♪♪ [Sharon Profis] Today, we're making whipped goat cheese with dates and bacon.

It is a very simple appetizer, but it presents so beautifully and it's great for any winter gathering.

I have eight ounces of goat cheese right here.

And this is all going straight into the blender.

To the goat cheese, I'm going to add about six ounces of crème fraîche.

I'll add two tablespoons of olive oil and a pinch of salt.

Let's get this whipped.

♪♪ OK, great.

Our goat cheese is whipped and we'll transfer it to the fridge, let it chill a little bit, and in the meantime, we'll make our date and bacon topping.

Let's get started on our date and bacon topping.

I have two slices of pretty thick-cut bacon here.

Bacon and dates, for some reason, just go together so, so well.

All right, let's get our bacon in the pan.

While the bacon cooks, let's get the rest of our ingredients ready.

I have two small shallots here.

I'll just give those a nice slice.

I also have three sprigs of thyme.

For this, I'm just going to pull the leaves right off and give that a nice chop.

And then, we have a quarter cup of pecans.

I want to chop them here.

Especially for this dish, the pecans will add a really nice texture, a nice crunch.

There are many varieties of dates, with Medjool, Noor and Deglet dates being some of the most popular ones you'll see in grocery stores.

And Deglet dates are somewhere in the middle.

They hold their shape really, really nicely, which is what makes them so great for this recipe.

Let's give these a nice chop.

Doesn't have to be perfect.

By the time this dish is all set, a lot of these flavors and these ingredients will start to meld together.

Now that our bacon has rendered most of its fat, I'm going to go ahead and add our shallots and cook it right with the bacon.

You want to add the shallots when the bacon is about 70% done, not all the way done, because it will continue cooking as we add the rest of our ingredients.

And once the shallots have started to soften, we can add the rest of our ingredients.

So, in go the pecans and our thyme.

This is when things start to smell really good.

And of course, our dates.

I'll also add the tiniest pinch of salt, because bacon is already pretty salty, and a few cracks of pepper.

Once the pecans are nice and crispy and the shallots have really softened up, add just about a teaspoon of honey.

The dates definitely add a lot of sweetness, but the honey makes sure that everything in here gets coated with sweetness.

The last thing that we want to do is balance out all that sweetness and that richness from the bacon with a little splash of red wine or sherry vinegar.

I'll turn off the heat.

Now, let me show you how to make crostini to go with this dish.

Crostini is the perfect vehicle for our spread, but it's also a staple for any cheese plate, charcuterie plate, or dip.

All you need is a fresh baguette and olive oil.

To get started, preheat your oven to 450 degrees.

Then, slice the baguette on a slight diagonal and arrange the slices on a baking sheet in a single layer.

The diagonal slices means more surface area for toppings.

Now, slightly brush both sides of the bread slices with olive oil.

Transfer the baking sheet to the middle rack of your oven and bake for five to ten minutes, or until the crostini is nice and golden.

At this point, you can sprinkle the slices with a little salt or serve them as is.

Once the whipped goat cheese has chilled, what I'll do is make a little well in the middle.

And that is where we'll add our date and bacon topping.

It smells so good.

I can smell the smokiness, the sweetness.

Beautiful.

And so, we have our crostini to go with it.

You grab your crostini, grab a nice scoop of that bacon and goat cheese, and you have yourself a beautiful winter appetizer.

And now, all that's left to do is eat!

♪♪