Dear Reader,
During the week, I was chatting with a friend about food. No surprise! Food forms a large part of my consciousness.
My friend, who I have known for more than ten years, described how she enjoyed the taste sensation and flavours of dates, blue cheese, and prosciutto. I know I’ve eaten dates wrapped in streaky bacon before, but I’ve not eaten prosciutto much.
I pondered the flavours and taste and feel on my tongue and in my mouth in my imagination.
The cheese would be soft and creamy yet salty. I imagine it would be warm and oozy on the tip of my tongue. The salted pork would be slightly abrasive on my tongue. As my teeth penetrate through the dry-cured ham, I’d know this was leg meat and not the unctuous fatty belly. The date, which is ‘fleshy’ and folded around the cheese, forms a groove through which the tip of my tongue can scoop the creamy melting cheese. The date is sweet and contrasts the saltiness of the cheese and the pork delightfully.
Ingredients
- Medjool dates
- Udder delight blue cheese
- Prosciutto
Instructions
- Hold a pitted date between your thumb and your forefinger in your non-dominant hand.
- Insert the tip of a sharpened paring knife through the base of the date and longitudinally slit the date open. Gently prise apart the folds of the date with your thumbs.
- Pinch off a bit of the cheese and firmly push it into the groove you’ve made in the date, and gently close the lips of the date.
- Hold the date firmly to prevent it from opening and wrap a length of the prosciutto around the date.
- Secure the pork, date, and cheese with the cocktail pick.
- Gently warm the little nugs of goodness in a warm oven until the cheese begins to melt.
Dedication
My friend gave me the idea for this Hors d’oeuvre because it formed a delightful sensation in my mouth.