Pistachio-Encrusted Muscat Grapes

I guess people really like videos.  Looking at the analytics for my blog proved vewy vewy interesting indeed, after last week’s posting involving me, some risotto cakes and a video camera.  I hate to disappoint, so the Salty Seattle kitchen is back this week bringing you danger, excitement and mile-a-minute thrills.  Or just me being silly in the kitchen making grapes rolled in pistachio dust, you be the judge.  This is one of my favorite party appetizers because it’s such a simple make-ahead dish, and I can assure you, these grapeys fly off the platter. 

Because they are completely coated in a pistachio-mint-cream cheese mixture, people can’t tell they’re grapes.  Folks assume they’re little cheese balls or something, which makes it really fun to watch their faces register sweet juiciness when they take a bite.  Muscat grapes are at the height of freshness right now and they are the perfect grape for this, or pretty much any uva-endeavors you wish to undertake.  That being said, you can make this dish year-round with virtually any grape you get your hands on, though consider the seed factor; you may wish to go seedless. I’m pretty excited to make this with some fat Washington merlot grapes come autumn.  The only other variable ingredient is the mint.  If you live in Seattle or thereabouts, chances are you’ve got it growing by the bucketful somewhere in your yard, like it or not.  That is the happy predicament I am in for about three seasons a year, so I’m always trying to come up with different ways to sneak it in dishes.  Mashing it into the cream cheese adds an unexpected little hint of lightness that is necessary when coating a grape with heavier ingredients like cream cheese and pistachios. 

Enough of my preamble- here is the video. Don’t miss the blooper reel at the end- I think an F-bomb may have accidentally slipped its way in there.

By the way, all this video madness is for Paula Deen and Philadelphia Cream Cheese’s eight week long recipe contest. You can check it out here if you’re interested.