Dates, Grapes and Goats Cheese Super Balls Snack

Dates, Grapes and Goats’ Cheese Super Balls Snack

By: Ramona Cuisine from ramonascuisine.com

Dates Grapes and Goats Cheese Super Balls Snack

By: Ramona Cuisine from ramonascuisine.com

"Going back to this recipe, I just love this combination of sweet with salty it just buzzes for me and if you like that too, you definitely are on the right page. It is just a great combo that really pleases my palate as well as taste buds. Those ‘guys’ (the balls) look impressive and the taste it’s just as impressive and super delish. All you need it’s a few ingredients and you’re ready to go."

NotesThere are quite a few extra ingredients that could be added to this recipe or you could simply play with mix and match if you'd like.

I sometimes add rum and raisins, mint essence, dry goji berries, chopped and toasted walnuts, honey, lime, any type of frozen berries and the list can go on and on.

This homemade ice cream can make a superb accompaniment to a beautiful homemade cake such as a peach and ground almond gluten free cake or if you can bear a little more coconut you could go for this blissfully yummy pineapple, berries & coconut cake.

Click here for the copycat recipe

Serves4

Preparation Time20 min

Ingredients

8 dates (pitted) (Medjoul variety is a must)
8 red grapes (seedless) nice and crisp
1 pinch pepper (freshly ground)
100 g goat cheese (aprox)
80 g pistachios (salted) chopped and toasted

Instruction

I will start with most challenging part of this recipe and that is chopping the pistachio nuts and toasting them. Hard task hey?! ?. Once finished, put them on a plate and set aside.
Place the grapes onto a plate and freshly ground for some black pepper over . Pepper will stick if they have been freshly washed and they are slightly damp otherwise you can put the paper into the cheese it's absolutely fine, or, coat the grapes in oil. * As you can see I have grinded the pepper after placing the grapes inside the date.
Cut open the dates and then slightly squeeze the dates to both ends to kind of open the cut a little bit. *
Place each grape into the cut date. Be pretty gentle with carrying out this task. ?
Divide the goats cheese into eight equal pieces. Place each piece or chunk of cheese into your hands and flatten it with the heel of your other hand.
Now it's time to assemble those little 'fellas' and you can do this by placing each date that already has a grape cushioned inside it on the flattened cheese. Bring the cheese around the date covering it completely.
Roll these balls as you make them, one by one into the chopped pistachios and if those are not salted you could sprinkle some course sea salt over the nuts. It gives that perfect extra saltiness that it's really needed to complement the sweetness of this snack. You know what I mean, right?!