Olla-Podrida: summer fruit

Friday, July 13, 2018

Grape Salad with Toffee Almonds

I have seen other grape salads, in fact, I have made other grape salads (like this one here.), that really push the “salad“ boundary to the limit. Let’s face it; a lot of grape salads really aren’t salads at all, but delicious desserts.

Because this is Muscato grape season, and because I love grapes, I try to use them in as many ways as possible, including green salad, chicken salad, coleslaw, and yes, a salad all their own. But, it occurred to me that to be able to truly call this a salad, it needed a vegetable or two. So, I turned the traditional dessert-y-type of grape salad on its head, and added actual salad ingredients. It doesn’t lose a thing when it comes to great taste, but gains a little bit when it comes to nutrition. If you’re looking to sneak some vegetables into your family’s meals, you can hide them fairly well here.

Grape Salad with Toffee Almonds

1 8-oz. pkg. cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 cup sour cream
1/3 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Pinch of cinnamon
1 3-pound pkg. Melissa’s Organic Red Muscato Grapes

½ cup chopped celery

2 Tablespoons grated carrot
1/2 cup toffee almonds (find recipe here), plus extra for garnish

In a large mixing bowl, beat together cream cheese, sour cream, sugar, vanilla, and cinnamon. Fold in grapes, celery, carrots, and almonds. Refrigerate at least one hour. Serve in one large, or eight individual serving dishes topped with a few toffee almonds.

PRINT RECIPE

For a refreshing salad that uses a variety of grapes, try this Fresh Grape Salad.

This post is linked to:

Thursday Favorite Things
Funtastic Friday
Best of the Weekend
Pink Saturday
Snickerdoodle Create Bake & Create

Grace at Home

Friday at the Fire Station Create, Bake, Grow and Gather

This post contains affiliate links.

Wednesday, July 30, 2014

Bourbon-Soaked Cherries

Cherries? I love 'em, but cherry season is all too brief to suit my liking. In order to preserve the season for as long as possible, I have “preserved” some cherries using Tasting Table's fabulous recipe for Bourbon-Soaked Cherries. Oh, my. Step aside Cherries Jubilee! These luscious, flavorful, boozy cherries turn a scoop of ice cream into an elegant dessert. You will never again feel at a loss when ~~unwanted~~ surprise guests knock at your door.

Serving cocktails? Toss one into a fruity drink. Even a glass of sparkling water can benefit from one of these. Have some extra time? Pat them dry and dip them into melted chocolate for an over-the-top sweet surprise. Once prepared and stored in the fridge, there is nothing additional that you need to do but soak up the compliments and enjoy!

Bourbon-Soaked Cherries

Recipe from the Tasting Table Test kitchen

1 cup bourbon

⅔ cup sugar

¼ cup fresh orange juice

1 1-inch strip orange peel

1½ teaspoon vanilla extract

½ pound cherries, pitted

Combine the bourbon, sugar, orange juice and orange peel in a small saucepan. Place over medium-high heat and bring to a simmer, whisking constantly until the sugar dissolves, about 5 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and whisk in the vanilla extract.

Combine the bourbon mixture and the cherries in a 15-ounce sterilized container and seal. Allow the contents to cool to room temperature before transferring to the refrigerator. Chill for at least three days before using. The cherries will keep for up to 1 month.