I first met Katy Sparks in the flesh at New York City's French Culinary Institute. We were both there to teach on a mentorship program, and since I was already wild about the food at her restaurant, Quilty's, I made a beeline for her and insisted we become friends and spend lots of time eating together. For fun, Katy and I have given several cooking classes working as a duet; she made these dates at our first class together. They are just the kind of thing I find irresistible — sweet, crunchy, juicy, spicy — you name it, they've got it. Once you have the ingredients, they're very easy to put together.
Ingredients
Makes 20 or 30 stuffed dates
The Ancho Chili Oil
The Dates
Step 1
To make the ancho chili oil, put the olive oil and the chili powder in a small pan over low heat and warm gently for 10 minutes; set aside for 1 hour to infuse, then strain through a sheet of paper towel. This can be done the day before.
Step 2
Position a rack at the top of the oven and preheat to 350°F.
Step 3
In a small bowl, mix the walnuts, sage, garlic, orange zest, and olive oil to form a crumbly paste. Using a teaspoon press the paste into the cavities of the dates. Wrap each date with a 3-inch-long strip of the ham. (The dates can be covered and refrigerated until an hour before guests arrive, when they should be brought to room temperature.)
Step 4
Place the dates on an ungreased baking sheet and roast for 5 minutes (8, if they're cold); arrange on a serving tray and drip with the ancho chili oil. Serve warm or at room temperature. Napkins are a must.
Leave a Review
Reviews (7)
Back to TopThese are the best stuffed dates I have ever eaten, and I love dates - I order them everytime I see them offered on a menu - so I have had quite a few variations. You don't need to go through the added step of making a walnut paste, if you chop the nuts fine enough the filling will still work. I also had more dates than filling so I stuffed the rest with blue cheese and walnuts and finished those in the same way. Those were a big hit as well! Add cayenne pepper to the oil for an even spicier kick.
c16
chicago, il
12/27/2010
这美味的提供是我们Cinco de Mayo应用etizer and it won over even timid eaters. Like other reviewers we find powdered ancho chili oftentimes bitter. Our alternative was to use the adobo sauce from jarred chipotle peppers, diluted with a touch of olive oil. Made for spicy drizzling!
pipperkin
san diego
6/2/2009
Excellent!!! and so different from the usual cocktail party fare. People raved. I substituted Sri Cha...brand asian hot chili sauce for the ancho chili oil called for, which i made and did not like--it was bitter. The Sri sauce was a perfect flavor and added the heat to the sweet/savory stuffed dates. Will repeat this again and again.
Anonymous
Richmond VA
8/26/2007
I already had ancho chile flakes in oil, so I used that. I substituted halvah for the walnuts and lemon zest for the orange. I also left out the ham because I keep kosher. (Yes, my recipe has adulterated the original.) It was fabulous and the other people eating the dates loved them as well.
cescaca
Los Angeles, CA
8/23/2007
I prepared this dish exactly as written and although I thought it had a nice taste there was plenty left over. Unless you have known date lovers coming for dinner I would not recommend preparing this appetizer. I have to say when I put the dish out I thought to myself, "Oh my goodness it looks like I'm serving fried butterfly chrysalis!"
jaimekm
pa
1/15/2007
Absolutely delicious. These were prepared for me at a New Years Eve party and I can't wait to make them for myself!
Kristen
Boulder, CO
3/23/2005
A wonderful taste, but was disappointed with the waste of money involving the proscuitto ham. I found that I wasted half the ham due to it tearing when I attempted to wrap the dates. Still they were a hit at the cocktail party at which they were served, and I will probably make them again.
kennyg315
Birmingham
12/16/2004
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