With all of the sports playoff games, film award shows, and the return of the long awaited final season of "Homeland" in the months ahead, there is no shortage of opportunities or reasons to invite friends and/or family over. Call me a bit of a home body but in all honesty, I much prefer the coziness of the house over the craziness found in most local bars particularly when watching sports on television. Or maybe I just love having people over as much as I do these Bacon Wrapped Dates w/ Roasted Red Pepper Sauce. Who doesn't love a sweet and savory bite, especially one wrapped in bacon and served with an addictive dipping sauce? Paired with some wine or better yet, a pitcher of Bourbon Apple Pie Cocktails, everyone is certain to go absolutely CRAZY for them. Seriously, even those who claim not to like dates will be completely smitten with these scrumptious two bite appetizer wonders.
Bacon wrapped dates fall into two general categories: stuffed and unstuffed. More than likely you have had them filled with nuts, a variety of cheeses, dried fruits, chorizo, or even sun-dried tomatoes. And all of these are good options. But they also happen to be a little more work to assemble. Sometimes given the choice between something a little more complicated and simple is an easy one to make. I happen to be on team unstuffed as I don't want anything else but the Roasted Red Pepper Sauce to compete with or detract from the flavor of the crispy oven roasted bacon and sweet melt in your mouth, almost candied Medjool dates. I also love having easy appetizer options!
Especially ones you can put together early in the day and then just pop into the oven when everyone arrives!
For the absolute best Bacon Wrapped Dates look for the larger, sometimes called fancy Medjool Dates and buy the more thinly sliced bacon. It's not critical to find pitted dates as it's super easy to cut into them lengthwise and remove the pit. As much as I love really thick bacon and who doesn't, it won't crisp up as nicely as thinner bacon slices will. And for these Bacon Wrapped Dates you definitely want the bacon to be very crispy!
A half slice of bacon almost wrap around each date twice. Place the bacon seam side down when putting the wrapped dates on an aluminum foil lined pan. Inserting a toothpick into them ensures the little bite stays intact as well as makes serving easy.
Lightly brushed with a mixture of maple syrup and apple cider vinegar and sprinkled with some red pepper flakes, the wrapped dates bake in a preheated 425 degree (F) oven for 25-30 minutes (or until the bacon is crispy). Once out of the oven, give the dates a light sprinkling of sea salt.
The Roasted Red Pepper Sauce brings the ying and yang of a little bit of heat and some coolness in each bite. The garlic and cayenne combined with the mayonnaise, roasted red peppers, and red wine vinegar makes for the most flavorful dipping sauce. It's one of those dipping sauces that seems to encourage double dipping! You can make your own roasted red peppers or you can buy them in a jar (I used jarred red peppers this time). Mincing the garlic and red peppers with a knife or putting them into the bowl of a small food processor are two options that both work. If you like a slightly chunkier sauce, mince them with a knife (I used a mini-food processor). Making the Roasted Red Pepper Sauce earlier in the day will not only enable the flavors to deepen but the sauce will thicken up slightly. Note: If using jarred red peppers make certain to drain them or your sauce will be runny.
Serve the Bacon Wrapped Dates either warm right out of the oven or at room temperature. I prefer them warm, but wouldn't refuse a room temperature one. Note: If you by chance have any leftovers, which is highly unlikely, you can reheat them in the microwave on high for 20-25 seconds.
For those of you following a Whole 30 diet or living a gluten-free life, you will be thrilled to learn you can eat all the Bacon Wrapped Dates your heart desires! For those of you wanting to be certain there are appetizer options for your Whole 30 and Gluten-Free friends, you definitely want to serve them these Bacon Wrapped Dates! They will love you more than they already do!
An event on television doesn't need to the reason you invite your family and/or friends over for a gathering or to make these Bacon Wrapped Dates w/ Roasted Red Pepper Sauce. You don't even need to plan a game night, host a book club meeting, or celebrate a milestone event. Sometimes it's just nice to invite some of your favorite people over for the sake of getting together and enjoying each other's company. In other words, great memories can and should be made around food, beverages, and conversations. I don't know about you, but there never seems to be enough quality time spent with those that matter most to me.
Bacon Wrapped Dates w/ Roasted Red Pepper Sauce
Makes 24
Ingredients
1 pound package Fancy Medjool Dates, remove pits (See notes)
1 twelve ounce package of thinly sliced bacon, slices cut in half
1 1/2 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 Tablespoon pure maple syrup
Red Pepper Flakes
Flaky Sea Salt
1/2 cup roasted red peppers, well-drained
2 large garlic cloves
1/2 cup good quality mayonnaise
2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Sea salt and black pepper, to taste
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees (F). Line a large rimmed baking pan with aluminum foil and set aside.
2. Wrap a half piece of bacon around each pitted date. Insert a toothpick through the center of the date. Place wrapped date, seam side down, on the prepared baking sheet.
3. Whisk together the apple cider and maple syrup. Brush each wrapped date with the apple cider/maple syrup mixture. Lightly sprinkle with red pepper flakes.
4. Bake the wrapped dates for 25-30 minutes or until bacon is crisp.
5. Transfer the baked dates to a paper towel before quickly transferring over to a serving platter. Lightly sprinkle the bacon wrapped dates with flaky sea salt.
6. Either early in the day or while the dates are baking, make the sauce. To make the sauce either finely mince the garlic and roasted red peppers or mince them in a small food processor. In a medium sized bowl, whisk together the minced garlic, minced red peppers, mayonnaise, cayenne pepper, and red wine vinegar until well blended. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
7. Serve the Bacon Wrapped Dates warm or at room temperature with a small bowl of the Roasted Red Pepper Sauce.
Notes: (1) I bought both the Fancy Medjool Dates and bacon from Trader Joe's. (2) When removing the pits from dates, use a sharp knife and slice lengthwise into the date. You only need to make a small slit to be able to remove the pit. (3) I love dipping the Bacon Wrapped Dates in the Roasted Red Pepper Sauce, but honestly, they are so, so good all on their own. (4) Both the wrapped dates (unbaked) and roasted red pepper sauce can be made early in the day.
