Dátiles con Beicon y Valdeón
Dátiles con Beicon y Valdeón·(dah-tee-les kon bay-kon ee bahl-deh-ohn)
Chapter 3: Hot Tapas
If you've ever spent a loud, vermouth-fueled evening at an American tapas institution like Jaleo or Boqueria, you’ve ordered a plate of these. Known in their native Spain as Delicias de Elche, they are an architectural marvel of culinary contrast: a molten, caramelized Medjool date, a buttery Marcona almond, and the unapologetic, creamy funk of Valdeón blue cheese, all shrink-wrapped in crisp pork fat. The brilliance of this dish for the home cook is that it can—and must—be assembled and chilled hours before your guests arrive, demanding nothing more than a blistering high-heat flash just before hitting the table. Don't compromise on the Spanish imports or the thin-cut bacon; they are exactly what elevates this from a cocktail snack to a definitive restaurant bite.
Before you start
Perform a surgical pit extraction.
Make a single lengthwise slit down the side of each Medjool date, pry it open gently like a book, and pluck out the pit. Do not buy pre-pitted dates; they dry out and lack the necessary moisture for this dish.
Ingredients
- Medjool dates24 large
- Queso Valdeón3 oz
- Marcona almonds24
- thin-cut smoked bacon12
- wooden toothpicks24
Method
- 01
Stuff each date with a single almond and a marble-sized piece of cheese.
Press the edges of the sticky date back together to seal it, taking care not to overstuff lest the cheese boil out and burn on the sheet pan.
- 02
Wrap each stuffed date in a half-slice of bacon and secure with a toothpick.
Wrap the short strip tightly around the center so it overlaps by about an inch, then pierce it straight through with a water-soaked toothpick.
- 03
Chill the assembled dates on a parchment-lined baking sheet for at least one hour.
Do not skip this mandatory chill; it solidifies the bacon fat and cheese, ensuring the exterior renders and crisps in the hot oven before the center turns to total liquid and escapes.
- 04
Bake at 400°F (200°C) for 15 to 18 minutes, flipping halfway through.
Bake on the center rack for 8 to 10 minutes, then use tongs to carefully flip each date and return to the oven for another 7 to 8 minutes until the bacon is deeply browned and shrink-wrapped around the blistered fruit.
- 05
Drain the dates and let them rest for 3 to 5 minutes before serving.
Transfer immediately to a paper-towel-lined plate. The internal sugars and cheese are currently at molten lava temperatures; a brief rest ensures your guests taste the complex funk of the Valdeón rather than burning their palates.
Notes
Seek out genuine Queso Valdeón.
This bold, creamy blue cheese from the mountains of León is the necessary melting catalyst that cuts the date's intense sweetness. If entirely inaccessible, Cabrales or equal parts Gorgonzola Dolce and soft goat cheese will suffice.
Use standard, thin-cut bacon.
Thick-cut bacon takes upwards of 25 minutes to render. By minute 20, the fructose in the dates will carbonize and turn bitter, destroying the dish.