Put this one in the amazingly delicious column! These crispy chorizo stuffed bacon wrapped dates, perfect hors d'oeuvres for the holidays, are a sweet-salty-crispy treat that everyone will love! Medjool dates are stuffed with pieces of dry-cured chorizo sausage, wrapped up in bacon and then deep-fried until golden and crispy. They are simply a-maz-ing! I remember having to deep fry hundreds of these bad boys back in my restaurant days. It was rough standing over the deep frying for that long, but everyone was raving about how great they were. We always ran out of these hors d'oeuvres first. Here's how to make them: You will need, 6 slices bacon 12 fresh Medjool dates (or another kind of date), pits removed 1 dry-cured chorizo sausage, sliced to fit the size of the cavity in the dates ½ cup all-purpose flour ¼ cup cornstarch 1 tsp baking powder ¼ tsp salt ½ cup cold water 1 tbsp vegetable oil 12 toothpicks vegetable oil for frying   Cook bacon in saucepan of boiling water for 1 minute (this helps to render out some of the fat and start to cook the bacon). Drain and let cool. Cut each slice in half crosswise. Stuff a slice of chorizo sausage into a date where the pit used to be. Wrap date with a slice of bacon, securing with a toothpick. Repeat with remaining dates. Here is what they will look like, Pour enough oil into deep-fryer or Dutch oven to come 2 inches (5 cm) up side. Heat until deep-fryer thermometer registers 375ºF (190ºC). In bowl, whisk together flour, cornstarch, baking powder and salt; whisk in cold water and vegetable oil until smooth. Holding toothpick, dip each date in the batter to coat, gently shaking off any excess. Gently add dates to oil; deep-fry, in batches and turning halfway through, until golden brown, about 2 to 3 minutes. Drain on rack. Let cool a few minutes before removing the toothpicks and serving. Tip: To easily remove the toothpicks, give them a twist first, before pulling them out!    Photography by Leah Kuhne