Dates In A Blanket

I think this is one of my favourite holiday appetizers. It’s a twist on the classic pigs-in-a-blanket, only instead of little hot dogs, we’re using dates, prosciutto and cheese.

Equipment

Here's what you need to make date appetizers at home: 

• chef's knife
• large cutting board
• rolling pin
• parchment-lined baking sheet
• whisk
• pastry brush

Note: you can find the full recipe and ingredients list below. 

Cooking Tips

1.  Not a fan of thyme? Swap it out for another herb — sage and rosemary would work well!
2. Use your favourite cheese! This recipe calls for brie, but will work with just about any cheese. I think an aged cheddar, or crumbly blue would be delicious.
3.  Keep them crispy by letting the pastries cool on a wire rack. If you're serving immediately, don't worry about letting them cool, just get them in front of people as soon as they're done. 

Dates in a Blanket

An elevated twist on the classic.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 30 minutes mins

Servings: 16 pieces

Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients

  

• 1 sheet frozen puff pastry thawed
• 1 tablespoon flour
• 8 large medjool dates
• 100 g brie cheese
• 16 slices prosciutto
• 1 egg
• 1 tablespoon milk or heavy cream
• 4 sprigs thyme
• Flaky salt

Method

 

1. Preheat oven to 375°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Sprinkle half the flour onto a cutting board. Lay out your puff pastry and sprinkle it with the remaining flour. Using a rolling pin, gently roll out the pastry until it is about 10" x 10”, then cut into 16 squares. My trick for this is to work in halves — cut the entire pastry into half, then each half in half, and so on until you have 16 pieces.
3. Remove and discard the pits from 8 dates and cut length-wise in halves. Next, cut 100g cheese into 16 pieces. Take ½ date and 1 piece of cheese and wrap it in a slice of prosciutto. Repeat until you have 16 rolls.
4. Add 1 roll to the middle of a pastry square. Take two opposite corners of the dough and fold them toward the centre, wrapping the dough around the prosciutto roll. Pinch the dough to seal it — you might have to wet your hands slightly for the dough to stick to itself. Transfer pastries to the parchment-lined baking sheet.
5. Whisk together egg and milk, then using a pastry brush, cover each in a thin layer of the egg mixture. Sprinkle with thyme leaves and flaky salt. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until the pastry is golden brown and the cheese is melted.

Notes

Make Ahead

Once cool, transfer to an air-tight container lined with paper towel. Store in the fridge like this for up to 2 days, then reheat in the oven before serving.