I’m not always extra but when someone asks me to bring a “snack” to a party, you can bet your bottom dollar I’m not showing up with a bag of plain Ruffles.
These goat’s cheese stuffed dates with pistachios and pomegranate are easier than they look and full of Moroccan-inspired flavours. These are a no-cook snack that come together in 20 minutes or less.
I visited Morocco last summer and thoroughly enjoyed the way their cuisine often combines savoury and sweet by incorporating dried fruit like apricots, raisins or dates. At times, I found it a bit overwhelming, as in the case of their classic dish, pastila. Pastila is a meat or fish pie, wrapped in warqa or phyllo pastry and topped with powdered sugar and cinnamon.
The first bite is delicious, but in my experience, my palate was overwhelmed by the decadent sweetness by the time I was halfway through.
This snack is certainly on the sweet side but the natural sugar of the dates is balanced by the tangy quality of the goat’s cheese, the acidity from the orange zest, nuttiness of the pistachios and subtle brightness of the pomegranate seeds.
We often see dates appear in bacon-wrapped format when it comes to appetizers. I LOVE bacon but this might be a better option if you’re planning to serve any vegetarians.
If you’re planning to serve these at your next cocktail party or as an opening volley at a dinner party, you might want to pair with this Moroccan-themed Marrakech Mule cocktail.
Cheers!
Goat Cheese Stuffed Dates with Pistachios & Pomegranate
- 20 pitted dates
- 3 oz soft goat’s cheese
- 2 tbsp raw, shelled pistachios, chopped
- 2 tbsp pomegranate seeds
- zest of 1 orange, grated
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Slice the dates down the middle, without cutting all the way through. Remove pits. Stuff with the goat’s cheese.
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Sprinkle over the pistachios, pomegranate seeds and orange zest, serve.
Recipe from: Taylor, Millie. “Dates stuffed with goat’s cheese, pistachios & pomegranate.” Party-Perfect Bites. London: Ryland Peters & Small, 2014.
You got me with this one Yvonne. Stuffed dates is one of my go to appetizers. My son eats them like peanuts. I think it is the bacon though. If you have someone standing by to pit the dates it would be very easy to make these. I will definitely give them a whirl. I was waiting for a funny story about dates sticking to your shoes or something, what happened?
Good work Yvovve and your photo skills come to you naturally from your beloved Papa.
Ali
I tried these and they were delicious. The creamy goat cheese was a great compliment to the sweet, chewy date. The pomegranates offered a great texture with a pop of citrus and the pistachios were a nice little salty crunch. Would recommend.