Simple, gorgeous, and utterly delicious. That’s what’s going on here, my friends!
I am so excited about these grapes — and creating this recipe was a wonderful culinary experiment.
A few important tips before we dive in: First, heating the marinade before adding the grapes greatly intensifies the flavor. Two, the longer they marinate, the better the grapes will be. And three, eating all of them before you have a chance to serve them to your guests isn’t ideal. 😉
And I love how versatile these grapes can be! For an appetizer, you can serve them with toothpicks with a variety of yummy cheeses. These grapes can also stand on their own as a fantastic, light and refreshing dessert.
Or you can add some richness with a scoop of vanilla bean ice-cream! And finally, they’d be a lovely accompaniment to any brunch!
So get your grapes in their bath, ASAP! Remember, the longer they marinate, the better — and I believe you might have some guests arriving on your sofa for dinner this weekend!
P.S. Friday Flowers will be back next Friday ~ until then, these grapes are as pretty and as aromatic as a lovely flower!
- 3 cups red seedless grapes, washed, dried, and stems removed
- 2 cups dry white wine
- 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- A few sprigs fresh rosemary
- A few springs fresh thyme
-
Place the grapes in a large, non-reactive mixing bowl. Set aside.
-
Combine the wine, vinegar, sugar and herbs in a medium-sized stock pot. Bring to a boil and immediately remove from the heat and pour it over the grapes, being sure they are all submerged in the hot liquid.
-
Once the mixture is room temperature, cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap, and refrigerate. Let the grapes marinate for at least 48 hours and up to a week (or more).
You can simmer and reduce the marinade to make a lovely dessert sauce or add some sparkling water for a sweet bubbly drink.
Lana says
January 13, 2012 at 5:35 pmI am staying away from wine for a while, but i can still eat these, right? Yes, they are indeed gorgeous!
sara says
January 17, 2012 at 12:25 amOooooh, these look wonderful! What a unique idea….sounds delicious! 🙂
valentina says
January 17, 2012 at 4:59 amthanks, Sara — hope you try them!
bar billiards new york says
January 21, 2012 at 4:06 pmI’m making grilled pork chops tonight… and while I did marinate them, I still think they need a sauce or glaze on top to prevent them from being a bit dry (as pork tends to be).
I came up with this dipping sauce last year:
Heat together in a sauce pan
some Red wine vinegar, grape jam, a dash of sesame oil and crushed red pepper flakes.
It’s a delicious dipping sauce, but I feel it might need some changing up for the pork. I thought of swapping out the red wine vin. for balsamic and maybe adding a bit of soy sauce??
Perhaps a couple Tbsp. of brown sugar?
Any other suggestions???
valentina says
January 21, 2012 at 5:44 pmbalsamic would be lovely with the grape jam! what about adding a handful of roasted grapes?! (400 degree oven, olive oil, salt, and a generous amount of pepper — for about 10 to 12 minutes, until the grapes are beginning to brown) and maybe a handful of fresh herbs — thyme, touch of rosemary and sage. let me know how it goes. . . wish i was coming to your house for dinner! 😉
meatballs & milkshakes says
April 3, 2012 at 8:07 pmI love cooking meat with grapes, and this is a nice way to get more flavor in!
Karolina says
April 4, 2012 at 3:19 pmWhat a fantastic idea! These just jumped into my early May menu for a gathering with my friends.
valentina says
April 5, 2012 at 6:07 pmKarolina — I hope you and your friends enjoy these! 🙂
tim tracy says
September 21, 2016 at 7:33 amwhat do you have for venison and grapes
valentina says
September 22, 2016 at 9:26 amHi there! I don’t have a venison/grape recipe (though now I’m inspired!), but I do have this recipe for Moscato Grape-Shallot Pork Chops — maybe a close second? 🙂 Enjoy!