Date, cheese and proscuitto bites

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This appetizer is full of contrasts — you get heat from the jalapeno cheddar, salty goodness from the prosciutto and an incredible sweet hit from the dates! My friend Ella made this for me in October. It's her own creation and shows just how talented she is at cooking without a recipe.

I made this for two Christmas parties. Most people loved it. It's similar to a popular recipe that wraps bacon around dates. I wouldn't serve too many before a big meal, but it's a perfect Christmas season appetizer when everyone has given themselves over to the idea of overeating anyways ;) One of my tasters this holiday didn't like prosciutto, so I made a few without that part and they still tasted good.

They key to this recipe is good dates — not the ones squashed together in a big brick. Look for honey pitted dates that have kept their round shape and have a hole down the centre that you can peer through.

Date, cheese and proscuitto bites

1 package of dates
1 small package of jalapeno havarti
1 package of prosciutto
toothpicks

Cut a slit down one side of the dates to open up the hole a bit so that you can stuff in some cheese. Cut the cheese into little pieces and insert a piece into each date.

Cut each prosciutto slice into three strips (or two, depending on the size) lengthwise.

Then wrap the cheese-stuffed dates in the proscuitto strips — try to go around a couple of times and wrap the sides up too so the cheese doesn't ooze out — and skewer them with a toothpick to hold them into place.

Bake them at about 400 for eight minutes or so until the cheese melts a bit. They are good cold, too.

If you can only find a brick of dates, don't worry, you can still make this. Just separate the dates as best you can and place the cheese and date side by side and do everything else the same way.