Ricotta-Stuffed Bacon-Wrapped Dates

I started out taking lots of pictures of the food I made, but got distracted halfway through.  You'll have to bear with me.  But here are some pics of the Ricotta-Stuffed Bacon-Wrapped Dates we made.  Susan was in charge of making these and she did a great job.  :)  We had to take the pit out of all of the dates, so that was a bit of a challenge, but aside from that, it's quite easy and really tasty.  

I forgot to take pictures, but here's what they should look like.  Photo courtesy of food network.  The combo of sweet, salty, crispy and creamy are what make these so addicting and fun to pop in your mouth.  

Ricotta-Stuffed Bacon-Wrapped Dates

Dave Lieberman

Ingredients

1 pound (about 12 to 13 slices) bacon, preferably thick-cut

25 Medjool dates (about 3/4 pound)

1/3 cup ricotta cheese

Special Equipment: toothpicks, a chopstick for removing pits

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.  Cut the bacon in half to make twice as many slices. Set aside. To remove the pits from the dates, cut the tips off each end of the dates and insert the flat end of a skewer or chopstick until it pushes the pit out of the date. Repeat with remaining dates.

Place the ricotta in the bottom corner of a strong plastic bag and seal tightly. Use scissors to cut a small hole in the tip of 1 of the corners. Now use the bag like a piping bag to fill the dates with the cheese.

Wrap the ricotta stuffed dates with a slice of bacon and secure with a toothpick through the belly of the date. 

Here's what our little dates in a blanket looked like before we roasted them.  

Arrange all the prepared dates on a parchment-lined baking sheet, allowing at least a little space between each one for good browning.  Roast for 15 to 20 minutes or until bacon is browned and crispy. Remove from the baking sheet and gently remove toothpicks. Serve immediately.