Robin and I love to entertain. We don’t do it enough, maybe once every month or two. We’ll have a bigger party, maybe 20-30 people, once or twice a year, then we’ll have 2-4 other people over now-and-then. We always try to plan out a fun and exciting menu, complimented by fun beverages. You all know I’m a big fan of wine, and now you’ll see I love to cook!
Here’s a short video of my preparing my favorite appetizer. I’ll add a photo and some quick step by step instructions below. Frankly, it’s so easy, you’ll wish you found it earlier.
Click to expand – Ingredients
The ingredients list is really short for this fabulous appetizer. Flat bread crackers, goat cheese, red grapes, olive oil. You can embellish a bit with fresh rosemary, or infuse your olive oil like we did with the rosemary.
I use flatbread crackers that have rosemary and sea salt in them. You can use plain as well, but avoid anything with seeds or “everything” flavor. I also like the ones I have pictured here because they’re very thin. You could use thicker ones if that’s your preference.
Break the flat bread crackers up into about 2 inch by 2 inch pieces. I do them by hand, and some are bigger and others smaller. I try to make sure the cracker is at leat as big as the diameter of the goat cheese slices. I slice the cheese in thin strips, and as I’ve shown in the video, the best way is to use an egg slicer. They’re about 1/8 an inch thick or so. Place 1 piece of cheese on each cracker, then top with 1/2 of a red grape. I slice them lengthwise, and usually put two grapes on each cracker. Drizzle olive oil over the grapes and cheese and you’re almost done. If you didn’t use the olive oil infused with rosemary, chop up some fresh rosemary leaves, then sprinkle over the oil for a nice finishing touch.
This sweet and savory dish goes well with a whole range of wines. Our favorite is Sauvignon Blanc, though we’ve had it with pinot noir, viognier, and chardonnay. The evening I made the video I had it with a Zinfandel. I believe it was an “Ok” pairing, but not perfect. However, simply try it with your favorite wine and see how you like it. I don’t know if it would pair well with a Cabernet Sauvignon, but if that’s what you drink, who’s to say it’s wrong!?
Take some time to leave your comments below. I’d love to know what you make when you entertain. And if you make this appetizer, I’d love to know your thoughts on how it went!