Defrost the turkeys. Stock up on bubbly. Prepare the pie crust. Thanksgiving is just over a week away — it's go time, folks. 🦃

Hopefully, your overall meal game plan is pretty worked out (if not, we know where you can still reserve a pre-cooked dinner). But just in case you need one more little snick snack for your guests to enjoy, we have a suggestion from Lark chef John Sundstrom.

This sweet andsalty number comes from John's cookbook "Lark: Cooking Against the Grain" and could be the perfect app to a very tasty evening.

Ingredients

12 Medjool dates
3 ounces Fourme d' Ambert
12 paper-thin slices of guanciale (thinly-sliced bacon or pancetta will also work)

Directions

Preheat oven to °400.
Carefully slice the side of the dates just enough to open them and remove the pit.
Fill each date with ¼ ounce of the Fourme d’ Ambert and close them back up.
Wrap one slice of the guanciale around each date and place the treats in a small roasting pan.
Bake until the guanciale is rendered (the fat's melted) and crispy, ~6-8 minutes.
Serve while hot — though you may want to give your guests a heads up so they don't burn their tongues. Ouch..

Pro tip: John enjoys the dates with a Manhattan on the rocks, although you can also try any seasonal cocktail recipe.