Sometimes my eyes are bigger than my stomach when I go to the grocery store.
I end up with two pints of strawberries, fresh blueberries, a couple peaches, and let’s not forget the half dozen 19-cents-each Trader Joe’s bananas I couldn’t leave without grabbing and oh yes, the grapes that were on sale with my grocery store club card. Holy fruit.
To prevent fruit from going to waste, I’ll toss just about anything into the freezer. Peach slices, halved strawberries, banana chunks, you name it. Frozen fruit makes for great strawberry-banana bread fruit or muffin fruit and it can always be used in smoothie-making. But rather than freezing the grapes (and I love frozen grapes so much as a snack), I decided to roast them.
Roasted strawberries and peaches and blueberries are fabulous. Think strawberry pie, peach cobbler, and blueberry crumbles. And now grapes got in on the roasted action, but in a savory way.
I almost tried my hand at making a Grape Cobbler but was up to my eyeballs in ideas and projects and maybe-this-will-work type plans and didn’t want to bite off more grape than I could chew.
So I roasted them and allowed these little babies to burst and wilt, and while they were transforming and shriveling, I made a balsamic reduction.
I paired my purple friends with cheese and crackers.
And a flood of balsamic. I love balsamic reduction. I could drink the stuff.
It’s especially delicious as it rolls off the wilted backs of the grapes and into the cracker crevices.
Instant fancy-looking-but- easy-to-make party appetizer. Serve it with Coconut Water Champagne Punch or Peach Mango Pineapple White Sangria
These are a great little snack when you want to get a little classier than Tricuits smeared with peanut butter, complete with knife-licking to get the last bits of peanut butter off the knife. Not that I would know about that.
Crunchy, smooth, salty, sweet. A smorgasbord of textures and flavors; just the way I like things. Simple but so good.
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Roasted Grapes and Balsamic Reduction with Cheese and Crackers
small block of cheese, sliced (I used 1000 day aged gouda)
crackers or bread
1 cup grapes
1 teaspoon olive oil (coconut oil, grapeseed, or canola can be substituted) *
Preheat oven to 425F . Place grapes on a Silpat-lined (or parchment or foil-lined) baking sheet, drizzle grapes with olive oil, and bake at 425F for 20 minutes, or until grapes have begun to wilt and some have burst. While the grapes are roasting, make the reduction.
*Go light-handed on the oil because it doesn’t really absorb much and it will coat the grapes and just stay there, making them seem a little greasy if you use too much.
Balsamic Reduction
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
3 tablespoons brown sugar
Combine vinegar and sugar in a small saucepan, stir until sugar dissolves, and bring to a boil over medium-high heat, allowing mixture to boil rapidly for about 4-5 minutes, stirring nearly continuously. Shut off the heat and immediately pour the mixture into a heat-safe food storage container and allow it to cool in that container. Tip: If you let the mixture cool in most sauce pans or pots, it will harden and become insanely sticky, needing major elbow grease to clean the pan. Don’t allow mixture to cool in the pot; pour it into another container immediately.
You will likely have extra reduction; it will keep in the refrigerator in an airtight container for weeks. Use it over salads, when roasting vegetables, or as a dip for just about anything from bread to chips to tofu.
Place cheese on top of crackers, top with grapes and their cooking juices, drizzle with the balsamic reduction.
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Related recipes:
Tempeh and Cucumbers on a Stick with Brown Sugar Balsamic Reduction Dip
Mango Balsamic Rice, Beans, & Mixed Vegetables – love balsamic (and mango) in anything
Mixed Berry Clafoutis – Easy way to use extra fruit. Like a baked custard but far easier. Make the batter in a blender.
Use extra (fresh or frozen) fruit in Blueberry Muffins (vegan, GF)
Strawberry Banana Bread – Can’t go wrong with tossing extra fruit into bread
Have you ever roasted grapes or other fruit?
I’ve roasted strawberries and grilled peaches before and I’ve baked with blueberries, strawberries, peaches, and bananas, but roasting grapes was a first for me and I have no idea what I was waiting for.
The flavor of the grapes intensified, they got sweeter, and the texture was similar to that of roasted tomato halves, which I have always loved.
Do you have a favorite way to use extra fruit if your eyes and shopping cart are bigger than your stomach?
Recipe links welcome
Winner of the Gourmet Cheese Sampler Pack Giveaway is Erin Motz
Ooh Averie- this looks like the perfect appetizer for a classy party, or just for snacking around the house! I have never roasted grapes before, but I love the idea!
I could eat my body weight in grapes and cheese but I have never heard (or even thought of) roasted grapes. Cannot wait to try these!!
Balsamic reduction?! YUM!
oh wow, that looks INCREDIBLE! i’ve never heard of roasting grapes before, but from the looks of your fabulous creation, I need to try it! thanks for sharing! delightful post as always! :)
Try it some time and LMK!
Buying more than I can eat is a perpetual problem for me when I go grocery shopping. I can just never decide what to get so I get it all!
so much seasonal and great food in SoCal, too! I know what you mean!
HAHHA! I could easily drink balsamic reduction too! These crackers would make for a perfect app! Great recipe, A!
Seriously if there are health benefits to it, consider me very healthy based on how much I can consume :)
Great recipe! I never thought of roasting grapes. I’ve roasted tomatoes, apples, peaches and pineapple but never grapes! I love this idea. I got lazy with making my own reduction and I have bought Trader Joe’s new balsamic glaze which I think is just excellent. I love you recipe and I’m going to give it a try!! I can’t wait!!
hold the phone: “Trader Joe’s new balsamic glaze” <-- new to me and wow, I may have to check that out. I just make my own reduction using their balsamic. Takes 5 mins and no sodium involved (I hate added sodium to condiments) but now I need to go check that product out!
i have NEVER thought to roast fruit like this… especially grapes. that looks out of this world delicious.
Thanks Kristen!
This looks fantastic! I’ve never tried roasted grapes but those pictures make me want to go buy some ASAP. You totally got me hooked on the balsamic reduction so I know I’ll love this combo!
If you already love the balsamic reduction, then this is just an evolution. You’ll love this I think!
My eyes are always bigger than my stomach! I love the idea of roasting grapes and serving them with fruit! I was always a fan of cooked grapes, even made a cake not long time ago!
balsamic instantly elevates anything! I love roasted grapes, one of my favorite restaurants does them. I have roasted strawberries before, and really need to do that again because I love them! my grapes are usually frozen rather than roasted!
I juice every day, so I never have too much veg or fruit! :D
I wish I could juice every day…the clean up kill me!
re comments going into spam..I had that happen about a year ago, some weird google coding thing and as I was rescued out, it stopped after a week or so. Latest issue is that sometimes my comment replies to folks get lost in a cyber dump somewhere. Frustrating!
I’m with you – I could easily drink balsamic reduction! What a delicous (& pretty) appetizer!
and thanks for the pin!
The cheese-fruit combo is such a fave. Plus some salty crackers, yum! The color really pops too.
I’m all about the color pop!
I love this idea to dress up the normal cheese + crackers or brie + grapes party app idea! Your grapes almost look like perfect cherries :)
small, shiny, reflective yet dark; they were fun times to work with :)
Oh my LORD I could eat like 74 thousand of those right NOW.
what a fabulous party food idea! easy, pretty and sounds delicious!