This is a fabulous hands-on, interactive hors d’oeuvre. Pour the wine and get the aprons on - these are messy!
Ingredients
4 oz (125 g) chèvre, softened
2 oz (60 g) cream cheese, softened
2 tbsp (25 ml) cassis or port
Salt and pepper, to taste
10 dates, pitted and halved crosswise
1/2 cup (125 ml) pistachios, lightly toasted and ground
Directions
1. In a bowl, mix together chèvre and cream cheese with a fork. Add cassis and a pinch of salt; mix until smooth. Chill for 30 minutes.
2. Measure out about 1 tbsp (15 ml) chèvre mixture. Press a date half into mixture. Cover date and chèvre with plastic wrap. Use the plastic wrap to help you evenly distribute the cheese around the date to create a little ball with the date half inside. Remove plastic wrap. Continue with remaining mixture and dates.
3. Spread ground pistachios on a small plate. Season with a touch of salt and pepper. Roll each chèvre “truffle” in pistachios to coat evenly. Refrigerate, covered, until serving.
Makes about 20 hors d’ouevres
Recipe excerpted from James Beard winner Dish Entertains by Trish Magwood. Published by HarperCollins Canada. Copyright 2007 by Trish Magwood. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
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