Bacon Wrapped Dates, Stuffed with Jalapeno’s, Slathered with a Raspberry Reduction

Plated for Presentation

I want to warn you right now. Don’t enter into making bacon wrapped dates with a raspberry reduction sauce lightly. Enter at your own risk as once you do, there is no turning back. They will be requested all the time and you will find yourself making them over and over. I’ve had the grilled bacon wrapped dates on more than one occasion and can’t get enough. This is one of those mainstay grilling recipes that you will use time and again and never get tired of it, and neither will your guests.  I’ll hand it off to Tom, the third Grillin’ Fool, to show you how to make them…

***Editor’s Note ~ Check out Tom on the Rams Tailgate show on KSDK Channel 5 demonstrate how to do make these amazing concoctions***

Raspberry Reduction Sauce Ingredients:

1/2 cup port wine
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 tsp salt
6 oz fresh raspberries (frozen optional)
1.5  tbsp balsamic vinegar
Diced jalapenos to taste,  (use a few slices for mild heat and kick it up as you like)

Reduction Ingredients

Combine all ingredients into a sauce pan over medium heat:

The Raspberry Reduction Sauce, Pre-Reduction

Cook, stirring frequently until sauce is reduced, approx 20 minutes:

Reduced

Strain sauce, removing raspberry seeds and jalapenos.  Transfer the raspberry reduction sauce to a bowl to cool and discard strained seeds and jalapenos.  When sauce has cooled, pour into squeeze bottle for garnish.

Bacon Wrapped Dates Ingredients:

26 dates, pitted (why 26? Because that’s how many we had left when we decided to document this recipe for the site)
26 jalapeno slices
13 slices of bacon, cut in half width-wise
26 toothpicks

Instructions:

Cut a slit in the side of the date, lengthwise and replace the pit with a jalapeno slice. For those that don’t like the heat, trade a chunk of cheese or a piece of a water chestnut:

Pitting and Stuffing the Dates

Then wrap each date with a half slice of bacon and secure with a toothpick:

Wrapping with Bacon

Place the bacon wrapped dates on a cast iron pan, or an oven safe pan which is not just for ease of transport to the grill:

Bacon Wrapped Dates On an Oven Safe Pan

Now why is the oven safe pan important? Because bacon grease might as well be gasoline over a non infrared grill. The pan keeps you from constantly repositioning the dates to keep them from getting incinerated.

Prepare the grill for medium high heat (hold your palm right above the grate and count 1 Mississippi, 2 Mississippi, etc. If you pull your hand back after 1 Mississippi, it’s too hot. If you can go beyond 3 Mississippi, it’s not hot enough).

Place the pan over the heat:

Bacon Wrapped Dates On the Grill

How long do you grill these? Well it depends on the heat of your grill, but all you need to do is cook the bacon. Brown it on a couple of sides and they are ready to eat:

Browning Bacon

Browning Some More

Once they are browned around a couple sides, remove the bacon wrapped dates from the heat and plate. Get creative with the presentation by drizzling the raspberry reduction sauce on the plate in an elaborate pattern before placing the bacon wrapped dates on top. Here are a couple examples:

Plated for Presentation

Plated Nicely

If the heat of the jalepenos frightens you, don’t sweat it. (Heh, see what I did there?). There are many ways you can stuff them: with cheese, water chestnuts, fresh raspberries, dried cherries, roasted garlic, etc. Get creative. Come up with your own personal grilling recipe for bacon wrapped dates and please let us know what works for you.

If you have any questions about the grilling recipe outlined above feel free to leave a comment below or shoot me an email.

If you would like other grilling recipes for appetizers, click here

Also, you can follow the Grillin Fools on Facebook and post your own grillin pictures and grilling recipes or on Twitter @GrillinFool.

1. 

   Chris says:

   July 12, 2012 at 9:04 PM

   Our favorite food truck does an almond stuffed, bacon wrapped date with a blue cheese sauce that is amazing. I know Alexis is going to want me to make these, great sounding recipe!

   reply
2. 

   kitchenriffs says:

   July 18, 2012 at 8:32 PM

   I really like this. Dates are wonderful, and I’ve had them with bacon before – good combo. The peppers sound interesting (I like spicy) and the raspberry reduction really should add a nice contrast in flavor. Well thought-out dish! Thanks.

   reply