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I apologize for not having a good pic. I can't wait to make this again ASAP and will post pics:
A year ago, the LA Times had a blurb in the food section about using various leaves to wrap chunks of cheese for grilling. That's all it said, no more detail than "try grape leaves, fig or avocado", something like that.
Last saturday, I fired up the WFO for a rib roast and appetizers. I picked a dozen grape leaves from my 2 vines, (I went for the younger leaves, but old enough that they were small "palm-size") rinsed & dried them, put a 1/2" cube or wedge of goat cheese in half and brie in the other, added a grind of pepper & a 2" sprig of my garden oregano, half sticking out, and folded them up and skewered with a toothpick. Some folded nicely, some didn't. Didn't matter.
They were not folded like "dolmas", because the grape leaves are raw, fresh so they were spiky and a bit loose but I had all the cheese covered or wrapped, then put the Tuscan Grill in the WFO with coals under it for a few minutes, drizzled a few ounces of olive oil on the wrapped, tooth-picked folded grape leaves and put them on the grill for about 10 minutes.
I saw cheese oozing out and blackened leaves and removed them to a serving plate. They were 60% blackened/charred, 40% still green. I wasn't sure how to serve them, (I thought: open up the little 'wraps' and eat the goey cheese?) but NO; guest grabbed the toothpick with the slightly blackened wrapped leaves and cheese chunks and put the whole thing in their mouths pulled the toothpick thru their lips. You could hear the crispy snap of chard grape leaf in the month as it gave way to the lemony greenish flavors of the grape leaves and creamy cheese. The singed oregano gave a wonderful herby flavor too.
In the next few weeks, I'll do it again (with pics) and use feta cheese instead because the oregano and 'lemony-ness' of the grape leaves screamed for a saltier, firmer cheese than the goat cheese I used.
Please try it, I think you'll find it was easy and delicious.
-Dino
A year ago, the LA Times had a blurb in the food section about using various leaves to wrap chunks of cheese for grilling. That's all it said, no more detail than "try grape leaves, fig or avocado", something like that.
Last saturday, I fired up the WFO for a rib roast and appetizers. I picked a dozen grape leaves from my 2 vines, (I went for the younger leaves, but old enough that they were small "palm-size") rinsed & dried them, put a 1/2" cube or wedge of goat cheese in half and brie in the other, added a grind of pepper & a 2" sprig of my garden oregano, half sticking out, and folded them up and skewered with a toothpick. Some folded nicely, some didn't. Didn't matter.
They were not folded like "dolmas", because the grape leaves are raw, fresh so they were spiky and a bit loose but I had all the cheese covered or wrapped, then put the Tuscan Grill in the WFO with coals under it for a few minutes, drizzled a few ounces of olive oil on the wrapped, tooth-picked folded grape leaves and put them on the grill for about 10 minutes.
I saw cheese oozing out and blackened leaves and removed them to a serving plate. They were 60% blackened/charred, 40% still green. I wasn't sure how to serve them, (I thought: open up the little 'wraps' and eat the goey cheese?) but NO; guest grabbed the toothpick with the slightly blackened wrapped leaves and cheese chunks and put the whole thing in their mouths pulled the toothpick thru their lips. You could hear the crispy snap of chard grape leaf in the month as it gave way to the lemony greenish flavors of the grape leaves and creamy cheese. The singed oregano gave a wonderful herby flavor too.
In the next few weeks, I'll do it again (with pics) and use feta cheese instead because the oregano and 'lemony-ness' of the grape leaves screamed for a saltier, firmer cheese than the goat cheese I used.
Please try it, I think you'll find it was easy and delicious.
-Dino
. That'll do it 
.
The selection is much more in line with leaves and cheese...
.
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