Made this last night and they were fantastic. Got the recipe from
www.uniwatchblog.com
which is a sports site but the writer does write about
food:
He had asked everyone to contribute some food, so I thought
for a bit about what I should bring, even though I knew all along
that I’d probably end up bringing my old stand-by, the hors
d’oeuvre that’s won me raves for years, the one that makes
everyone happy and makes me look like a genius.
Three words, people: Bacon. Wrapped. Dates.
It’s super-easy: Buy yourself a one-pound pack of bacon (the
slices should be as straight as possible, without any kinks or
curves) and a 10-ounce container of pitted dates. Before opening
the bacon, slice the pack in half crosswise, so the slices are
now half their original length. Then remove the bacon from the
plastic, peel off a half-length bacon strip, and place it on a
cutting board. Place a date at one end of the bacon strip, roll
the strip to encircle the date, place the finished treat on a
rimmed baking sheet, and repeat. It’s like making pigs in a
blanket, except you’re making dates in a pig. Or something like
that.
Continue along until you run out of dates and/or bacon (the
two amounts should come out almost exactly even). Drizzle
liberally with balsamic vinegar and then pop the baking sheet
into a 400ish-degree oven for about 25 minutes. Serve with
toothpicks so guests can skewer the treats without getting their
fingers greasy.
