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. 
Stunning color!!
beantownbaker — October 8th, 2013 @ 7:06 pm
It just makes me smile 🙂
Oh gosh, I love this recipe! So creative 🙂
We’re making this for dinner tomorrow, sounds perfect! And what a great way to contribute to Breast Cancer Awareness month. Keep it up!
Snowy hello’s from Oslo, Norway/ Tanja Simone, http://somekindashuffle.wordpress.com
beantownbaker — October 23rd, 2013 @ 12:27 am
Thanks! I hope you enjoyed the pasta.
I made this tonight and it was truly one of the worse things I’ve made; the sauce was really chunky and dry, and stuck in my throat every time I took a bite, and the garlic made it even drier. I would not recommend this to anyone.
This is very good. Leaving some of the pasta water is important, as well as adding the olive oil. Grating the beet into the pasta made a gorgeous colored magenta. Eating pasta right away prevents drying out. An optional addition could be adding a can of coconut milk to make a pink saucy dish. Topped with nuts and cheese, yes!