When my husband and I used to enjoy the Naples boat parade at the invitation of our friends Jim and Al, we used to unashamedly stand upon the Naples bridge and shout “best boat in the parade” as each boat passed under the bridge. It was silly but a lot of fun.
So, in memory of those wonderful silly times, I’m calling this appetizer the “best date appetizer in the parade.” It is showy. It is delicious. It will brighten any celebration you are having during this late holiday season. It deserves a shout out.
It also takes minutes to prepare.
Recipe: Dates with Cream and Chopped Pistachios
12 large medjool dates (pitted)
24 walnut halves (or pecans or almonds)
3-4 T. creme fraiche or sour cream or marscapone
Freshly grated zest of 1 lemon
1 T. (or more) coarsely chopped pistachios
Directions:
Make a slice along one side of each date.Stuff each date with a walnut half and pinch the date closed.
Just before serving, place a dollop of sour cream, creme fraiche or marscapone on each date. Then, sprinkle chopped pistachios on top of each date and also sprinkle each date with grated lemon zest. Serve and enjoy. This is finger food, so no utensils are necessary unless your guests are fussy.
Cooks Note: The flavor of this recipe depends upon the quality of the dates you use. I used first quality medjool dates from the Sunday Long Beach Farmer’s Market. I enjoy this appetizer with a lot of chopped pistachios, so feel free to add more than the recipe calls for you to use. These dates would be wonderful stuffed with the “Glazed Spiced Nuts” I posted recently. The spicy glaze on the nuts give the date appetizer a little extra kick. (See recipe category list on this site for the glazed nut recipe.
Here is the link to the original NY Times recipe:
Sounds wonderful! My mother would have loved this. Dates were her favorite! Wonderful
photography!
A beautiful photo which makes the stuffed dates look luscious! And I’ll bet they are….
Medjool dates are great. Much better than Deglets. But my favorite stuffed date recipe calls for goat cheese for the stuffing, wrapping in bacon, and baking until the bacon is done.