bacon-wrapped dates w/ manchego & mint

Yes, that's one heck of a title! This past Sunday, Dan and I skipped our usual dinner to attend a wine and cheese party at Susan's (hey Susan!). We still wanted to cook something, so we tried out hand at appetizers. I'd also had a request from Jes (hey Jes!) a few weeks back to make something with manchego cheese. This one seemed to fit the bill. Here's what you'll need:

• 32 dates
• 16 strips of bacon
• 1 block of manchego cheese
• 1 bunch of mint

Begin by preheating your oven to 425 degrees. Make a hole in the smallest end of each date. Using a pair of needle nose pliers or tweezers (washed first, of course), remove the pits.  Set aside.

Next, slice the cheese into 32 strips that are a bit shorter than the length of the dates, and small enough to fit in the hole left by the pits. These are roughly 1"x1/4"x1/4"...ish. Wash the mint bunch and pluck off 32 leaves. The last step of prep is to take the bacon and slice all of them in half lengthwise.

Now for the assembly. Place a mint leaf of the hole of each date. Using one slice of cheese, push the leaf and cheese into the cavity, and pinch the end shut with your fingers. Wrap each date in a 1/2 slice of bacon, and secure with a toothpick.

Place all of the assembled dates on a cookie sheet and bake for 10 minutes.  Remove them from the oven, flip, and then return for another 10 minutes, or until the bacon appears done. Let cool slightly before serving.

This was a truly awesome appetizer. Really different, really tasty - we got quite a few compliments. Try it out sometime.

Bon chappétit!