Blue Cheese and Bacon Devils on Horseback
While I was growing up in the '60s, my parents loved to entertain. One night, my mom announced that she was going to serve Devils on Horseback. As a kid, I was terrified. Of course, I didn't realize she was talking about the date-centric hors d'oeuvre stuffed with blue cheese and wrapped in bacon. Now, I never entertain without a batch of these beauties on hand. Note: Obviously if you don't have a toaster oven you can use a regular oven to cook these bites. But honestly, you should think about picking up a decent toaster oven sometime soon.This recipe first appeared in Season 1 of Good Eats: The Return.
ACTIVE TIME: 20 minutes minutes
TOTAL TIME: 2 hours hours 40 minutes minutes
Yield: 20 dates
- 20 Pitted Deglet Noor dates
- 1 cup dry sherry
- 2 ounces blue cheese
- 7 slices bacon (not thick-cut), cut into 3-inch lengths
Soak the dates in the sherry for 2 hours, making sure they're fully submerged.
Meanwhile, place the blue cheese in a small zip-top bag, then snip one corner off the bag, leaving about a 1/2-inch opening. Leave at room temperature until ready to fill the dates.
Heat a toaster oven to 450°F and place a rack in a quarter sheet pan or use the pan that came with your toaster oven, if applicable (see note).
Drain but do not rinse the dates. Use a pair of scissors to open each date lengthwise.
Pipe roughly 1/2 teaspoon of the cheese into each date, then wrap with a piece of bacon. Place the wrapped dates on the rack, bacon ends down, and gently press to anchor.
Bake until the bacon is brown and crispy, about 15 minutes. Cool for 5 minutes before serving.