Roasting grapes...

Years ago I read an old Italian recipe about roasting grapes.  I thought it an odd thing, as I don't think about baking or cooking with grapes all that much.  Over the years, I have developed the most fantastic recipe for roasting grapes.  It's a recipe that combines the quintessential sweet/savory combination and is so easy to prepare.  It's also a recipe that looks so fabulous and elegant, is easy to eat and can be prepared in advance and assembled quickly.  It's also a great way to use up less-than-perfect fruit. 

Mascarpone cheese is a triple creme cheese from Italy or the US and it comes in a tub.  It's delicate and barely sweet, spreadable and whip-able.  It has a generous shelf life and works well as a frosting, thickener for sauces and smeared on most breads.

ROASTED GRAPES & MASCARPONE

1 baguette, sliced in 3/4 inches on a bias
1 8 ounce carton Mascarpone
1 pound seedless grapes, red or black look the best
3 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 teaspoon Sea Salt
3-4 Tablespoons raw sugar

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
On a lined baking sheet, lay out grapes that have been cut into 3 grape bundles, leaving stems still attached in a single layer.  Drizzle with oil and sprinkle with salt.  Roast about 15 minutes until grapes are wrinkly, but not fully collasped.

 
Place baguette slices on a lined baking sheet and bake about 10 minutes until slightly golden brown.  Let cool and spread each slice with Mascarpone cheese, about 1/4 inch thick.  Sprinkle with a bit of raw sugar and top with  a roasted grape cluster.
Serve immediately.

Grapes can be roasted in advance (even a day ahead of time) and kept refrigerated until ready to use.

Roasted grapes are also fantastic in green salads or fruit salads or to top a simple pound/loaf cake with a bit of whipped cream.

I hope you enjoy these as much as we do!  Someday I will live in Italy with a tiny vineyard and eat roasted grapes all through the harvest season....dreams are nice aren't they? 

Eating local in January...

Living in Michigan, eating locally grown vegetables can be a challenge in winter.  Thankfully, our area has some ingenious growers and life is tasty even in the snowing months!  I've stock piled a few veggies and fruits myself (root cellar) as well as a freezer full of vegetables, jams and herbs.  I've been contemplating throwing some lettuce leaves into an old copper fish poacher on my windowsill...5 day micro greens!

It's a good thing our family loves root vegetables!  Any which way is fine with us, but roasting is the preference.

 

This is a combination of Hubbard squash, red potatoes, parsnips, carrots, turnips, onions and thyme.  All local.

ROASTED VEGETABLES

Root vegetables, cleaned and cut into 1 inch pieces

Olive Oil

Salt & Pepper

Thyme, ground coriander 

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Place vegetables in a shallow pan and drizzle with olive oil, season with salt and pepper.  I love ground coriander and add about a teaspoon to a 9X13 size pan and stir together.  I throw in a few sprigs of thyme, but you can feel free to use rosemary or oregano.  I always add a few extra veggies so on a weekday night I can make this:

Winter Vegetable Soup

3 Tablespoons Butter
1 ½ cups thinly sliced onions
1 cup diced carrot
1 cup diced parsnip
1 cup diced turnips
½ cup diced celery-preferably with leaves
1 cup thinly sliced cabbage (I used brussel sprouts)
1 Tablespoon fresh, minced ginger root
1 tsp. fresh thyme leaves
1 clove minced garlic
13-14 ounce can Coconut Milk
2 cups chicken broth-more as needed
3 cups diced Butternut squash (about 2 lbs.)
Salt & Pepper to taste

Over medium heat, melt butter and add onions, carrot, parsnip, turnips and celery, stir occasionally until soft, about 8 minutes.  Stir in cabbage, ginger, thyme, garlic, salt & pepper and sauté until cabbage softens.

If you would like to garnish your soup with coconut cream, do not shake can and reserve ¼ cup when opening.  Add coconut milk, broth and squash, scraping up any brown bits.  Reduce heat to low, cover and let barely simmer for 20 minutes until squash is tender.

Puree with immersion blender or traditional blender, adding more broth until desired consistency.  For a smoother soup, pour thru mesh strainer.  Season to taste.  Garnish with reserved cream and croutons.

BLUE CHEESE CROUTONS

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Oil baking sheet with EVOO.  Spread about a tablespoon blue cheese of choice on a ¼ inch slice of good quality bread.  Bake 10-15 minutes or until browned on bottom and cheese is bubbly.  Let cool and cut into ½ inch pieces.

I simply replace all the root vegetables it calls for and add the cabbage!  It's an awesome soup with the coconut milk but does need a bit of bite, therefore the blue cheese croutons!   

Enjoy!