Blackberry Cranberry Sauce

Thanksgiving food is largely traditional, and it’s not easy to vary your menu from year to year without meeting with some resistance. One year I made the mistake year of serving cream of mushroom soup as a starter instead of my traditional potato leek, and there was an exchange of gunfire. This year, I decided to stick with the basic menu in order to avoid the dramatics, and simply change up the cranberries. I found this recipe online, and was intrigued by the addition of the blackberries. As much as I love blackberries, honestly, I can’t tell you when I last bought some, so I had to make this. It is delicious! I think it is one of the best cranberry sauce varieties that I have ever tried. If you’re looking to try something new, try this.

Blackberry Cranberry Sauce

Adapted from Studio Delicious

2 c. fresh cranberries

½ c. water

¼ t. kosher salt

¾ c. dark brown sugar

1 4-oz. container fresh blackberries

2 t. vanilla

1 T. raspberry vinegar

In a medium saucepan over medium high heat, stir together cranberries, water, salt, and sugar, stirring to help dissolve the sugar. Bring mixture to a boil until the cranberries pop and sizzle, about 7 minutes. Add blackberries and raspberry vinegar, lower the heat to medium, and allow mixture to gently simmer, stirring occasionally, for 8-10 more minutes until the liquid is syrupy and almost evaporated. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla. Cool and serve. Keeps in the refrigerator for up to a week.

 

 

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Easy Plum Cobbler

As traditional as plum season, so is my making a cobbler from that most welcome summer stone fruit. I dabble with the recipe every year, and I think this is my best combination of ingredients yet. Whether you are as big of a fan of plums as I am, or can take them or leave them, this recipe will rock your world! It is super easy to make (one of the many things to love about plums is that you don’t need to peel them like you do other fruit), lovely to look at (nothing beats that jewel-tone coloring of summer plums), and remarkably delicious.

Easy Plum Cobbler

1 1-lb. container Melissa’s Magenta plums*, pitted and sliced
½ lemon zested and juiced
1 T. cornstarch
½ t. vanilla extract
½ t. almond extract
Pinch of ground cinnamon
½ c. granulated sugar
1 c. flour
1/3 c, powdered sugar
½ T. baking powder
½ t. kosher salt
½ c. cold butter, cubed
½ c. heavy cream

Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray an 8” x 8” baking pan or 1½-quart baking dish with PAM; set aside.

In a medium mixing bowl, toss together plum slices with lemon zest, lemon juice, cornstarch, vanilla extract, almond extract, cinnamon, and sugar. Spread evenly in the prepared baking pan.

In the work bowl of a food processor, pulse together flour, powdered sugar, baking powder, salt, and butter, until it resembles a course meal. Pour in cream, and pulse again until a thick batter is formed. Dollop batter on top of the fruit. Bake in preheated oven for 1 hour. Serve warm or at room temperature.

*or seasonal plum or your choice

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Cream Cheese-and-Pecan Rolled Grapes

I wish that I could put into words just how good these are. An excellent combination of sweet and savory, pungent and fruity, juicy and crunchy, these cream cheese covered grapes have it all! This simple recipe from the recently released Southern Living Party Cookbook, A Modern Guide to Gathering by Elizabeth Heiskell (That I reviewed here.), is one that you are going to want to add to your repertoire of tasty starters/snacks/finger foods.

Now, I’m not gonna lie, they can be a bit messy to coat in the cheesy mixture, but once you get the hang of it, the process goes smoothly. I used a pair of kitchen gloves to keep my hands from warming up the cream cheese mixture and getting too gooey.  As each grape was coated, I dropped it into a shallow bowl with pecan mixture and they were super simple to coat and then roll into perfect little spheres. And because, once coated, they need chilling, you can make these as much as a day ahead. Perfect!

Cream Cheese-and-Pecan Rolled Grapes
From The Southern Living Party Cookbook

1/2 (8 oz.) package cream cheese, softened
2 oz. blue cheese, crumbled (about 1/2 cup)
2 to 3 tablespoons heavy cream
2 cups finely chopped toasted pecans
3 bacon slices, cooked and finely chopped
3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1/2 pound large seedless red grapes (I recommend Melissa’s Muscato  Grapes)

Line a rimmed baking sheet with wax paper. Beat the cream cheese, blue cheese, and 2 tablespoons of the heavy cream in a medium bowl with an electric mixer at medium speed until smooth, about one minute, adding the remaining 1 tablespoon heavy cream, 1 teaspoon at a time, if needed, to reach a creamy consistency.

Combine the pecans, bacon, and parsley in a shallow dish. Evenly coat the grapes with the cream cheese mixture, and roll in the pecan mixture. Place on the prepared baking sheet, and chill one hour.

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Another use for these delicious grapes is Muscato Red Grape Salad.

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Shirley’s Spiced Peaches

As I mentioned earlier, I waxed nostalgic at my Boxing Day Brunch this year, using recipes both old and new, both sentimental, and not, and it made for an interesting meal.

Every brunch, I think, should have fruit as one of its offerings. I chose to use a recipe that I have had for many years, and that my mom had pretty much since she was first married. This recipe called Spiced Peaches was given to her by maid of honor, Shirley Fick. It's spicy, and zingy, and very good. I’ve tried it with both fresh and canned peaches and, honestly, the canned work better. Obviously this is an amazingly easy dish to put together, pretty much all you have to do is open a couple of cans. Don’t let the canned fruit deter you from trying it. It is wonderful.

Shirley’s Spiced Peaches

1 cup vinegar
1 cup honey
3 whole cloves
3 Melissa’s cinnamon sticks
6 cups canned peaches
1 can Bing cherries, drained
1/2 cup apricot brandy (or any kind of brandy)

Mix together vinegar, honey, cloves, and cinnamon in a large pan. Place over medium heat, bring to a simmer, and cook about 10 minutes. Add peaches and cherries and heat through. Remove from heat and allow to cool. Chill several hours or overnight. (Note: I have found that the flavor intensifies the longer you keep it. These will last 5-7 days in the fridge.)

Shirley mentions in the recipe that it is wonderful when served from a chafing dish, but can also be offered at both room temperature or chilled. She adds that it goes well with pork, ham, or lamb.

Shirley is on the far left; my mom is the one with the toothy grin (or maybe it's terror).

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Herb Roasted Balsamic Grapes

Weekends are the time for casual fare. Simple salads, soups, and sandwiches all tend to be welcome when time is best spent having fun rather than stuck in the kitchen. Personally, I enjoy a nice fruit and cheese plate, a lavish one in place of a formal dinner, or a simple one for lunch, Just give me some warm brie, multi-grain crackers, and a side of fruit, and I’m a happy girl. If you’re looking to do the same, have I got a recipe for you!

Instead of serving cold slices of apple, pear, or bunches of grapes, why not season the grapes with herbs, roast them, and serve them slightly warm? This is so easy and so delicious you’ll have a hard time stopping yourself from eating them all.  Adapted from one on Allrecipes.com, I found a mixture of three types of grapes to be visually appealing as well as a wonderful combination of tastes.

Herb Roasted Balsamic Grapes

2 cups grapes (I used a combination of Melissa’s green, and red muscato grapes, and black grapes)

Olive oil

2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme

2 teaspoons chopped fresh oregano

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 375ºF.

In a medium bowl, toss together grapes, olive oil, chopped thyme, and chopped oregano to coat. Place grapes on foil or parchment lined baking sheet.

Bake until grapes begin to wrinkle and split, about 15 minutes. Remove from oven, drizzle with balsamic vinegar, and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Serve immediately as a snack or in combination with a cheese or appetizer plate.

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Mrs. Plagemann’s Savory Pickled Grapes

When you think of holiday fruits, my guess is that grapes don't ever come into the picture. Well, grape lovers, this one is for you! Christmas Crunch Grapes are a new variety to hit the market between the months of October and December and grown exclusively for Melissa's Produce. Larger and sweeter than the standard seedless red grape and with a pronounced crunch in texture, these late harvest grapes have a distinctive taste.

Once a week we make a meal out of a fruit and cheese platter to which I always add savory little sides like slices of salami, cornichons, and kalamata olives. Today I decided to try out a recipe that has long intrigued me and it made the perfect accompaniment. It will also make a great little hostess gift, and the name of the grapes makes this just perfect. 

Mrs. Plagemann’s Savory Pickled Grapes

Slightly adapted from Saving the Season: A Cook’s Guide to Home Canning, Pickling and Preserving, by Kevin West

3 pounds Melissa’s Christmas Crunch Grapes

2 cinnamon sticks, broken in half

4 small sprigs fresh or dried thyme

12 cloves

2 cups white wine vinegar

3 cups sugar

2 tablespoons finely minced shallots

Prepare your jars by immersing them and the lids in boiling water for a couple of minutes. Remove from water and allow to dry.

Choose grapes that are firm and crisp. Remove them from the stem and wash well. Pack them snugly into four prepared pint jars. Compress the grapes lightly, but don’t crush them. Tuck half a cinnamon stick, a small sprig of thyme, and 3 cloves into each jar.

Combine the vinegar, sugar, and shallots in a saucepan, and bring to a boil. Ladle the boiling syrup over the grapes to cover, seal the jars and store in the refrigerator.

Serve cold, drained of the syrup.

For long-term shelf storage, leave a generous ½ inch headspace when you ladle the boiling syrup over the grapes. Seal and process in a boiling-water bath for 10 minutes (usual canning procedure).

Makes 4 pint jars.

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