Originally published on February 25, 2012
I made these for Thanksgiving this past year when most of my family came over to celebrate the holiday, and Maddie’s fourth birthday. Whenever I host the event, I always look for two things: a new app to bring to the table, and a different spin on sweet potatoes (there are so many!) When I was searching for a good app, I came across Giada De Laurentiis’ website. Firstly, let me say that if you’re going to visit, be prepared to spend a lot of time there. It’s got tons of great stuff including recipes, videos of recipes, and lots and lots of tips and tricks. All very cool.
One of the videos is Giada showing how to make these stuffed dates – and they are so easy to make! I think it took me about 10 minutes to put the entire plate together and they were delish too. With a fairly picky crowd, there were only three of us adventurous enough to try them, but that just meant more leftovers for me. Beware that while they do stay pretty nice in the fridge, the cheese inside does somewhat harden. If that texture’s going to bother you, you’re just going to have to eat them all the day you make ‘em!
Ingredients:
2 cups goat cheese
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh basil leaves
16 Medjool dates, pitted
8 slices prosciutto, cut in half lengthwise
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Directions:
1.) In a small bowl combine the goat cheese, the basil, and the salt and pepper.
2.) Gently pull the dates apart (not all the way) and stuff with about 1 teaspoon of the cheese mixture. Close the dates around the filling.
3.) Wrap one half of each piece of proscuitto around the entire date. Repeat with remaining dates.
4.) Serve and enjoy!