Devils on Horseback

Oh my, I first tasted these amazing appetizers at Misfit in Santa Monica.
Dates stuffed with goat cheese and almonds wrapped in bacon, my idea of heaven.
And just in time for New Year's Eve !!!

For Christmas Eve we decided to do an all appetizer meal, both hot and cold.
Here was my excuse to try my hand at these delectable treats.

I was amazed at how many versions there are of devils on horseback. You can use a variety of cheeses: blue cheese, Stilton or asiago for example. Prunes can be used instead of dates, which would limit the number consumed. Some recipes use soy sauce, sherry or brown sugar and smoked almonds.

Here is the way I made them.

Devils on Horseback

Ingredients

soft goat cheese
whole almonds
sliced bacon
large dates, (medjools work well)
wooden toothpicks ( soaked in water)

I have not given amounts because it depends on how many you want to make and the size of your dates.
For each date you will need: one almond, about a 1/2 teaspoon of goat cheese, a half slice of bacon and one toothpick.
You do the math ;-)

I will give you lovely photos of the process.

Preheat the oven to 375 F.

1) Remove the pits from your dates.

2) Stuff with goat cheese and an almond.

3) Wrap in a half slice of bacon and secure with the toothpick.

4) Place on a foil lined baking pan.

5) Bake for 25 to 30 minutes until the bacon is crisp. Remove onto a paper towel to drain.

6) Serve after allowing to cool for 5 minutes.

Most of the recipes did mention how hard it was to get a photo that makes them look appetizing. Oh well, you will just have to trust me on that.

I plan to make these again for New Year's Eve !!

Goat Cheese and Chive Biscuits

This biscuits were recently posted by my good friend and fab food blogger, Mita.
I tried them soon after she posted them and Bob ate about seven in one sitting.

I made her recipe pretty much the way she has it in her blog. I didn't have chives but I did have some young green onions which worked perfectly, I am guessing some fresh herbs in a smaller amount than the chives would also be tasty.

Ingredients

2 whole wheat pastry flour
1 cup unbleached white flour 
3/4 cups butter
3/4 cup greek yogurt or sour cream
1 tbsp sugar
2 1/2  tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 egg beaten + (1 beaten egg, for egg wash)
3 tbsp cold water
1/3 cup chopped chives
3/4 cup goat cheese crumbled

Topping [optional]: salt, black pepper, paprika, rosemary mix 'em together.


1)In a large bowl mix the flours, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and pepper.

2) Using a pastry cutter cut in the butter.

 Until it is crumbly.

 3) In a separate bowl, mix together yogurt/sour cream, egg, and water. 

4) Crumble the goat cheese in a separate bowl.

5) Chop the green onions or chives.

6) Add the egg/yogurt to the flour mixture until it JUST comes together. Add in the chives and goat cheese, mix gently.

 7) Knead about 10-15 times. Then roll it out on a floured surface to about 1 inch thick.

8) Use whatever you have that's round [like a glass] to cut out the biscuits. I made them fairly small which worked out well.

9) Put them on a tray lined with parchment paper, and coat each one in the egg wash and the topping mixture lightly.

10) Bake them at 400F for 10-14 minutes. If they last that long you can freeze them for later ;-)
I served them with soup for dinner or with eggs for breakfast !!

Great Hamburgers

With Memorial Day past, it is officially summer even though the Solstice is not until June 22.
Time fro grillin' and chillin' ;-)

I have not been a big fan of hamburgers most of my life. I didn't grow up eating at fast food places and when given a choice as a kid I always picked the hot dogs...
Thus I have not cooked them often...

That being said, I had a craving the other day for a burger and we are lucky enough to have an amazing local butcher just down the street: el Salchichero. I bought a pound of their grass fed ground beef and went about creating my perfect burger.

I did a bit of research here are some random stuff I found:
1) When making the patties don't massage them too much, they are not modeling clay.
2) Don't make them too thick.

3) Make a thumbprint in the center of each one for a reason I don't remember...
4) Make sure the grill is very hot when you cook them.

5) Don't turn them over more than once.
6) Don't flatten them with your spatula.
7) Cook them 5-6 minutes a side depending on the thickness.
8) Let them rest for 5 minutes before eating them, that's hard !!

Here's what I like:
1) Lots of caramelized onions.

2) Whole wheat but still soft buns, lightly toasted...sounds dirty ;-)

3) Goat cheese, this "four peppers" variety was very tasty. Put a slice on each burger after you have flipped it once so that it soften and warms slightly. I find cheddar and other hard cheeses to be too greasy when melted.

4) I prefer my burger without a lot of ketchup, mayo or mustard. They get soggy with too many condiments.

5) And I prefer my greens in a large pile separately.

I enjoyed this burger so much, I know I will be having it again this summer.
It's such an easy weekend meal !!