Desserts with Green Grapes

[Pam Brunning]

I have been given a box of grapes, anyone any ideas about cooking desserts with them?

[djyee100]

If you can get your hands on Paula Wolfert's Slow Mediterranean Kitchen, there's a recipe for Green Grape Tart. Also an interesting-sounding recipe for a gazpacho made with green grapes.

In the tart recipe, the green grapes are cooked and reduced to a syrup, then added to the tart filling. If you make a syrup from your grapes, you could probably think of some other dessert uses for it.

[stuartlikesstrudel]

Not really cooking, but my mum used to mix sour cream with a bit of brown sugar, then pour it over grapes and let sit for a bit (not sure if sitting really does anything). Very very simple dessert and not too bad, you can kind of imagine what it will be like just a bit creamy and sweet and goes well with the grapes.

[Snadra]

Not really cooking, but my mum used to mix sour cream with a bit of brown sugar, then pour it over grapes and let sit for a bit (not sure if sitting really does anything). Very very simple dessert and not too bad, you can kind of imagine what it will be like just a bit creamy and sweet and goes well with the grapes.

We used to do this with raspberries when I was growing up. I think my mother learned it from a polish lady. Very good, but I never thought of doing it with grapes. You have me thinking now.... This recipe on epicurious seems like an extension of that idea. I think it would look really lovely with all green grapes, and maybe you could gild the lily with a puddle of grape syrup as mentioned by djyee100 as well.

And grape syrup might be nice on freshly made crepes or a crustless french toast/pain perdu as a winter dessert, maybe with some halved grapes warmed in it.

Not a dessert, but would the soup djyee100 is referring to be Ajo Blanco? I tried it once years ago and really liked it. Looking up recipes most just use the grapes as a garnish, but this one uses them in the soup. And actually, it might be just the thing for Christmas (well, in my neck of the woods anyway )...

[DLim]

I love roasted grapes: wash, drain, place in a single layer on a rimmed sheet tray, put in a 425F oven. Once every 10 minutes or so, drain the liquid from the tray off into a saucepan. Turn the grapes once they brown on one side. Roast until they get some good browning and a bit of blackening, then take the tray out of the oven. Reduce the grape juices that you've collected until they're thickened (or add some cornstarch if at some point you're happy with the flavor but not the viscosity), then maybe add some balsamic vinegar for tartness (the juice and the grapes will be very sweet). Mix the juices with the roasted grapes and you've got a great pie filling ready to go. The only downside is it'll be brown, not green

[Jaymes]

Some forty years ago, I had what I considered then, and still consider to be one of the best desserts ever. Went to the home of a friend and after a rich, filling meal, she served a green grape pie. It was cold and light and green and beautiful - whole seedless grapes in some sort of gel, but not much, in a pastry crust. It was kind of like a strawberry pie, but with a minimum of goop. She gave me the recipe and I made it several times, but her family and my family were both military, so we moved a lot. And then kids came along and one thing and another and the result was that I lost the recipe in one of the moves. I kept thinking I needed to get it from her but by the time I asked, another ten or so years had gone by, and she had misplaced her copy as well.

With the advent of the internet, I've researched "green grape pie" but found nothing like this. I remember making a pastry crust, baking it, and then making a filing with white grape juice, some flavorings (but I can't remember what), and plain gelatin. Then you toss it carefully with the whole green grapes and pour into your baked and cooled pie crust and chill until set. I can't remember what I served dolloped over the top - probably some sort of combination of sweetened sour cream and cream cheese, or maybe sweetened whipped cream laced with rum. I'm sure either would be great.

Oh my, it was so good. I think I've asked about it on eG, but got no response. I'm sure that since I remember the basics, I could come up with a version, but would love to have the original recipe.

And also, if you want a good dessert with green grapes, you can try what my kids call a "fruit pizza." You press sugar cookie dough into a pizza pan and bake it. Allow it to cool completely. Beat together 8oz cream cheese, 1/3 C sugar (I use brown sugar because I like that flavor), dash vanilla, and smear it over the cooled cookie. Then arrange cut fresh fruit around the top in a circular pattern. You can use whatever you want - a mixture, or just one kind, in this case, grapes.

Glaze with melted apple jelly or any other glaze of your choice.

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Edited December 9, 2010 by Jaymes (log)

[Pam Brunning]

Thank you all. I am roasting some at the moment. I like the sound of the tart - if I have enough juice from the roasting I will try it.