Grape and goat cheese appetizers.

These little appetizer gems are brilliant: the tang of fresh chives, the sweet crunch of toasted almonds, the hint of booze … and a seedless grape tucked inside. I first sampled these tasty little goat cheese and grape appetizers at a family gathering, and then called Ellen for the recipe. She called the recipe “grape truffles”—and in fact, these little nibbles do resemble white chocolate truffles.


Make sure you purchase seedless grapes—the ones I bought to make the recipe were labeled as such but were, indeed, full of sharp little seeds.

These would make wonderful appetizers to snack on before your Thanksgiving dinner: They’re flavorful and not too decadent.

Grape 'truffle' recipe

4 oz. fresh goat cheese, softened
2 oz. cream cheese, softened
1 Tbsp. port
1/4 cup toasted sliced almonds, finely chopped
2 Tbsp. minced fresh chives
12–15 seedless grapes

In a medium bowl, mix together the goat cheese, cream cheese and port. In a small bowl, mix together the almonds and chives. Use a teaspoon to scoop a bit of the cheese mixture into your hand; form it into a ball, and then press the grape into the cheese, pressing it into place to cover the grape completely. (This is a bit messy, but not at all difficult.) Repeat with the remaining grapes and cheese mixture. Roll each cheese-covered grape in the chive-almond mixture to coat lightly. Refrigerate at least 30 minutes to set the cheese.

4 thoughts on “Grape and goat cheese appetizers.

  1. Thank you! These look great and I will be serving them to my family this Thanksgiving!