Little Morsels of Ridiculousness

Very rarely do I come across a recipe that is easy, pretty in its presentation, and insanely delicious. I made Parmesan-Stuffed Dates Wrapped in Bacon last night, and the result was a food orgasm. Dates--parmegiano reggiano--and bacon are already indulgent and delicious on their own; combining them created a captain planet-like food superhero. Words cannot describe how the sweetness of the dates, salty pungency of the parmegiano, and pork fat smokyness of the bacon combined to produce a Perfect Food. If you've ever been to A.O.C. or Cobras and Matadors and had these before, just know that for the $8.95 you spent on a tapas dish, you can make 30-something of these little critters. And we (4 of us) ate every last one. The recipe is from a 2005 issue of Gourmet.

Can you hear them? They're saying, "eat me."

I'm pretty sure that this one is now in my belly.

Lookin goooood on a simple white platter.

I doubled the recipe below, with great results.

Ingredients
18 (1- by 1/4-inch) sticks Parmigiano-Reggiano (from a 1/2-lb piece)
18 pitted dates (preferably Medjool)
6 bacon slices, cut crosswise into thirds (I used center cut bacon--30% less fat, natch--and used half a slice per date)
18 wooden picks

Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 450°F.

Stuff 1 piece of cheese into each date, then wrap 1 piece of bacon around each date, securing it with a pick. Arrange dates 1 inch apart in a shallow baking pan.

Bake 5 minutes, then turn dates over with tongs and bake until bacon is crisp, 5 to 6 minutes more. Drain on a paper bag or parchment. Serve immediately.

Note: Dates can be stuffed and wrapped in bacon 1 day ahead and chilled, covered. Bring to room temperature before baking.