LAMORINDA WEEKLY | Red Grapes Rolled in Blue Cheese and Pecans


Grapes rolled in bleu cheese and toasted pecans. Photo Susie Iventosch

Ingredients

1 small bunch seedless red grapes (about 48-60 grapes)

8 oz. cream cheese

1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese

1-2 tablespoons dry sherry

Dash white pepper

1 1/2 cups finely chopped, toasted pecans

Directions

Place pecan halves on a baking sheet and bake at 350°F for approximately 8-10 minutes, or until toasted. Remove from oven and cool completely. Then finely chop. (I use the pulse on the food processor, being careful not to turn pecans into a paste.) Set aside in a small bowl.

In a mixing bowl, place blue cheese and 1-2 tablespoons cream cheese and beat with electric beater until as smooth as possible. Add remaining cream cheese and sherry, and blend well. Mix in a dash of white pepper.

Take clean grapes, one at a time, and roll in the cheese mixture. This might be a bit tricky because the cheese doesn't adhere too well, but just spread cheese over as much of the grape as possible and work out the kinks in the next step! (It's worth it!)

Roll cheesy grapes in finely chopped, toasted pecans until evenly coated. Chill grapes until ready to serve. The yield will vary depending upon the size of the grapes, so if you've purchased very large grapes, you may either use more cheese and more pecans, or just make fewer. You can also adjust the cheese mixture to use more or less blue cheese, according to your tastes.