Muddy Stilettos


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<p>Just like their cousin, the devil on horseback, this hot canapé is an absolute crowd pleaser. I have made so many, so often, that I could make them in my sleep. My eldest son, Rafferty, hovers in the kitchen when he knows they are about to come out of the oven. I don’t just make them at Christmas but they do have a wonderfully festive air about them. Aim for 3 or 4 per person, depending on what other canapés you are serving.</p>



<p><strong>Makes 24</strong></p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-ingredients">INGREDIENTS</h3>



<ul>
<li>24 organic large dates </li>



<li>200g soft goat’s cheese</li>



<li>Finely grated zest of 1 lemon or orange</li>



<li>24 small sprigs of rosemary (5–10cm) </li>



<li>12 rashers of good-quality streaky bacon</li>



<li>Sea salt and black pepper</li>
</ul>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-method">METHOD</h3>



<p>Preheat the oven to 200°C/Fan 180°C/Gas 6. Make a slit along the side of each date and extract the stone. Set the dates aside. For the filling, in a bowl, mix the soft goat’s cheese with the citrus zest and season generously with salt and pepper. Trim the leaves from one end of each rosemary sprig, roughly to<br>halfway along, to make sticks. </p>



<p>Cut the streaky bacon rashers across in half. Spoon a generous teaspoonful of goat’s cheese into each date cavity. Wrap a piece of bacon around each date and secure with a rosemary stick. Place on a non-stick (or foil-lined) baking tray. Bake the stuffed dates in the oven for 20 minutes or until the bacon is cooked as you like it. Transfer to a plate and serve still warm… although they are delicious cold too.</p>



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<p><strong>Extract taken from <em><a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Christmas-River-Cottage-Lucy-Brazier/dp/1408873567" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Christmas at River Cottage</a> </em>by Lucy Brazier and Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall (Bloomsbury Publishing, £22, Hardback) Photography © Charlotte Bland</strong></p>


River Cottage Christmas recipe: Date, goat’s cheese & bacon devils

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