October 21, 2012

Manchego Stuffed Devils on Horseback

I was Miss America. I was a witch.  I was a Hershey's Kiss, a princess, a fire queen, a dead bride.  I was Marie Antoinette three times.  I was a punk, I was Angelina Jolie in Tomb Raider and a 1920's silent film actress.  This year I'm dressing up as my middle name, Marie, for a Middle Name Halloween party we're hosting at our apartment.  I thought about wearing my Marie Antoinette costume for a fourth time.  After all, I watched my mom slave over a sewing machine for hours constructing that perfect ball gown at my request many years ago.  But because it might be tricky to maneuver around the apartment in a gown the size of a camping tent, I decided to dress up as a random Marie from the 1980s, big hair, fake nails and tons of makeup.  As for party snacks, I plan on making these spooky looking Manchego cheese stuffed “Devils on Horseback” which are chewy hot dates oozing with cheese and wrapped in crunchy bacon.  They're salty, sweet and cheesy.  They're easy to make and will fly off the plate at your Halloween bash.
 
A sampling of my Halloween history

RECIPE

Makes 12 devils

12 dried, pitted Medjool dates
3 ounces Manchego cheese, cut into 1 inch long by 1/4 inch wide pieces
6 slices bacon, cut in half crosswise

1.  Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  Prepare a tin foil or parchment paper lined baking sheet.

2.  Make a slit in the side of a date, stuff it with a piece of cheese and wrap the stuffed date tightly with a piece of bacon.  Place it on the baking sheet with the loose end of the bacon facing down to keep it from unraveling. 

3.  Repeat step 2 with the remaining dates.  Bake dates in the oven for 20 minutes, turning them over halfway through the cooking time.  Remove them from the oven once the bacon is cooked through, crispy and brown.  Keep a close watch as they cook because they can go from done to overdone very quickly.  Serve immediately.


Top photo by Alan Foreman

4 comments:

  1. I made something similar for a party a few months ago and they definitely went fast! They hit all the flavor profiles and are absolutely delicious. I love all of your costumes! Can't wait to see this year's.

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  2. Thanks Sydney! Yes, aren't devils the bomb? The last time I made them, I burned them to a black crisp, but people still ate them! I guess you just can't go wrong with bacon. My costume is slowly morphing into Housewives of New Jersey, so I'll post the final result next week. Have a great Halloween! Can't wait to see your next dish!

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  3. these seem too easy, I've been meaning to make these for awhile, this may be the week

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  4. Debra, they're super easy and taste like bacon candy! They're amazing without cheese too.

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