Recipe: Dates with Bacon and Goat Cheese Appetizer
Snack in style with these easy-to-make savory dates.
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Servings: 6
Total Weight: 1 pound 1 ounce
Weight per Serving: about 3 ounces
Required Equipment on the Trail:
Skillet
About 30 toothpicks
Ingredients:
1/4 cup chopped almonds
4 ounces goat cheese
8 ounces pitted whole deglet noor dates
1 2-ounce package precooked bacon
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1/4 cup canola oil
Preparation at Home:
1. Carry almonds, cheese, dates, and bacon separately and in their original packaging, if applicable.
2. Pack brown sugar in a quart-size heavy-duty ziplock bag.
3. Carry oil separately.
Preparation on the Trail:
1. In the 1-quart ziplock bag, combine chopped almonds and goat cheese with brown sugar. Knead well.
2. Cut a small corner from the bottom of the bag and squeeze mixture into the core of each of the pitted dates.
3. Slice bacon strips into halves. Wrap bacon around the dates and spear with toothpicks to hold together.
4. Heat oil in skillet and fry dates until the cheese appears to have melted. Don’t burn the bottoms.
Caution:
Be careful when carrying any cheese on the trail by storing it buried in the cooler parts of your pack, using it soon after leaving the trailhead, and checking it carefully for spoilage before use. Some goat cheeses contain more salt than others or have protective rinds that will permit longer periods without refrigeration. Use discretion.
Curt “The Titanium Chef” White, Forks, Washington, The Scouts Backpacking Cookbook