A friend brought roasted grapes to a dinner party and I did not believe they would work until I tasted one. The skins burst, the insides go jammy and concentrated, and paired with a sharp blue cheese on crispy bread, they taste like something a restaurant would charge fifteen dollars for. This recipe roasts the grapes alongside cherry tomatoes, then piles them on baguette crisps spread with a whipped blue cheese and cream cheese mixture.
The baguette crisps get brushed with thyme butter before baking, herb-scented and golden. I make the cheese spread and the crisps ahead, then roast the grapes and tomatoes right before guests arrive. Assembly takes two minutes. The warm fruit against the cold, sharp Gorgonzola is what makes people reach for a second one before finishing the first.
How to Make Toasted Baguette Appetizers
Make the Thyme Butter Crisps
Slice the baguette into 1cm (1/2 inch) rounds. Mix softened butter with chopped fresh thyme, salt, and pepper. Spread on one side of each slice. Bake at 180C (350F) until golden and crisp, about 10 minutes. Let them cool. They should snap, not bend. 
Roast the Grapes and Tomatoes Together
Spread grapes and cherry tomatoes on a baking sheet. A drizzle of olive oil, salt, and pepper. Roast at 200C (400F) for 20-25 minutes until the skins split and the juices pool. They reduce in size and the flavours concentrate. Let them cool slightly before spooning onto the crisps.
Spread, Then Top
Beat the blue cheese and cream cheese together until smooth. Spread generously on each crisp. Spoon warm roasted grapes and tomatoes on top. The warm fruit softens the cheese slightly at the edges. Serve within 10 minutes or the crisps lose their crunch.
Toasted Baguette Appetizers with Roasted Grapes and Tomatoes
- Total Time: 60 minutes
- Yield: Serves 12 1x
- Diet: Omnivore
Description
Crispy baguette slices topped with creamy blue cheese, roasted grapes, or tomatoes. Perfect for game day!
Ingredients
- 1 loaf french bread
- 8 tbsp unsalted butter (113 g) unsalted butter
- 1 tsp chopped fresh thyme
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp coarse ground black pepper
- 4 oz (113 g) blue cheese crumbles
- 4 oz (113 g) cream cheese
- 1 tbsp heavy cream
- 1 tsp balsamic vinegar
- 1/4 tsp Dijon mustard
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/8 tsp pepper
- 3 cups (710 ml) red seedless grapes
- 2 tbsp chopped sweet yellow onions
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1/8 tsp black pepper
- 1 cup (237 ml) toasted chopped walnuts
- 3 cups (710 ml) halved grape tomatoes
- 1/8 tsp thyme
- 8-10 strips of bacon
Instructions
- Crisps
- Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C).
- Slice french bread into 1/2 inch thick slices.
- In a small bowl, combine butter, thyme, salt, and pepper; stir until blended.
- Spread butter mixture on one side of each bread slice; place butter-side up on a baking sheet.
- Bake for 20 minutes.
- Remove from oven and let cool on baking sheet.
- Store covered for up to three days.
- Creamy Blue Cheese Spread
- In a small bowl, combine blue cheese, cream cheese, heavy cream, vinegar, mustard, salt, and pepper; stir until blended.
- Spread a thin layer of blue cheese spread on each crisp.
- Top with roasted grapes and/or roasted grape tomatoes.
- Serve.
- Roasted Red Grapes
- Preheat oven to 425°F (218°C).
- In a medium bowl, combine grapes, onions, oil, salt, and pepper; stir until grapes are coated.
- Spread grapes on a baking sheet.
- Bake for 20 minutes, stirring after 10 minutes.
- Remove from oven and let cool.
- Top crisps with grapes.
- Add walnuts if desired.
- Serve.
- Roasted Grape Tomatoes
- Preheat oven to 425°F (218°C).
- In a medium bowl, combine tomatoes, onions, oil, salt, pepper, and thyme; stir until tomatoes are coated.
- Spread tomatoes on a baking sheet.
- Bake for 20 minutes, stirring after 10 minutes.
- Remove from oven and let cool.
- Top crisps with tomatoes and bacon.
- Serve.
Notes
- For easier spreading, slightly soften the cream cheese and blue cheese before mixing.
- Toasting the baguette slices longer will result in crispier bites; adjust baking time as needed.
- Substitute goat cheese for blue cheese for a tangier flavor profile.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Category: Appetizer
- Method: Roasting
- Cuisine: French-Inspired
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 2 slices
- Calories: 250
- Sugar: 5
- Sodium: 300
- Fat: 18
- Saturated Fat: 10
- Unsaturated Fat: 5
- Carbohydrates: 20
- Fiber: 2
- Protein: 5
- Cholesterol: 20
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use a different cheese?
Goat cheese or brie both work instead of blue cheese. The sharpness of blue cheese contrasts the sweet grapes particularly well, but if you find it too strong, a mild goat cheese is the closest alternative.
Can I roast the grapes ahead?
Yes, up to 4 hours ahead. Reheat gently at 150C (300F) for 5 minutes before serving. They are best warm but still taste good at room temperature. Do not refrigerate them or they lose their texture.
What grapes work best?
Red seedless grapes. They have enough sugar to caramelize in the oven. Green grapes work but are less sweet when roasted. Use small grapes that fit on the baguette slices without falling off.
Tastes like a fifteen-dollar appetizer.
A friend served roasted grapes at a dinner party last autumn and I was as skeptical as you were until the first bite. I have been waiting for an excuse to make them myself ever since. Did this for my book club on Thursday with the cherry tomatoes alongside and the whipped Gorgonzola spread. The skins burst exactly the way you describe and I will be making these all season.
The thyme butter crisps and whipped blue cheese spread I made the night before, then roasted the grapes and tomatoes twenty minutes before people arrived. Assembly really did take two minutes flat. AWESOME!
Roasted grapes were a revelation, jammy and concentrated against that sharp blue cheese. Wonderful little bite.