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1
for the balsamic reduction, use an inexpensive bottle of balsamic and empty the entire bottle into a small sauce pan.
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2
over low-medium heat, bring balsamic to a simmer. adjust heat so that you see steam rising off the liquid, but just a few bubbles.
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3
stir balsamic every few minutes until the volume has reduced by half or more. remember that the consistency will thicken once cooled to room temperature.
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4
for the stuffed dates, preheat oven to 375F.
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5
fillet each date, making one cut on the length of the date and scooping out the pit.
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6
roughly chop 1/2 cup of the walnuts and finely chop a few sprigs of rosemary. reserve the remaining 1/2 cup of walnuts. in a small mixing bowl, combing goat cheese, chopped walnuts, rosemary and salt and stir to combine in a crumbly mixture.
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7
using your fingers, press about 1 teaspoon or more into the cavity of each date. you may have extra mixture, depending on the size of the dates. feel free to pit more dates and make more!
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8
ideally, find a small baking dish that won't have too much extra space surrounding the dates. coat the bottom of the dish with a tablespoon of olive oil, and pack the dates close together to prevent them from tumbling over. use the final 1/2 cup of walnuts to fill spaces around the dates.
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9
roast in the oven until the walnuts are lightly toasted, and the goat cheese is softened and a touch browned ~ about 20-30 minutes.
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10
serve from the baking dish and drizzle with about 1/4 cup balsamic reduction. or for a slightly more elegant presentation, drizzle balsamic reduction directly onto a serving platter and then place dates on top with extra roasted walnuts and a few sprigs of rosemary.
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11
reserve extra balsamic reduction for salads, roasted vegetables or drizzle over roasted meats.
