Date, Cherry, Goat Cheese Spread
Dates are one of those foods that are kind of weird… They look like nothing else you’ll find in the grocery store. But they pack a punch of chewey carameley sweetness that can’t be rivaled.
I have to admit. The only other thing I’ve ever made with dates in my life are these Bacon Wrapped Dates. Like anything wrapped in bacon, they were delicious. This time around, I wanted to make something more original with my dates.
I decided to pair them with another ingredient I rarely use, and one I use all the time. Mixing goat cheese into recipes always provides a subtle saltiness and creaminess. I threw in the chopped cherries because I’m trying to use them more and I had some on hand.
I mixed these ingredients together and threw in some almonds for texture and called it a day. No sense in messing with a good thing. I threw it all on some toasted baguette and Hubby and I had a nice little afternoon snack.
One Year Ago: Blueberry Cinnamon Rolls, Homemade Mayo, and Blueberry Salsa over Grilled Mahi Mahi
Five Years Ago: Sauteed Mushrooms
Note: Nature Delights sent me a box of medjool dates to try out and come up with a recipe to use them in.
Date, Cherry, Goat Cheese Spread
Yield: Serves 4
Ingredients:
1 cup cherries, stemmed, pitted, and quartered
6 dates, pitted and chopped
1 cup crumbled goat cheese
3/4 cup toasted almonds, chopped
baguette, sliced and toasted if desired
Directions:
Combine first four ingredients in a small bowl. Be sure not to over mix.
Spread onto bread or toast and enjoy!
I am Jen the Beantown Baker. Engineer by day and baking maven by night. Hubby serves as my #1 fan and official taste tester. We got hitched back in 2006. Barefoot. In the sand. With the waves crashing behind us. It was one of the best decisions we’ve ever made. 
These pancakes look perfect! I don’t make pancakes that often, but this mix would be an easy throw together to keep in the freezer. Yum!
Great idea to freeze the mix. I have been making our pancake batter from scratch for a while now, and it’s nearly impossible to go back to the boxed stuff! They just taste flavorless and cardboard-y. I had been reluctant to make mix ahead of time because I didn’t want it to go bad. Thanks for the idea!
What a great idea to have a homemade pancake mix on hand!
A good substitute for buttermilk – since most of us don’t keep it on hand, but do have milk in the fridge:
1 TBS white vinegar with enough milk added to make 1 cup. Allowed to sit for at least ten minutes, this mixture will clot up and mimic buttermilk sufficiently for most recipes.
Those pancakes look amazing!! Oh my goodness.
i think it is a great idea about freezing milk, too. I buy whole milk for baking only so I need to do that.
Wow. Those look so good I might have to whip some up…..like…NOW.
http://www.simplysweeter.blogspot.com
You can also use lemon juice instead of vinegar in the substitute for buttermilk provided by Nancy.
One thing to note about this recipe though. Not only is the buttermilk needed for the chemical reaction, but it also provides a great flavor to the pancakes that I don’t think you get from using the substitute. Also, buttermilk will keep for a very long time in the fridge since it’s acidic.
AB mentioned in his cookbook that there are only four thinks he will not make without buttermilk: cornbread, biscuits, waffles, and pancakes. I tend to agree with him.
What a great idea to make your own pancake mix and then when you want quick pancakes, you can have a healthy mix 🙂
Mmm, these look way better than a mix! Great tip to store the mix in the freezer too!
Yum! I love blueberry ‘anything’. Alton Brown recipes are always winners. If you’re looking for an even healthier pancake recipe, check out my ‘fluffy whole wheat pancakes’ on my blog. I mix batches of the dry ingredients and keep them in the freezer. Thanks for posting – I’m off to buy some blueberries! Oh, and I’m a new follower 🙂
These pancakes look amazing!! Bookmarked!
Hey Jen I am eating these pancakes at this very moment. They are so fluffy and filling! May I borrow this recipe for my blog and link it back to you??