Whipped Goat Cheese with Bacon and Dates

I saw this recipe on several websites and wanted to give it a try. It’s delicious and made it to my Snackin’ live on instagram.

Ingredients:

6 oz raw bacon slices

12 oz crumbled goat cheese, at room temperature

½ cup greek yogurt

4 Tbl honey, split

2 Tbl olive oil, plus more for drizzling

1 Tbl water

¼ tsp kosher salt

freshly cracked black pepper

2 sprigs fresh rosemary

2 large shallots, thinly sliced

12 medjool dates, pitted + roughly chopped (about 6 oz chopped)

2 Tbl apple cider vinegar

toasted bread or crackers, for dipping

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Lay the bacon in one, even layer in a 12” cast-iron skillet. Bake for about 25 minutes, or until crisp.

Meanwhile, combine the goat cheese, greek yogurt, 2 tablespoons of honey, olive oil, water, salt, and a few cracks of black pepper in a food processor. Process until smooth, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Spoon the whipped goat cheese out onto a large plate or into a shallow bowl. Set aside.

Transfer the bacon onto a plate lined with paper towels to drain. Place the skillet (with all of the bacon drippings) over medium heat. Add the rosemary sprigs. Allow the rosemary to fry on both sides until crisp. Transfer it to the plate of bacon to drain.

Add the shallots to the skillet. Cook for a few minutes until caramelized and tender. Stir in the dates, apple cider vinegar, and remaining 2 tablespoons of honey. Bring the mixture to a simmer and cook for just about a minute until reduced and sticky.

Spoon the date mixture over the goat cheese. Crumble the bacon and rosemary leaves over top. Drizzle with a little more olive oil and a few more cracks of black pepper. Serve with toasted bread or crackers alongside for dipping.