(aka wine-country s’mores)
I’d love to recommend using artisan-made marshmallows for this interactive, forward-thinking throwback dessert, but those tasty morsels are made without stabilizers, and have been known (by me) to slide spinelessly right off the stick the moment they’re touched by the warmth of a flame. Save them for non-fire-centric snacking and go supermarket here.
Serves a crowd the size of your choosing
Seedless red grapes
Extra-virgin olive oil
Fennel pollen (optional), or ground fennel seeds
Jet-puffed (supermarket) marshmallows
Rectangular rosemary crackers
Dark semisweet chocolate, preferably Ghirardelli, broken into @1-inch chunks
Ideally, have your oven at around 200° (it’s perfect to do this when the fire is waning after a high-heat bake, but you can also roast the grapes at a higher temperature for a shorter period of time).
Place the grapes in a cast-iron skillet and coat lightly with olive oil; dust liberally with the fennel pollen. Transfer to the oven and roast for 2 to 3, or until slightly shriveled and charred. (This may be done ahead of time.)
Assemble all the remaining ingredients. Using your preferred tool, toast marshmallows in an open flame (either in your oven, or in a fireplace or campfire) until dark golden brown in places and almost molten. Quickly sandwich—along with a roasted grape and a chunk of chocolate—between two rosemary crackers. Consume immediately.
Let the revels begin!
Brigit
