There was a time when I wouldn’t give dates a second look . . . not that kind of date! My mother would bake a date cake occasionally that required the purchase of, I believe, a yellow and red box of diced up date bits, then added to the usual suspects of flour, sugar, butter, eggs and spices . . . but I don’t recall what it tastes like . . . mainly because I don’t recall ever having a piece of it . . . dates were suspect in my 10-year-old mind . . .
Fast forward more than a few years and I’ve now seen the errors of my ways . . . dates are one of those treats we always seem to have on hand. In fact, you’ll find two or three Medjool dates packed in The Professor’s lunch almost every week; I’ll add a few walnut halves to the mix and he has a healthy mid-morning snack between classes.
I bet you didn’t know that 70 percent of the US Medjool date crop is grown by a dozen family farmers right in Bard Valley, California . . . and I’m going to bet you didn’t know that Bard Valley Natural Delights Medjool Dates, aka Natural Delights for short, are hand-pollinated, hand-thinned and hand-picked . . . you did? Well I didn’t. But as I said, up until the last few years, dates were flying under my radar.
And if you haven’t seen the new Natural Delights Pistachio Rolls, Coconut Rolls or Almond Rolls, be sure to seek them out – they are fabulous and ready to place on a cocktail tray straight from the package . . .
Speaking of cocktails . . . Medjool dates can be used in both sweet and savory recipes and I thought that since the holidays are absolutely, positively here people . . . you might enjoy these little appetizers to serve at your next holiday party. Stuffed with creamy goat cheese, crunchy pistachios with a hint of mild onion and pepper, these bite-sized wonders pair quite nicely with a glass of bubbly . . . cheers!
Disclaimer: The nice folks from Bards Valley sent me a lovely box of Medjool dates to sample; While I am not being compensated for this post, the opinions are strictly my own.
GOAT CHEESE & PISTACHIO STUFFED DATES
Martha Stewart
Makes 16 appetizers
INGREDIENTS:
- 8 large size Medjool dates, halved and pits removed
- 4 ounces goat cheese, softened
- 3 Tablespoons chopped pistachios (I used salted pistachios)
- 1 Tablespoon finely chopped chives, plus more for garnish
- Freshly ground black pepper – couple of grinds to taste
METHOD:
- Cut or carefully tear dates in half and remove pits
- Add soften goat cheese, 2 Tablespoons of pistachios (reserve 1 Tablespoon for garnish), 1 Tablespoon chives and a couple grinds of black pepper in bowl and combine well
- Taste and add more pepper if you like
- You can place the mixture in a piping bag and pipe into each half, but I used a small soup spoon and scooped approximately 1-1/2 teaspoons into each date
- Garnish with remaining pistachios and chives
- Serve with your favorite cocktail
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These sound so simple and delicious!
i eat dates and walnuts or dates and pistachios every day as a mid morning snack. now all i have to do is stuff some goat cheese in there and we’ll call it a day. what a great idea! thanks for sharing!
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This recipe looks delicious. This will be great for parties.
Love dates and stuff is great….we like to stuff them with blue cheese!
Dates have never been my thing either..I think I might need to give them a second try! Especially if they are stuffed with goat cheese!!
Debra, I love dates and goat cheese but it’s the addition of pistachios that really intrigue me. I love that combination and I can’t wait to make some for my next get together. Glad you love dates now! Thanks!
Redefines my idea of “date night” GREG
Great idea, but what I am really interested in is what’s in the glass?
Beautiful pictures as always.
What a perfect appetizer. I’m a huge fan of dates…and pistachios…and yes, goat cheese! These couldn’t be better. Thank you for sharing another great recipe with me! I Hope you are having a wonderful Tuesday night. Much love.
Dates are a favorite in our house too, we;ve always got some to snack on.
I saw this recipe when I first went through MS’s book and immediately started drooling! What a great party snack!
Dates have always flown under my radar as well but you have me intrigued, so I’m game now ;D
You’re totally making me hungry. Quite honestly, I’ve never been a date fan, but I’ve never ever thought about this combo and just adding a walnut for a snack? Randy would lurve those for snacks. And sooooo easy too.
What a perfect little appetizer! Sweet and salty and savory all wrapped up in one bite-size package. Tucking this recipe away for the holidays!
What is that lovely cocktail?
Brenda ~ that is a St. Germaine Sour . . . and really, really good!
These sound perfect; I’ve put them all together in a crostini but this is even simpler. YUM it is Deb.
I love St Germain and beyond the fabulous product, don’t they have just the MOST beautiful bottles?
YES!! the bottles are GORGEOUS Barb! I’m trying to figure out if I can do something with the lid . . . it is stunning!
What a beautiful coincidence, just brought a box of dates from costco and this will make for a perfect appetizer or dessert for my thanksgiving dinner.