Grape Recipes

8 thick bacon slices

¼ cup maple syrup

1 ½ cups finely chopped pecans

2 (5-ounce) packages gourmet salad greens

1 large Bartlett pear

1 large Gala apple

1 cup halved seedless red grapes

4 oz Gorgonzola cheese, crumbled

Cranberry Vinaigrette (recipe below)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Place a lightly greased wire rack in an aluminum foil-lined 15 by 10 inch jelly-roll pan.  Dip bacon slices in syrup, allowing excess to drip off; press pecans onto both sides of bacon.  Arrange bacon slices in a single layer on rack, and bake 20 minutes; turn bacon slices, and bake 5-10 more minutes or until browned and crisp.  Remove from oven, and let stand 5 minutes.  Cut bacon crosswise into 1-inch pieces.

Place salad greens on a serving platter.  Cut pear and apple into thin slices; toss with salad greens.  Top with grapes, cheese, and bacon. Serve salad with Cranberry Vinaigrette.

Cranberry Vinaigrette

1 cup canned whole-berry cranberry sauce

1 tsp orange zest

½ cup fresh orange juice

¼ cup balsamic vinegar

¼ cup olive oil

1 Tbsp light brown sugar

2 tsp grated fresh ginger

½ tsp salt

Whisk together all ingredients in a medium bowl until blended and smooth.

1 cup mayonnaise

4 tsp apple cider vinegar

5 tsp honey

2 tsp poppy seeds

Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

Salad lettuce

2 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts

¾ cup pecan pieces, toasted

2 cups red seedless grapes

3 stalks celery, thinly sliced

For the dressing, in a bowl, combine mayonnaise, vinegar, honey, poppy seeds, salt and pepper.  Refrigerate until ready to dress the lettuce.  This can be prepared up to two days ahead.Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Place the chicken breasts in one layer in a baking dish with ½ cup of water.  Cover with foil and bake 25 minutes or until completely cooked through.  Remove cooked chicken breasts from pan, cool at room temperature for 10 minutes, then cover and refrigerate.When the chicken is cold, dice into bite-size chunks and transfer to a large bowl.  Add lettuce, pecans, grapes, and celery.  Pour on dressing and toss salad until all pieces are coated.  Serve immediately.

3 cups Concord grapes (skins removed and saved)

¾ cup sugar

3 Tbsp flour

1 Tbsp lemon juice

9-inch pastry shell, unbaked

1 cup flour

5 Tbsp sugar

2 Tbsp softened butter

2 Tbsp canola oil

In a saucepan, simmer the grape pulp for 5 minutes.  Press through a sieve to remove the seeds.  Combine the pulp and the reserved skins.  Add ¾ cup sugar, 3 Tbsp flour, and lemon juice to the grapes and mix.  Pour into pastry shell. Combine 1 cup flour, 5 Tbsp sugar, butter, and oil.  Sprinkle over the grape mixture.  Bake in a preheated oven at 425 degrees for 10 minutes.  Reduce heat to 350 degrees and bake another 30 minutes.  Try to be precise in measuring grapes, because this pie almost always overflows.  It is a good idea to bake the pie on a cookie sheet to catch any drips.

Grapes can be frozen in 40 percent syrup (2 ¾ cups sugar to 4 cups water).  Leave seedless grapes whole, but cut table grapes with seeds in half and remove seeds.  Pack the grapes into containers and cover with cold syrup, leaving headspace as for juice.  Keep in mind that grapes have a high water content and that the cell walls will break down as the water freezes in the grape.  This will be an even greater problem in unsweetened packs.

1 (14 ½ ounce) can vegetable broth

½ cup water

½ cup brown rice

½ cup wild rice

½ cup chopped onion

½ cup chopped celery

½ cup chopped apple

1 Tbsp butter

1 tsp fresh sage, minced

¼ tsp black pepper

2 cups seedless red grapes

Salt to taste

Bring broth and water to a boil.  Add brown rice and wild rice.  Bring to a boil again, reduce heat, cover and simmer 45-55 minutes or until rice is tender and liquid is absorbed.  Sauté onion, celery and apples in butter, add sage and pepper.  Add prepared rice and grapes; mix well.  Adjust seasoning with salt if necessary.  Place in a 1 ½-quart covered baking dish and bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes or until thoroughly heated.

5 Tbsp unsalted butter, at room temperature

2/3 cup plus 1 Tbsp sugar

2 large eggs and 1 large egg yolk

3 Tbsp olive oil

1 ¾ cups flour

1 tsp baking powder

¼ tsp salt

¾ cup buttermilk

2 ¼ cups red seedless grapes

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Butter a 9-inch metal cake pan and line the bottom with a round of parchment paper.  Butter the paper and then coat the pan with flour. In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream together butter and 2/3 cup sugar until light and fluffy, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl frequently.  Beat in eggs one at a time.  Beat in yolk, followed by oil.  Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt in separate bowl.  On low speed, beat in the flour mixture in three additions, alternating with buttermilk and scraping down the sides of the bowl frequently.  Stir in half the grapes and pour the batter into the prepared pan.  Sprinkle the top with remaining grapes and remaining 1 Tbsp sugar.  Bake until the cake is browned on top and springs back when pressed lightly with your finger, 50 to 60 minutes.  Cool the cake in the pan for 15 minutes. Run a knife around the edges of the pan, then invert, peel off the paper and cool the cake upright on a rack.  Serve warm or at room temperature.

5 cups grape juice (from about 4 ½ lb Concord grapes)

1 package powdered pectin

5 cups sugar

To prepare juice, wash and stem fruit.  Slightly crush fruit and add ½ cup water for each quart of prepared fruit in a large saucepan.  Cover and simmer until soft.  To prevent formation of tartrate crystals in grape jelly, let juice stand in a cool place 12-24 hours; then strain through damp jelly bag or several layers or cheesecloth or coffee filter to remove crystals that have formed. To make jelly, juice may be used fresh, canned, or frozen previously.  Combine juice and pectin in a large saucepan.  Bring to boil over high heat, stirring constantly.  Add sugar, stirring until dissolved.  Return mixture to rolling boil.  Boil hard 1 minute, stirring constantly.  Remove from heat and skim off foam if necessary. Ladle hot jelly into hot jars, leaving ¼-inch headspace.  Adjust 2 piece lids.  Process in a boiling water canner for 5 minutes if you use sterilized jars and 10 minutes if you don’t sterilize the jars.  Yields about 6 half pints.

Grape juice is rather easy to can.  Grapes are one of the higher-acid fruits and hot grape juice only needs to be processed 5 minutes in a boiling water bath.
 

Prepare the juice by placing the grapes in a saucepan and adding boiling water to cover the grapes.  Heat and simmer slowly until grape skins are soft, about 30 minutes.  Strain through a damp jelly bag or double layers of cheesecloth.
 

During storage, white crystals often form in the bottom of the jar.  They are tartrate crystals and are harmless.  However, you can prevent tartrate crystals by allowing the prepared juice to stand 24 to 48 hours in the refrigerator.  Without mixing, pour off the top of the grape juice, being careful not to disturb the crystals in the bottom of the container.  Discard the sediment.  Straining juice through a coffee filter yields a clear juice.
 

Reheat the strained grape juice until the juice begins to boil before pouring into hot sterilized jars.  Allow ¼-inch headspace.  Process pints and quarts for 5 minutes and half-gallons for 10 minutes.  Grape juice and apple juice are the only products approved for canning in half-gallon jars.  (Note: jars need to be sterilized anytime a product is processed for less than 10 minutes.  To sterilize jars, cover jars with water and boil them for 10 minutes.  If you live at an altitude above 1,000 feet, boil the jars an additional minute for each 1,000 feet of additional altitude.)

Sweeten the juice to taste before the final heating.  Sugar is not needed to preserve the grape juice but may be added for flavor.

What causes grape juice to ferment?  This is likely the result of yeasts that were not killed during heating and processing.  Grapes are high in yeasts and the peel is not removed as in some fruit.  The processing of grape juice is only killing organisms in the headspace and providing a firm seal.  Heating the juice adequately before pouring it into the jar is essential for destroying microorganisms.

Grape juice can also be frozen.  To freeze grape juice, prepare the juice by crushing the grapes, adding 1 cup water per gallon of crushed grapes, and simmering for 10 minutes.  Strain the juice as for canned grape juice above and allow to stand overnight in the refrigerator for tartrate crystals to settle to the bottom.  Pour off the clear juice.  Pour juice into containers, leaving adequate head space – ½ inch per pint and 1 inch per quart in containers with wide top openings, and 1 ½ inches for pints and quarts in jars with narrow top openings.  The liquid will expand when frozen requiring the high amount of head space.  If more tartrate crystals form in the frozen juice, remove them by straining the juice after it thaws

2 cups flour

½ cup sugar

1 Tbsp baking powder

¼ tsp baking soda

½ tsp sea salt

6 Tbsp cold butter, cut into 12 pieces

1 cup milk

1 cup seeded Concord grapes

2 tsp coarse sugar, for sprinkling tops (optional)

Grease one 12-cup standard size muffin tin; set aside. Add flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt to a deep bowl.  Whisk to combine.  Add butter and mix to a fine crumb using a pastry blender. Pour in the milk and stir until just mixed and there are no visible traces of flour.  Gently fold in the grapes.  Spoon into the prepared muffin tins and sprinkle tops with an even amount of coarse sugar, as desired. Bake 20 minutes at 400 degrees until tops are golden.  Remove from oven and let cool 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before serving

1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened

1 cup sour cream

1/3 cup sugar

2 tsp vanilla extract

2 lbs seedless green grapes

2 lbs seedless red grapes

3 Tbsp brown sugar

3 Tbsp pecans, chopped

In large bowl, beat cream cheese, sour cream, and sugar until smooth.  Add vanilla.  Toss grapes to coat.  Transfer into large serving bowl, cover, and refrigerate until serving.  Sprinkle with brown sugar and pecans just before serving.

¼ cup extra virgin olive oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

½ tsp red chili flakes, crushed

1 Tbsp fresh oregano, minced

1 Tbsp fresh rosemary, minced

1 tsp lemon zest

1 lb chicken breast, boneless and skinless

1 ¾ cups green seedless grapes

½ tsp salt

2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 Tbsp lemon juice, fresh

In small bowl, combine olive oil, garlic, chili flakes, oregano, rosemary, and lemon zest.  Whisk together into marinade .Cut chicken into ¾-inch cubes. Alternate chicken and grapes and thread onto 12 skewers. Place skewers into a baking dish or pan large enough to hold them.  Pour marinade over skewers, coating each one.  Marinate for 4-24 hours. Remove skewers from marinade and let excess oil drip off.  Season with salt. Grill until chicken is cooked through, about 3-5 minutes on each side. Arrange on serving platter and drizzle with additional olive oil and lemon juice.

4 boneless pork chops, ½ inch thick, trimmed of any fat

Salt and ground pepper

Flour, for dredging the pork chops

1 ½ Tbsp vegetable oil, divided

¼ cup finely chopped yellow onion

1 cup seedless red or green grapes, halved

¼ cup dry white wine or white grape juice

¾ cup low-sodium chicken broth

½ tsp dark brown sugar

1 Tbsp Dijon mustard

Season the pork chops on both sides with salt and pepper.  One at a time, dip the pork chops in the flour, coating them well on both sides, but shaking off the excess. In a large skillet over medium-high, heat 1 Tbsp oil.  Add the chops to the pan and cook until lightly browned on the first side, about 2 minutes.  Add the remaining oil to the skillet, turn the chops and cook for 1 minute on the second side.  Transfer them to a plate and cover loosely with foil. Add the onion and grapes to the skillet, reduce the heat to medium-low and cook, stirring often, until the onions are golden brown, about 3-4 minutes.  Increase the heat to high, add the wine and bring to a boil.  Simmer, stirring, until the wine is reduced to 1 tablespoon.  Add the broth and sugar and simmer until the broth is reduced by half. Reduce the heat to medium-low, return the pork to the skillet, along with any juices that have accumulated on the plate and simmer very gently, turning the pork several times, for 1 minute.  Transfer each pork chop to a serving plate.  Add the mustard to the sauce, whisking, then season with salt and pepper.  Pour the sauce evenly over each portion and serve immediately.

1 ½ pounds stemmed grapes

1 Tbsp grated orange peel

1 cup water

2 ½ cups sugar

½ tsp cinnamon

½ tsp cloves

Wash grapes; separate skins from pulp.  Cook pulp until soft; sieve to remove seeds.  Add orange peel and water; cook 10 minutes.  Add skins, heat to boiling.  Add sugar and spices; cook until thick.  Pour into hot, sterilized jars.  Seal immediately.  Makes about 4 cups.

½ cup mayonnaise

½ cup marshmallow crème

1 Tbsp lemon juice

Sugar to taste

3 apples, chopped

3 celery sticks, chopped

½ cup raisins, soaked

½ cup pecans

½ cup grapes, halved

3 cherries, chopped

Mix mayonnaise, marshmallow crème, lemon juice, and sugar in bowl.  Add rest of ingredients and mix together until coated.  Chill 1 hour before serving.