Blue Cheese Grapes with Spicy, Toasted Pistachios

By á-27298

A mixture of cream cheese and blue cheese wraps around fresh, juicy grapes and then they are rolled in candied chipotle spiced chopped and toasted pistachios makes a crowd pleasing appetizer.

Ingredients

• 6 oz. cream cheese, at room temperature
• 6 oz. crumbled blue cheese, at room temperature
• 1 cup shelled roasted and salted pistachios
• 2 Tb. sugar
• 1/2 Tb. sea salt (or more to taste)
• 1/4 tsp. ground Chipotle Chile Pepper
• 1 bunch large red grapes, washed and removed from stems

Preparation

Step 1

1. Blend cream cheese and blue cheese together until smooth and well blended.

2. Place pistachios, sugar, sea salt and ground Chipotle Chile Pepper in blender or food processor. Pulse ingredients until the pistachios are ground but not powdery.

3. Place pistachio mixture in a non-stick fry pan on medium heat. Stir until you begin to smell the pistachios toasting and the sugar begins to melt. Continue to stir until mixture is toasty. Remove from heat, if necessary while stirring so that nuts don't burn. Cool to room temperature.

4. Place cheese mixture in one bowl and nut mixture on a plate. Take one grape at a time and cover in the cheese mixture, but not too thick. The cheese should barely cover the grape. Do this with all the grapes that you plan to serve.

5. Place the cheesy wrapped grapes in the nut mixture one at a time and roll thoroughly in the nuts. Set aside and rolls the next cheesy grape. Do this for all grapes.

6. Place the grapes on a serving plate and chill until ready to serve. It gets better as it warms to room temperature.