuff the dates with almonds and cheese.
Tuck one Marcona almond horizontally into each date's cavity, then spoon in roughly a half teaspoon of the softened cheese, pressing it gently against the almond. Squeeze the edges of the date gently back together to encase the filling, taking care not to overstuff, which will cause the cheese to leak and burn.
- 04
Wrap tightly with bacon.
Wrap one half-strip of bacon tightly around each stuffed date. Ensure the overlapping seam of the pork covers the slit you made in the date to help seal the melting cheese inside.
- 05
Bake on a wire rack for maximum crispness.
Preheat your oven to 400°F. Line a heavy-duty baking sheet with aluminum foil and place a wire cooling rack directly on top. Place the dates on the rack seam-side down to pin the bacon in place without needing toothpicks. Bake for 15 to 18 minutes, gently flipping halfway through, until the bacon is beautifully rendered and mahogany-brown.
- 06
Rest briefly before plating.
Let the dates rest on the rack for three minutes—the melted sugar inside is currently culinary napalm and must cool slightly. Transfer to a warm terracotta cazuela and serve immediately alongside a small ramekin of the apple-mustard sauce.
Notes
A hard rule on bacon.
Do not use thick-cut artisanal bacon. It will take far too long to render, and your dates will turn to mush before the pork ever gets crispy. Standard, thin-cut smoked supermarket bacon is absolutely mandatory here.
The Valdeón difference.
Valdeón is an intensely spicy, rich blue cheese wrapped in sycamore leaves from León. It fights the sweetness of the date perfectly, creating a beautiful tug-of-war on the palate. If you despise blue cheese, a standard fresh Spanish goat cheese provides an acceptable, albeit milder, lactic tang.
Accept no date substitutes.
Standard Deglet Noor dates are too small and dry for this preparation. Medjools are larger, softer, and possess the necessary structural integrity for stuffing.