Elegant Cheese Grape Cluster Food

ELEGANT CHEESE GRAPE CLUSTER

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350°F. Place almonds in single layer in shallow baking pan with sides. Bake at 350°F. for 8 to 12 minutes or until golden brown, stirring once. Remove from pan; cool about 5 minutes. Finely chop almonds.
• In medium bowl, combine cream cheese, Gorgonzola cheese and chives; mix well. Wrap about 1 teaspoon cheese mixture around each grape to cover; roll in chopped almonds. Place in single layer in 13x9-inch pan. Cover; refrigerate at least 1 hour or up to 8 hours before serving.
• To serve, if desired, arrange on serving platter in shape of grape cluster; garnish with parsley or grape leaves.

CHEESE/GRAPE APPETIZERS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 275°. Pulse almonds in a food processor until finely chopped (do not overprocess). Spread in a 15x10x1-in. pan; bake until golden brown, 6-9 minutes, stirring occasionally. Transfer to a shallow bowl; cool slightly., In another bowl, mix cream cheese, blue cheese, parsley and cream until blended. Insert a skewer into each grape. Roll grapes in cheese mixture, then in almonds; place on waxed paper-lined baking sheets. Refrigerate, covered, until serving.

CHEESE PLATTER

Steps:

• Go to the best cheese shop in town and ask the person at the counter which cheeses are ready to serve. Taste everything; they expect you to. We all know that the Brie may look terrific, but it can be underripe and tough or overripe and ammoniated. You want only the freshest cheeses that are perfectly ripened. Take them home, refrigerate them, and then bring them to room temperature a few hours before serving.
• Second, be sure to have a platter or wooden board that is flat and large enough to hold the cheeses without crowding them. Arrange the cheeses with the cut sides facing out, and with several small cheese knives, maybe one for each type of cheese.
• Third, to finish the platter, add sliced breads or crackers, and green leaves. I use either lemon or galax leaves, which you can get from your florist. If you have a garden, any large flat leaf like hydrangea looks beautiful, but be sure they aren't poisonous and are pesticide-free!
• Overall, the simpler the design, the better the platter looks. Group each kind of cheese together and add one large bunch of green or red grapes in the center to create a visual focal point. Fill in the spaces with lots of crackers or small slices of bread.

ELEGANT CHEESE AND FRUIT PLATTER

Steps:

• On large serving platter, arrange cheeses in center. Cover; let stand at room temperature about 30 minutes.
• Arrange fresh fruit in groups around cheeses. Sprinkle dried apricots and cherries over cheeses and fruit. Tuck rosemary sprigs among fruit.
• To serve, provide cheese planes for harder cheeses and cheese spreaders for soft cheeses. If desired, serve cheeses and fruit with crackers.

CREAM CHEESE GRAPES WITH NUTS

Steps:

• Beat together until smooth the cream cheese and mayo.
• Add grapes and gently stir to coat them.
• Put the nuts on a sheet of wax paper and roll each coated grape in the nuts.
• Place grapes on a cookie sheet and chill for at least an hour.
• When ready to serve arrange grapes on the serving platter in the shape of a bunch of a grape cluster and decorate with a couple of green leaves or silk leaves.

ELEGANT CHEESE GRAPE CLUSTER

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350°F. Place almonds in single layer in shallow baking pan with sides. Bake at 350°F. for 8 to 12 minutes or until golden brown, stirring once. Remove from pan; cool about 5 minutes. Finely chop almonds. 2In medium bowl, combine cream cheese, Gorgonzola cheese and chives; mix well. Wrap about 1 teaspoon cheese mixture around each grape to cover; roll in chopped almonds. Place in single layer in 13x9-inch pan. Cover; refrigerate at least 1 hour or up to 8 hours before serving. 3To serve, if desired, arrange on serving platter in shape of grape cluster; garnish with parsley or grape leaves.