Q.E.D: Roasted Grapes with Honey Vanilla Yogurt

Scott and I had some friends over for dinner the other night. I bought a few things to nibble on before dinner was ready. "Who doesn't love sweet, delicious grapes," I thought, as I put some green grapes in my shopping basket. I brought them home, washed them, and laid them out to dry. "Ah, a couple came off the stem. I'll just eat those," I thought, sampling the goods.

ACK! They were sour.

I tried a couple more, just to be sure, but it turned out the first few hadn't lied. The whole bunch was sour.

Now, I'm no Ms. Manners, but I know you don't serve sour grapes to your guests. "How," I said to myself, "can I salvage this sorry produce?"

I remembered once seeing a recipe for roasted grapes. Hm, let's see: if you roast a tomato, it tastes sweeter. Could it work with grapes as well? I decided a little experiment was in order. The grapes were already sour, so even if they didn't turn out, it wouldn't be a loss.

Much to my surprise, they were good! They were sweet, but still a little tart, a little nutty, warm and really juicy. I had turned my appetizer blunder into a appetizer wonder.

Notes: These are Q.E.D if ever there was. I decided to deck mine out in some toasted sesame seeds, but your could use several different things. I think any finely chopped nut would do. If I had had any cinnamon, I would have used that in addition to my seeds. I contemplated dusting them with a little cocoa powder, just to see. I think I might try that with some red grapes. I think I'll experiment with the dipping sauce, too.

These made a great cocktail snack/appetizer. They'd go great with a cheese plate. I put them back in the fridge and had them leftover as a side dish as well. They were great cold! If you were serving them as an appetizer, I think they're best slightly warm or at room temperature.

These are so fast, you could whip them up totally last minute. 

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon peanut oil
1 pound grapes
2 teaspoons sesame seeds
Pinch salt
Dipping sauce (recipe follows)

Heat your oven to 450.

Line a baking sheet with foil. Remove the grapes from the stem and scatter in one layer on the baking sheet.

Drizzle with oil and roast for 10 minutes. Halfway through, shake the baking sheet to turn the grapes over so they cook on both sides. They'll be ready when they are plump, sizzling, and just slightly browned.

When they are finished, sprinkle them with salt and sesame seeds.

The miracle

Serve them with some dipping sauce!

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons plain yogurt (I used Greek yogurt because that's what I had)
1 teaspoon honey
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Stir all ingredients together in a small bowl. Serve immediately or chill in the fridge until you're ready to serve.