Roasted Grape and Goat Cheese Tartlets/Crostini

 What a football weekend this has been!  Our UNC Tar Heels lost, our Clemson Tigers lost, and our Carolina Panthers lost!  What's a girl to do?  Why try a new recipe, but of course!

A local gift and apparel shop has seasonal fashion show events where customers are invited to gather during "off hours" for cocktails, a private fashion show, and discounted shopping.  The owner's husband is the chef for these events and he does a superb job!  One of my favorites is his roasted grape crostini.  He doesn't divulge his secret recipes, but after researching online, I found a few roasted grape recipes and have used some ingredients and methods from several, combining them into my own.  If you have never experienced roasted grapes, most definitely put this on your to do list!  

I made a combination of mini tartlets and crostini. For the goat cheese, I found a 4-ounce log of honey goat cheese in the deli section of our grocery store, which complemented the grapes perfectly!  This is a very versatile recipe.  If you can't find the honey goat cheese, then regular will do.  If you don't like rosemary, then you can add thyme instead.  For convenience, I made the grape mixture ahead of time and had enough left over for another batch of these delicacies!  This is a new favorite appetizer!

INGREDIENTS:

·         3 to 4 cups red grapes, washed and cut into halves

·         1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

·         1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

·         ½ teaspoon kosher salt

·         ½ teaspoon ground black pepper

·         1 teaspoon chopped rosemary

·         4 ounces honey goat cheese

·         15 phyllo mini tart shells or toasted baguette slices

·         ¼ cup chopped walnuts (optional)

DIRECTIONS:

·         Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Line a large baking sheet with Silpat liner or lightly grease.

·         Stir grapes, oil, vinegar, salt, pepper, and rosemary together in a medium bowl. Spread out in one layer in the baking dish. Roast, stirring occasionally until wrinkled and caramelized, 48 to 55 minutes. Remove from the oven.

·         If using tart shells, cube the goat cheese and press a cube into each shell.

·         Top with the grape mixture. Sprinkle with walnuts if desired.

·          (If using toasted baguette slices, spread goat cheese on each slice and top with grape mixture.)