Stuffed Grape 'Toffee Apples' with Wild Hazelnut Topping. Gluten-free Halloween/Bonfire Party

Sometimes it's important, albeit a little crazy, to create a recipe which should be prefaced with the words 'difficult and finicky'. This is one of them. I'd seen photographs of both  stuffed grapes and caramel candy covered grapes but I wanted to make a dessert on a stick that had both.  The grapes this year are very juicy, we've had a lot of rain and when a friend gave me a bunch of these beautifully photogenic Chasselas Rosé Royale I decided to seize the moment. This variety is both a wine and table grape and it has the advantage of being large and so foolishly I thought it would be easy to work with! My initial idea was that they would be great for a Halloween or Bonfire party but they are actually just so satisfying to sit and eat on a cold Autumn evening and congratulate yourself on having made them.

That said, they are completely delicious and if you and your guests all pitch in together it could be an idea to have an evening making them as a sort of 'grape fondu' party. My main advice is don't dip the grapes in the caramel just pour it on with a spoon and then roll in the topping. Most importantly,  make sure the grape skins are dry before you start to work on them!

Left Chasselas Rosé Royale. At this time of year many French people take a grape 'cure', a traditional detox. The organic shops thus provide as many varieties as possible.

INGREDIENTS

(makes 20)

For the Caramel:

60g - 2oz blonde cane sugar
1½ tablespoons of cold water

 

For the Sticks:

20 large grapes
10 raspberries
1 teaspoon raw cane sugar
65g - 2¼oz Mascarpone cheese
10 chopped hazelnuts
Confetti/Sprinkles (optional)
20 cocktail sticks

METHOD & Pre-Assembly

For the Sticks:

Make in this order for ease of assembly!

Shell and chop hazelnuts finely.

Mix the raspberries and the Mascarpone.

Cut the grapes in half and remove seeds with the tip of a knife.

Divide the Mascarpone mixture into 20 and using a teaspoon add to one half of a grape. 

Push a stick through the grape half and Mascarpone mixture until it comes through the other allowing enough of the stick to spear the matching half of the grape. 

Place stuffed grapes on a plate and when you have completed half of them start the caramel. Then continue with the grapes.

For the Caramel:

The great thing about caramel is that once you have completed the initial stage, you must leave it alone, so this gives you time to complete the grapes!

Dissolve the water in the sugar in a heavy-bottomed pan over a low heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon. Do not allow to boil until the sugar has completely dissolved into a syrup.

Once the sugar has dissolved boil rapidly without stirring until a caramel colour appears at the edges of the syrup, at this point you can lower the heat, or in my case move it away from the main firebox. As the caramel colours develop further, swirl the pan gently a couple of times to spread the caramel evenly. When the caramel achieves the desired thickness (largish bubbles) it is ready. If it hardens in the pan whilst you are using it return the pan momentarily to a gentle heat and it will melt. 

Assembly - Finishing

Using a warmed teaspoon add the caramel to the top half of the grape.

Roll the grape in the hazelnuts or sprinkles.

Place on a dish and powder the plate with a few pieces of hazelnut and sprinkle 'confetti'.

Enjoy!

All that needs to be said now is Bon Appėtit!

Hope to see you here again for another recipe from my 100 Gluten-Free Organic Party Foods Challenge!

All the best,

Sue

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