Fontina Stuffed Bacon Wrapped Dates

I have seen many variations of this recipe on television, blogs and other recipe sites but it took seeing them on Food Network's The Best Thing I Ever Ate to force me to try my hand at this tasty little treat. The first time I announced to my husband that I was making this he looked at me like I was nuts, I admit it doesn't exactly sound appealing but it's actually the perfect blend of sweet and salty; the flavors work together perfectly. I usually make these as an appetizer for any type of occasion and every time people love them.

I pair the dried dates with fontina and turkey bacon to tailor it to my person taste. I know some people prefer to make this recipe with real bacon but I always prefer turkey bacon over the real thing. Fontina I have found is the perfect cheese for this recipe because it has a very mild flavor and doesn't overpower the other flavors.

Fontina Stuffed Bacon Wrapped Dates
Yield: 1 dozen dates
Prep Time: 10 minutes     I     Cook Time: 5 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 dozen dates
• 4 oz fontina cheese cut into 12 even 1 inch pieces
• 6 strips of bacon cut in half lengthwise

Using a knife slice open each date lengthwise careful not to cut the date in half. Insert a piece of cheese and wrap a slice of bacon around each date securing it in place with a toothpick.

Place the dates on a baking sheet and cook under the broiler on high for approximately 5-7 minutes. Keep a close eye on the dates, you want the bacon to crisp up and the cheese to get melty and it only takes a split second to go from perfectly cooked to burnt with the broiler!