Food

PERFECT NEW GRAPES TO EAT & DRINK

It’s exciting to know that 2013 is a stellar vintage in-the-making. Reports from California to New York to Australia are touting this as a record year for for grapes, both in terms of quality and quantity. It’s all about the weather, of course. In many prime grape-growing regions, growing conditions have been ideal. It’s been a picture-perfect harvest.

Photo: Courtesy of Fraumadame’s Blog. Grape Harvest.

The warm, early spring and the not-too-hot summer, with little rain and almost constant sun meant that more photosynthesis could take place,mhm adding emphasis to flavor and aroma compounds that form in the grape skins. The cool, dry fall was a boon to the crops as well. Together, they have yielded more ideal growing days this year than any in this decade.

Photo: Brian Sterling. Vineyard in Cupertino California.

If you are a winemaker, a bumper crop of grapes might be a good thing, if you have the capacity to manage and you can produce more wine. Wine keeps. But if you have a bumper crop staring up at you from your kitchen table, you’ll need to resort to other ideas.

Jams and preserves are an obvious choice. But we wanted to try something new. So we looked at pickled grapes and grape ketchup. These are old-fashioned recipes, which still taste great. But, we couldn’t leave well enough alone, so we set out to create our neo-versions.

Photo: Melissa. Courtesy of Tried in Blue. Pickled Grapes.

Have you ever had a pickled grape? Would you ever want to? Be brave, They’re delicious. They make fantastic martini olive replacements, cheese plate adornments, and interesting foils for barbecued and roasted meats and fish. Garnish a deli sandwich. Toss them into salads. Use them as you would chutney….. Lots of ideas!

Photo: Courtesy of Kitchen Ranch.

Most recipes we’ve seen use typical pickling spices -- mustard seed, peppercorns, bay -- and vinegar. We found a few that added more complexity with cinnamon sticks and cumin seed. We dabbled further and added …. well, here’s our new beautiful recipe.

BEAUTIFUL PICKLED GRAPES

Ingredients:

3 clean glass pint jars

3 pints of red seedless grapes

1 cup red wine vinegar

1/2 cup red wine vinegar

1/2 cup water

3/4 cup maple syrup

1 tbs whole peppercorns

1/2 tbs whole mustard seed

1/2 tbs whole cumin seed

6 cloves of garlic, peeled, and left whole

24-30 whole cloves

3 dried ancho chile peppers

Peel from 1 large orange (no white pith allowed), peeled in to large curls

3 cinnamon sticks

3 bay leaves

12 slices fresh peeled ginger

1/2 tsp salt

Instructions:

1. Divide grapes evenly among the jars.

2. Add remaining ingredients to a sauce pan.

3. Heat the liquid mix until the maple syrup is incorporated.

4. Cool the liquid.

5. Pour the cooled liquid into the 3 jars, dividing evenly among them.

6. Into each jar, place one cinnamon stick, a chile pepper, and ⅓ of the orange peel curls.

7. Divide remaining liquid mixture evenly among the 3 jars.

7. Close the jars with their lids. Let sit ar room temperature for 1 hour.

8. Put the jarred grapes in the fridge for at least 24 hours.

9. Best if eaten within one or two weeks, but they can keep for quite a while.

Photo: Shira White. Peking Style Chicken with Pan Roasted Grape Hoisin.

Roasting grapes concentrates their flavor and gives them a lovely mouthfeel.

I created a grape-based recipe, several months ago, for Food52, one of our favorite food sites. And, it was selected as a Community Pick! I was really honored, especially since their community is full of foodies who know good food! Here are my notes and their review:

Author Notes:

What do you do when you have a mean craving for Peking Duck, but no chance of getting one at the moment? Invent something with the crispy, earthy, salty, sweet, spicy, cool, crunchy flavor notes from things you already have in your fridge and pantry!

Chicken thighs aren't quite duck, but their dark meat and crisp-friendly skin do the trick. And pan roasted grapes make a great base for homemade hoisin. And, add a few whole, for silky fragrant pillows to gild the lily.

I didn't feel like fussing with making pancakes, so I deconstructed the whole dish and served it with wide rice noodles tossed with cucumber shreds, scallion and toasted sesame. It's an easy way to tide me over til my next trip to Chinatown.

Food52 Review:

My entire house was filled with a beautiful aroma when I cooked this dish. Chinese-inspired cooking is not something I do often, but this recipe was easy and the results were impressive.

The tip on drying the chicken and pricking it (I used the point of a knife) was great -- the skin came out extra crispy. Cooking down the grapes took a bit longer for me than I had expected, so next time I will start that step first, before getting to the chicken.

The Hoisin sauce is fantastic, and there was plenty leftover to use on other dishes. It'd be great on grilled pork!

PEKING STYLE CHICKEN WITH PAN-ROASTED GRAPE HOISIN

Serves 4

Ingredients:

4 chicken thighs (skin on)

2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh ginger

2 teaspoons five spice powder

2 teaspoons chopped garlic

¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 bunch roughly chopped scallions

2 cups red seedless grapes

¼ cup soy sauce

2 tablespoons red miso

1 teaspoon molasses

2 teaspoons cider vinegar

1 ½ tablespoon peanut oil

2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds

Instructions:

Prick skin on chicken thighs and dry their surfaces with a tea towel. This helps to produce a nice crispy skin. Sprinkle both sides with 1 teaspoon of five spice powder, salt, and pepper.
Heat 1 tablespoon of peanut oil in a cast iron skillet, until oil shimmers. Add chicken thighs, skin side down, to pan. Don't move them once you lay them down. This helps your quest for crisp. After 5 minutes, cover pan and let cook until chicken is easily moved and no longer sticking to pan surface. That's how you know you got your crisp on.
Turn thighs over to cook on the other side. Add 1 tablespoon each of chopped ginger and garlic to pan. After 5 minutes, cover and let cook until cooked through.
Meanwhile, add remaining 1/2 tablespoon of oil to another skillet over medium high heat. Add grapes and pan-sear them. Add remaining five spice powder, garlic, and ginger. Reduce heat to medium and pan-roast the grapes until they are reduced in volume by about half their original size.
Remove half of the grapes from pan and set aside. Continue to cook remaining grapes until they fall apart and reduce down to a thick syrup.
Mix together the soy sauce, miso, cayenne, molasses, and vinegar. Add roasted grape syrup. Voilà -- homemade hoisin! Add whole roasted grapes and mix gently.

To assemble, place chicken thighs atop a bed of Cucumber Rice Noodles with Toasted Sesame. Spoon hoisin over top. Sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds and chopped scallions.

CUCUMBER RICE NOODLES WITH TOASTED SESAME

Ingredients:

8 ounces dried wide rice noodles

½ peeled and finely julienned cucumber

1 bunch chopped scallions (white & green parts)

¼ cup shredded radish (optional -- but its slight bite is nice)

2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds

1-2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil

1-2 teaspoons soy sauce

Instructions:

Add noodles to a pot of boiling water, cook until al dente and drain.
Add remaining ingredients and gently toss. And you're done!

Photo: Courtesy of Allagash Brewing. Allagash Victoria Ale.

Grape beer! What a concept! A wine/beer cocktail doesn’t sound particularly inviting, I admit. But we found these beers to be really refreshing, fragrant, dry, and generally delightful. Although the concept was first introduced in 1999 by Dogfish Head brewery, I hadn’t heard about it until just now, when Allagash Victoria Ale unveiled their version, made with chardonnay grapes.

Photo: Bernt Rostad. Midas Touch beer by Dogfish Head.

Grape juice, seeds, skins, and stems are added to the beer mix. Then they hang out together and ferment. It is based on ancient Egyptian, Turkish, and Chinese traditions, according to residues unearthed by archaeologists. King Midas enjoyed this brew, as evidenced by 157 bronze vats, jugs and drinking bowls containing grape beer remnants were dug out of a Turkish tomb.

Photo: Courtesy of Gripped Racing Cycling Team. Dogfish Head Sixty-One.

Dogfish Head named their first grape beer Midas Touch. They have since developed additional grape beers, which they call “beer-wine hybrids.” These include their Chateau Jiahu, based on 9000 year-old Chinese recipe and Sixty-One, which is made with syrah grapes.

Upon further research, we found another terrific grape beer produced by 5 Rabbit, a wheat beer made with muscat grapes.

We hope you enjoy this beautiful crop of grapes, on your plate and in your glass, one way or another. Enjoy!

Photo: Courtesy of Med-Health.