Party Flavors: Blue cheese crostini with balsamic-roasted grapes

The party food landscape has become increasingly homogeneous, with its ubiquitous bag of Doritos rather than homemade fudge or stuffed mushrooms. Columnist Erin Nyren would like to bring back the house parties of yore, in which everyone cooked or baked something to share.

I’ve never watched an Academy Awards show the entire way through.

Over the past few years, something always came up, and more recently, I didn’t have access to cable television. It’s easy to find all the winners online afterward, so I’ve never fussed over catching the live show.

However, with the Academy Awards coming up Sunday, I wanted to make a dish that was worthy of an Oscars viewing party. The crostini recipe was simple and inexpensive enough for a college student to try, yet still fancy enough to serve at a fancy party.

Although I was excited about the flavors in this recipe, I was also apprehensive about the unusual combination. I had never considered roasting grapes before and I am not the biggest fan of blue cheese. However, the balsamic vinegar and cheese melded together lent a pleasant creaminess and tang to the dish.

Finding the ingredients for this recipe was not difficult. The baguette, grapes, blue cheese and liquids were all easy to find. But the pecans that top the crostini were the most troublesome.

Trader Joe’s only had candied pecans, although the recipe called for toasted ones. I hesitated for almost three minutes deciding whether I should just go with the candied pecans or trust that Ralphs would have toasted ones available in the bulk section. Going to Ralphs proved to be a mistake – all they had were raw pecan halves. I decided to toast them in my toaster oven rather than make a second trip back to Trader Joe’s, but that turned out to be easier said than done.

I spread the nut-brown pecans on my toaster oven’s silver aluminum tray, slid them inside and set my timer, unfortunately forgetting that my toaster oven is not to be trusted with anything. Every time I toast something, the toaster oven chars it to a crisp.

One minute after putting in the pecans, Imturned on the kitchen fan as I gazed unhappily at the blackened pecan remains, wishing I had just gone with the candied ones at Trader Joe’s. Fortunately, I hadn’t used all of the nuts and was much more attentive the second time. Although I’m not entirely sure that the pecans were actually toasted, I’m certain they weren’t burned. And that’s what mattered.

The most difficult part of the recipe was gauging how long to leave the grapes in the oven. I probably left mine in too long because the balsamic glaze hardened into the pan rather than forming a syrup, and there was nothing left to pour over the bread.

After the grapes have wilted and darkened in color, it’s simply a matter of drenching them and the shallots in balsamic vinegar, olive oil and brown sugar.

To soften the butter and blue cheese, I placed them in a microwave-safe bowl and heated them for 10 seconds. The cheese melted into a creamy spread almost immediately but the butter, fresh from the fridge, was a little harder to soften. I used a spoon to mix the two together. The warm cheese melted the butter sufficiently to spread on the bread.

As the bread and cheese toasted in the oven, the pungent smell of baking blue cheese spread through the kitchen. I waited with trepidation, keeping a close eye on the toast to make sure the cheese didn’t burn. The intensity of the smell concerned me – I was afraid that such a strong smell meant a very strong taste.

The bread was perfectly browned and toasted, the cheese molten and bubbly as I removed the baking pan from the oven. The purpley-brown grapes, a bit overdone, had to be scraped off the pan. The much-distressed-over toasted pecans, now finely chopped, finished off the dish.

Scared of the blue cheese, I suggested that my roommate try them first.

“So good,” she said. I knew then they must be at least tolerable.

The distinctive blue cheese flavor was muted, only detectable as a backdrop to the vinegar goodness of the grape spread. It added a velvety texture the crostini needed.

Although I probably will still not be able to catch the Oscars this year, this is exactly the type of froufrou food that would be appropriate to eat while watching rich people congratulate each other on a job well done. Maybe the unexpected marriage between the blue cheese and the grape spread will reflect an unexpected Academy Award win.

What’s the best food you’ve ever eaten at a party? Email Nyren at [email protected]