Chevre Devils
★★★★★
PREP TIME
20 minutes
COOK TIME
10 minutes
MAKES
24 stuffed dates (easily doubled)
Ingredients
2 teaspoons
Chinese five-spice powder
1/4 teaspoon
cayenne (up to 1/2 teaspoon, depending on heat preference)
1/4 cup
light agave
1 cup
pecan halves
1 pinch
sea salt
1 teaspoon
dried thyme
1 teaspoon
orange or tangerine zest
1/2 cup
soft goat cheese (such as Montrachet), set in a bowl at room temperature to soften a bit
24
Medjool dates, pitted by making a slit down the center and removing the pit, keeping the date as intact as possible
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Prepare baking sheet by lining with parchment paper and set aside.
- Combine spices in a small bowl and stir to mix.
- Pour agave into small metal bowl or pie pan. Set bowl or pan over saucepan with small amount of boiling water for about a minute. This will make the agave easier to work with. Remove bowl or pan from heat.
- Add pecans to agave and toss to coat.
- Add spices to pecans and toss to coat.
- Spread pecans on prepared baking sheet in a single layer.
- Cook in the oven for 10 minutes, checking and stirring (agave should be bubbling) once or twice with a wooden spoon. Pecans should be fragrant and golden brown. Be careful not to burn the pecans.
- Remove pan from oven. As they cool, sprinkle pecans with a pinch of sea salt. Slowly begin separate the pecans from the parchment. If the pecans seem sticky, let them cool a little longer. When finished they should have a hard shell and a nice crunch.
- Mix thyme and orange zest into softened goat cheese, stirring to combine evenly.
- Using a sharp knife, make a slit in the top of each date and carefully remove the pit. Stuff dates with about 1/2 teaspoon of goat cheese, give or take some to fill the date.
- Top each stuffed date with a candied pecan. Arrange on serving platter and watch them disappear!
