wanna date?.... stuffed with goat cheese?

Not all dates are created equal. You may take that however you like, but this time, I am talking about the sun-kissed fruit that is truly nature's caramel. These are so right that they must be wrong. Sweet, tangy, and perfectly bite-size, you can power through these easily.

My food-lovin' pal, Maura (pictured on the right), stuffed the dates with me. They were a mega hit at our alumni event last night with Schottland Scholars. Schottland Scholars is a group at the College of Charleston's business school that we are happily part of. It is a leadership development program, and there is 10 of us in the group.

Feeding people is my favorite hobby, and it is very fun to be a part of a group with such big appetites! There were a few leftovers, but I brought them right over to my friend's house, full of hungry college students. We ended up deciding that we needed to start a dinner club.

Dates Stuffed with Goat Cheese, Lemon, and Garlic Minced with Rosemary and Basil

Yield: Feeds 30

60 dates (Medjool dates are larger, but I used Deglet Noor, a softer variety)

15 oz goat cheese

1 lemon, zested and juiced

4 tablespoons basil, finely chopped

2 tablespoons rosemary, finely chopped

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Drizzle of balsamic reduction, optional

Directions

If there are pits in your dates, remove them. Slice the dates vertically down the middle, but NOT all the way through, making enough room for the goat cheese.

Mix the goat cheese, lemon, basil, rosemary and black pepper.

Stuff the dates with a piping bag or delicately with a spoon, drizzle with balsamic reduction, and ask someone if they wanna date.

XO,

Lauren Furey

-Now We're Cookin'!