This appetizer is like a bacon-wrapped date in dip form — and every bit as luxe, sweet and simultaneously smoky as that sounds. Here, as you swipe crusty bread through the smooth cheese, you’ll gather chunks of bacon and a bit of date, toffee-like from a quick fry in the meaty fat. You could embellish further, with nuts, chile or honey, or you could sip Champagne and dig in just as merrily — with friends hovering nearby for their turn.

Ingredients

• 10 ounces goat cheese, at room temperature
• 4 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
• 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
•  Salt and pepper
• 5 ounces thick-cut bacon, cut in 1/2-inch thick
• 10 Medjool dates, pitted and cut into quarters lengthwise, or roughly chopped
•  Honey, red-pepper flakes, black pepper, flaky salt, toasted sliced almonds or chopped pistachios, for garnish (optional)
•  Crusty bread, grainy crackers, endive or fennel, for serving

Procedure

1. Heat oven to 400 degrees.
2. In a medium bowl, stir together the goat cheese, cream cheese, lemon juice and a pinch each of salt and pepper.
3. Transfer to a 1-quart baking dish or ovenproof skillet, and spread into an even layer. Bake until warmed through and bubbling, about 20 to 25 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, cook the bacon in a medium skillet over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until golden and crisp, about 10 minutes.
5. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the bacon to a paper towel-lined plate, then add the dates to the bacon fat in the skillet, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the insides are warm and the outsides blister, about 1 minute.
6. Top the baked cheese with the dates and bacon, and garnish as you wish. Serve at once.