Creamy Goat Cheese, Bacon and Date Dip

By Ali Slagle

Updated November 29, 2018

  • Con Poulos for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.
Media 1 of 1
Total Time
30 minutes
Rating
4(2,396)
Comments
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This appetizer is like a bacon-wrapped date in dip form — and every bit as luxe, sweet and simultaneously smoky as that sounds. Here, as you swipe crusty bread through the smooth cheese, you’ll gather chunks of bacon and a bit of date, toffee-like from a quick fry in the meaty fat. You could embellish further, with nuts, chile or honey, or you could sip Champagne and dig in just as merrily — with friends hovering nearby for their turn.

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Ingredients

Yield:6 to 8 servings

  • 10 ounces goat cheese, at room temperature

  • 4 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature

  • 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

  • Salt and pepper

  • 5 ounces thick-cut bacon, cut in ½-inch thick

  • 10 Medjool dates, pitted and cut into quarters lengthwise, or roughly chopped

  • Honey, red-pepper flakes, black pepper, flaky salt, toasted sliced almonds or chopped pistachios, for garnish (optional)

  • Crusty bread, grainy crackers, endive or fennel, for serving

Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 to 8 servings)

24 grams carbs; 42 milligrams cholesterol; 297 calories; 6 grams monosaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 10 grams saturated fat; 19 grams fat; 2 grams fiber; 341 milligrams sodium; 10 grams protein; 21 grams sugar

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Heat oven to 400 degrees. In a medium bowl, stir together the goat cheese, cream cheese, lemon juice and a pinch each of salt and pepper. Transfer to a 1-quart baking dish or ovenproof skillet, and spread into an even layer. Bake until warmed through and bubbling, about 20 to 25 minutes.

  2. Step 2

    Meanwhile, cook the bacon in a medium skillet over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until golden and crisp, about 10 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the bacon to a paper towel-lined plate, then add the dates to the bacon fat in the skillet, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the insides are warm and the outsides blister, about 1 minute.

  3. Step 3

    Top the baked cheese with the dates and bacon, and garnish as you wish. Serve at once.

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Ratings

4 out of 5
2,396 user ratings
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Comments

Meg D

People at last night’s party wanted to scoop this up with a spoon! Next time I will increase the cream cheese for texture, the goat cheese was a little too crumbly. Also a good add for next time — caramelized onions. Could use them to replace the bacon for vegetarians!

Chris

How exactly did you incorporate the fennel?

SugarFree

Made this with 8 oz honey goat cheese and 6 oz cream cheese. Followed the recipe otherwise till the topping. Every November I make a quart mason jar of honey fermented cranberries. 12 oz organic (or frozen) berries pulsed 2 times in processor just to crack, slices of crystallized ginger, finely grated zest and juice of 1 orange - covered with 24 oz raw honey. Cover and leave out in a cool, dark place 2 or 3 weeks, turning upside once daily, or stirring. Stick in fridge. Spoon some on dip!

Dena Hill

How much honey?

blair

I love this recipe. I use Benton's bacon for big-time smokiness and stir the chopped dates and bacon into the dip. I garnish with nuts, honey, fresh rosemary and red pepper flakes.

Christy Lewis

Flavor was amazing, balanced and lovely -- but was never a dip as I expected - instead was crumbly - not a dip at all. So odd to have a NYT recipe not hit at all -- ) So next time will use this recipe as a Crostini topping - because the flavor was great -- added a bit of chopped rosemary to the top of the dip and it was really lovely. Just not a dip at all. (At the end of the party - when almost none of this was consumed, mixed 1 c. heavy cream(!!) into it to create a spread, which worked.)

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