Date, Cherry, Goat Cheese Spread
Dates are one of those foods that are kind of weird… They look like nothing else you’ll find in the grocery store. But they pack a punch of chewey carameley sweetness that can’t be rivaled.
I have to admit. The only other thing I’ve ever made with dates in my life are these Bacon Wrapped Dates. Like anything wrapped in bacon, they were delicious. This time around, I wanted to make something more original with my dates.
I decided to pair them with another ingredient I rarely use, and one I use all the time. Mixing goat cheese into recipes always provides a subtle saltiness and creaminess. I threw in the chopped cherries because I’m trying to use them more and I had some on hand.
I mixed these ingredients together and threw in some almonds for texture and called it a day. No sense in messing with a good thing. I threw it all on some toasted baguette and Hubby and I had a nice little afternoon snack.
One Year Ago: Blueberry Cinnamon Rolls, Homemade Mayo, and Blueberry Salsa over Grilled Mahi Mahi
Five Years Ago: Sauteed Mushrooms
Note: Nature Delights sent me a box of medjool dates to try out and come up with a recipe to use them in.
Date, Cherry, Goat Cheese Spread
Yield: Serves 4
Ingredients:
1 cup cherries, stemmed, pitted, and quartered
6 dates, pitted and chopped
1 cup crumbled goat cheese
3/4 cup toasted almonds, chopped
baguette, sliced and toasted if desired
Directions:
Combine first four ingredients in a small bowl. Be sure not to over mix.
Spread onto bread or toast and enjoy!
I am Jen the Beantown Baker. Engineer by day and baking maven by night. Hubby serves as my #1 fan and official taste tester. We got hitched back in 2006. Barefoot. In the sand. With the waves crashing behind us. It was one of the best decisions we’ve ever made. 
Raspberry and chipotle! what a combo. I love this idea. I could put chipotle in anything and be happy.
beantownbaker — January 22nd, 2014 @ 9:37 pm
Chipotle is a flavor I’m learning to love as I use it more and more!
Holy yum! This jam reminds me of the sauce in one of my favorite appetizers from a little restaurant in Kansas. It was raspberry chipotle sauce combined with cream cheese and black beans, and it was served warm with tortilla chips. The best!
beantownbaker — January 23rd, 2014 @ 2:15 pm
Is it So Long Saloon by chance?…
If so, check back on Tuesday…
beantownbaker — January 23rd, 2014 @ 2:17 pm
BTW, I just saw in your bio that you went to Purdue – I did too! Aero engineering for me. Crazy about that shooting this week…
Yes, So Long Saloon! We lived in Manhattan for a few years while my husband worked on his PhD. Can’t wait to see what you’ve cooked up on Tuesday!
Goodness, what a coincidence that you are a Purdue alumna too! Yes, so crazy and so sad.
this is definitely one i’ll need to make, great flavor combo 🙂
Oh gosh, this is such a fun flavor combination 🙂 I can’t wait to try this out!
I am super excited to try this recipe out. I love idea of the sweet of the fruit and the heat of the pepper. I will let you know how mine turns out.
*I just moved to Boston which is how I found your website. I’m sorta sad that you moved back to Ohio because I would love to meet you. 😀
beantownbaker — September 12th, 2014 @ 10:40 pm
Hope it turns out well for you! We love this jam. It’s really good on a breakfast sandwich.
Oh, yum! I’m a great fan of using jams, marmalades and chutneys with meat in the crockpot or as a glaze on roasts. This would be perfect on a pork tenderloin.
how do you make it without the jam maker? I have a breadmaking machine that can make jelly, would it work about the same?
Are there any water bath instructions?
Thats look so delicious.. nice sharing
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