It is Grape!

[sister herb]

Do you still remember thread FOODS in the World Games section and couple "grape & egg"? Ok, here comes

GRAPE

A grape is a fruiting berry of the deciduous woody vines of the botanical genus Vitis. Grapes can be eaten raw or they can be used for making wine, jam, juice, jelly, grape seed extract, raisins, vinegar, and grape seed oil. Grapes are a non-climacteric type of fruit, generally occurring in clusters.

The cultivation of the domesticated grape began 6,000–8,000 years ago in the Near East. The earliest archeological evidence for a dominant position of wine-making in human culture dates from 8,000 years ago in Georgia.

Table and wine grapes

Wine grapes on the vine

Commercially cultivated grapes can usually be classified as either table or wine grapes, based on their intended method of consumption: eaten raw (table grapes) or used to make wine (wine grapes). While almost all of them belong to the same species, Vitis vinifera, table and wine grapes have significant differences, brought about through selective breeding. Table grape cultivars tend to have large, seedless fruit (see below) with relatively thin skin. Wine grapes are smaller, usually seeded, and have relatively thick skins (a desirable characteristic in winemaking, since much of the aroma in wine comes from the skin). Wine grapes also tend to be very sweet: they are harvested at the time when their juice is approximately 24% sugar by weight. By comparison, commercially produced "100% grape juice", made from table grapes is usually around 15% sugar by weight.

Seedless grapes

Seedless cultivars now make up the overwhelming majority of table grape plantings.

Because grapevines are vegetatively propagated by cuttings, the lack of seeds does not present a problem for reproduction. It is an issue for breeders, who must either use a seeded variety as the female parent or rescue embryos early in development using tissue culture techniques.

There are several sources of the seedlessness trait, and essentially all commercial cultivators get it from one of three sources: Thompson Seedless, Russian Seedless, and Black Monukka, all being cultivars of Vitis vinifera. There are currently more than a dozen varieties of seedless grapes. Several, such as Einset Seedless, Benjamin Gunnels's Prime seedless grapes, Reliance and Venus, have been specifically cultivated for hardiness and quality in the relatively cold climates of northeastern United States and southern Ontario.

An offset to the improved eating quality of seedlessness is the loss of potential health benefits provided by the enriched phytochemical content of grape seeds.

Raisins, currants and sultanas

Raisins

In most of Europe and North America, dried grapes are referred to as "raisins" or the local equivalent. In the UK, three different varieties are recognized, forcing the EU to use the term "Dried vine fruit" in official documents.

A raisin is any dried grape. While raisin is a French loanword, the word in French refers to the fresh fruit; grappe (from which the English grape is derived) refers to the bunch (as in une grappe de raisins).

A currant is a dried Zante Black Corinth grape, the name being a corruption of the French raisin de Corinthe (Corinth grape). Currant has also come to refer to the blackcurrant and redcurrant, two berries unrelated to grapes.

A sultana was originally a raisin made from Sultana grapes of Turkish origin (known as Thompson Seedless in the United States), but the word is now applied to raisins made from either white grapes or red grapes that are bleached to resemble the traditional sultana.

Juice

Grape Juice

Grape juice is obtained from crushing and blending grapes into a liquid.

 

[sister herb]

Grape Cornmeal Cake

2 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted, cooled slighty, plus more
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour; more for grapes
1/2 cup yellow cornmeal
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
2 large eggs
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup vegetable oil
6 tablespoons buttermilk
2 tablespoons honey
1/2 pound Concord or black grapes, stemmed, seeds removed, divided

Preheat oven to 350 F/175 C. Butter an 8x8x2-inch baking dish. Whisk 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons flour, cornmeal, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl; set aside. Whisk eggs, sugar, lemon zest, and vanilla in a large bowl to combine. Add oil and 2 tablespoons melted butter; whisk to blend. Whisk in flour mixture, then buttermilk. Stir in honey, being careful not to fully incorporate.

Pour batter into prepared dish. Toss half of grapes with a large pinch of flour in a medium bowl until well coated. Scatter over cake batter.

Bake until cake turns light golden brown around the edges and starts to set, 15-17 minutes. Remove from oven and scatter remaining grapes over cake. Continue to bake until top is golden brown and cake springs back when pressed, 20-25 minutes longer. Transfer to a wire rack. Let cool slightly in pan. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Source: http://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/concord-grape-cornmeal-cake

 

[sister herb]

Grape Smoothie

1 cup seedless Black or Red Grapes
1/2 cup Grape Juice
1/2 cup Low Fat Yogurt
1 cup Crushed Ice
4–5 Grapes for garnishing

Directions:

1. Blend all ingredients (except garnish) until smooth and frothy.
2. Take a chilled serving glasses and pour prepared smoothie in it.
3. Garnish with whole grapes and serve.

Source: http://foodviva.com/smoothie-recipes/grape-smoothie-recipe/

 

[sister herb]

Grape Frosting

1 egg white
3 Tbsps concord grape juice
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 teasp light corn syrup

Mix all ingredients in top of double boiler and beat constantly until mixture holds a peak. Remove, and beat until thick enough to spread. Yield: Enough to cover top and sides of 2 nine inch layers.

 

[sister herb]

Concord Grape Jam / Syrup Recipe





You can see how grainy the sugar is.



Simmering away. It's clear now.
All the sugar has melted and the grapes are getting soft.



Straining the syrup.





Finished syrup.


concord grapes, removed from the stems and rinsed
white sugar
lemon rind

Directions
Take equal parts grapes and sugar (I used 5 cups of each) and put them in a pot. Use a vegetable peeler and slice of 2 pieces of lemon rind. Add it to the pot. Set the pot on the stove over medium high heat and stir it up. At first it will look strange but the sugar and grapes will soon start to melt together and it will become liquid. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer for 30 minutes. If you simmer it for 45-60 minutes I assume it might actually set into a jam.

Remove the lemon rind and strain the jam through sieve pushing it through with a spatula.

Transfer the hot syrup (carefully) to the sterilized jars and set aside overnight to cool completely. I covered them with a towel in case any fruit flies thought they might get a midnight snack. Put the lids on the next day and refrigerate. It will still thicken slightly once refrigerated.

Source: http://jennys-cookbook.blogspot.fi/2011/09/concord-grape-jam-syrup-recipe.html

 

[sister herb]

Green Grape Salad

Original recipe makes 8 servings

4 pounds seedless green grapes
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese
1 (8 ounce) container sour cream
1/2 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 ounces chopped pecans
2 tablespoons brown sugar

Wash and dry grapes. In a large bowl, mix together the cream cheese, sour cream, sugar and vanilla. Add grapes and mix until evenly incorporated. Sprinkle with brown sugar and pecans, mix again and refrigerate until serving.

Source: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/green-grape-salad/

 

[sister herb]

Fresh Fig and Grape Turnovers

1 (17.3-ounce) package frozen puff pastry
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon fresh lemon zest
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
8 to 10 firm ripe fresh figs, stems trimmed, quartered, and cut into 1/2-inch chunks (about 2 cups)
1 cup seedless red or white grapes, halved crosswise (about 25 grapes) or the equivalent in blueberries or diced peeled peaches or nectarines
1 large egg, separated
2 tablespoons milk or whipping cream

Preparation

1. 1. Preheat oven to 400 F/200 C. Thaw puff pastry in package at room temperature 15 to 20 minutes; carefully unwrap. Keep 1 square of pastry refrigerated while working with the other. Roll pastry on lightly floured wax paper from center into a 10-inch square. Cut into 4 equal squares. Repeat with second sheet.
2. 2. Combine sugar and next 3 ingredients in a large bowl. Add figs and grapes, and gently stir until blended.
3. 3. Place egg white in a small bowl; lightly beat. Place egg yolk and milk in a second bowl, and lightly beat until blended. Working with 4 squares of pastry at a time, lightly brush egg white along edges of 2 adjacent sides of each square. Spoon about 1/3 cup sugared fruit onto 1 side of pastry. Fold over to make triangles, and press edges to secure. Repeat with remaining pastry.
4. 4. Place turnovers on a lightly greased baking sheet. Lightly brush tops with egg yolk mixture. Bake at 400 F/200 C for 20 minutes or until puffed and golden brown. Cool on a wire rack before serving.

Source: http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/fresh-fig-grape-turnovers-10000001585320/

 

[sister herb]

Mediterranean Grilled Chicken and Grape Skewers

Ingredients

​

• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, fresh minced
• 1/2 teaspoon red chili flakes, crushed
• 1 tablespoon oregano, fresh minced
• 1 tablespoon rosemary, fresh minced
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest
• 1 pound chicken breast, boneless and skinless
• 1 3/4 cups California green seedless grapes, picked from stem and rinsed
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice, fresh

Preparation

​

In small bowl combine olive oil, garlic, chili flakes, oregano, rosemary and lemon zest. Whisk together marinade.

Cut chicken into 3/4-inch cubes. Alternate chicken and grapes and thread onto 12 skewers.

Place skewers into a baking dish or pan large enough to hold them. Pour marinade over skewers, coating each one. Marinate for 4 to 24 hours.

Remove skewers from marinade and let excess oil drip off. Season with salt.

Grill until chicken is cooked through, about 3 to 5 minutes on each side.

Arrange on serving platter and drizzle with additional olive oil and lemon juice.

Serves

​

Makes 4 entrée servings

Source: http://www.culinary.net/articlesfeatures/FeatureDetail.aspx?ID=4563

 

[sister herb]

Grape-Thyme Bars

• 1 pound concord grapes, stemmed

• 1 tablespoon fresh juice from about 1 lemon

• 2 cups (about 14 ounces) sugar

• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme

• 3 cups (about 15 ounces) all purpose flour

• 1 teaspoon baking powder

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 1 large egg

• 16 tablespoons (8 ounces) unsalted butter, chilled and cut into 1/4-inch pieces

Squeeze grapes between your fingers to separate the skins from the pulp. Place skins in bowl of food processor and pulse until roughly chopped, about 5 pulses. Place pulp in medium saucepan. Bring to boil over medium-high heat, then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until the grapes lose their shape, about 10 minutes. Pour pulp through a fine mesh sieve into a large bowl. Use a paddle or large spoon to push pulp through sieve. Discard seeds.

Combine grape skins, pulp, lemon juice, and 1 cup sugar in now empty saucepan. Bring to boil over medium-high heat, then reduce heat to medium low and simmer for 30 minutes. Add thyme and continue simmering, stirring frequently, until mixture is reduced and has thickened to a jam-like consistency, about 15 minutes more. Remove saucepan from heat and transfer to a bowl to cool.

Adjust oven rack to middle position and preheat oven to 375 F/190 C. Butter a 13- by 9-inch baking dish.

In bowl of food processor, combine flour, baking powder, remaining 1 cup sugar, and salt; pulse to combine, about 5 pulses. Add egg and butter and pulse until mixture is cohesive but still crumbly, 8 to 12 pulses.

Press 2/3 of dough into bottom of prepared baking dish. Spread grape jam evenly over dough. Sprinkle remaining dough over jam, leaving pockets of jam visible. Bake until golden and set, about 45 minutes. Transfer to cooling rack and cool completely, about 1 hour. Cut into 12 squares and serve.

Source: http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2012/09/concord-grape-thyme-bars-recipe.html

 

[sister herb]

Tahini Cookies with Grape Syrup (Molasses)

3/4 cup tahini
1/2 cup grape syrup (molasses)
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 tbsp raw sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour, sifted
2 tsp baking powder
mini-pinch of salt
3/4 cup coarsely chopped walnuts or hazelnuts
required equipment: a food processor for walnuts

1. Place two oven racks in the middle of the oven. Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). Line two baking sheets with a silpat (or parchment paper) and set aside.
2. In a small bowl combine flour, baking powder, and salt.
3. In a large bowl, combine tahini, grape molasses, oil, and sugar and stir until well combined. Add in slowly dry ingredients and chopped walnuts or hazelnuts, and stir thoroughly.
4. Form dough into 2 inch balls. Arrange them 1 1/2 inch apart on the baking sheet. Flatten each one slightly with your fingers or a fork.
5. Bake in the pre-heated oven for 20 minutes or until golden brown. They are usually done when the tops are cracked. They might look soft when you take them out of the oven but they will harden as they cool. Do not over cook as they will get very hard. Transfer onto a rack to cool. You can store these cookies in an air-tight container for up to 3 days.

Source: http://www.teatime-recipes.com/Tahini-Cookies-with-Grape-Syrup.html

 

[sister herb]

Grape Popsicles

Makes - 6 to 7 popsicles (a little more than 1/2 cup measure)

Ingredients:

Seedless Black Grapes : 500 gms
Sugar - 3/4 cup
Water - 1 cup

Method:

Start by making sugar syrup, take sugar and water in a sauce pan and heat it till dissolved. Set aside till it cools down.

Take grapes in a blender and make into a fine puree.

Pour that over a strainer and press using a spatula till it is all pressed and juice is extracted.

Now add the sugar syrup over this and mix well.

Transfer this into a pourable jug, and fill the popsicle moulds. Dont fill it too much.

Pop this in the freezer and freeze for 6 to 8 hours. Or ovenight.

When you want to serve, run the mould in water and carefully remove it from case.

Source: http://www.yummytummyaarthi.com/2012/12/fresh-grapes-popsicles.html

 

[sister herb]

Green Grape Juice

This recipe isn't necessarily an everyday juice - due to the sweetness factor - but the combination of celery, cucumber, and collard are sure to give your body a healthy dose of minerals, thus refreshing and replenishing you after a workout or a hot day of basking in the sun.

1 cup green grapes
3 ribs celery
1 medium cucumber
5 large collard leaves - stems removed and discarded (cabbage)
1 cup water.

If there are a lot of seeds in the cucumber, or if they are really large - simply spoon them out and discard - otherwise, juice the whole cucumber (sometimes really seedy cucumbers can give a bitter taste to juice).

If using a Juicer: Process all fruit and vegetables through juicer, mix with water and serve.

If using a Blender: Place all ingredients, including water, in the blender. Puree until smooth. Strain juice through a fine mesh strainer - to separate it from the pulp.

Source: http://diaryofasmartblackwoman.blogspot.fi/2010/04/green-grape-cooler-juice-recipe.html

 

[sister herb]

Peanut Butter, Grape & Chocolate Snack Bites

Ingredients
3/4 cup low-fat crunchy peanut butter
1/4 cup grape juice
1 cup oats
1 tbsp ground flax seed
2 tsp honey
3 tbsp dark chocolate chips
1 tsp vanilla

Preparation
In a microwave-safe bowl, add peanut butter and heat until thinned out, approximately 25 seconds. Remove from microwave and stir in grape juice. Add oats, flax seed, honey, chocolate chips and vanilla; stir to incorporate. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. Line a baking sheet with waxed paper or parchment paper. Using a teaspoon or a melon baller, form mixture into balls. Place in the refrigerator and allow to cool again for at least 30 minutes. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

Makes 30 balls

Source: http://robinsbite.com/peanut-butter-grape-dark-chocolate-snack-bites/

 

[sister herb]

Soft Raisin Cookies

Yield: 4 dozen

• 2 cups seedless raisins
• 1 cup water
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 cup butter
• 3 eggs
• 3½ cups flour
• ½ tsp salt
• 1 ½ tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• ¼ tsp nutmeg
• ¼ tsp allspice

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F/175 C.
2. Boil raisins in water for 5 min. Drain and cool.
3. Meanwhile, in a standing mixer with paddle attachment or large bowl with a hand mixer, beat butter and sugar on medium high speed until light and fluffy.
4. Add eggs one at a time.
5. Mix all the dry ingredients in a separate bowl and then add to dough, just until flour is incorporated.
6. Add cooled raisins.
7. Drop 1 ½ Tablespoonfuls onto parchment lined baking sheet.
8. Bake for 10-12 min. Do not over bake, or cookies will not be tender and soft.

Step-By-Step

Meanwhile, in a standing mixer with paddle attachment or large bowl with a hand mixer, beat butter and sugar on medium high speed until light and fluffy.

Add eggs one at a time.

Mix all the dry ingredients in a separate bowl and then add to dough, just until flour is incorporated.

Add raisins.

Drop 1 ½ Tablespoonfuls onto parchment lined baking sheet.

Bake for 10-12 min. Do not over bake, or cookies will not be tender and soft.

Source: http://www.olgasflavorfactory.com/favorites/soft-raisin-cookies/

 

[sister herb]

Chunky Cinnamon Raisin Nut Butter Recipe





Yield = approx 1 cup + 6 tbsp

Ingredients:

• 2 cups unsalted roasted peanuts + 1/3 cup for later
• 1/2 cup raw unsalted macadamia nuts*
• 3/4 tsp cinnamon, or to taste
• 1/4 tsp fine grain sea salt, or to taste
• 5 tbsp Sucanat sugar*
• 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1/3 cup raisins

1. Place 2 cups of peanuts and macadamia nuts into food processor and process until the mixture resembles peanut butter, stopping to scrape down the side of the bowl if necessary. This can take up to 10 minutes.
2. Process in the cinnamon, salt, Sucanat, and vanilla, adding gradually. The sweetener will at first thicken the peanut butter quite a bit, but keep processing and the heat will eventually melt the sugar and smooth out the nut butter once again. If it still looks too thick, keep processing!
3. Pulse in the raisins and 1/3 cup of reserved peanuts, leaving it very chunky.

Notes: 1) Macadamia nuts, thanks to their high oil content, create a super silky and decadent nut butter, however this recipe should work without it. It just might come out a bit thicker.

2) I do not recommend subbing the dry granulated sugar for a liquid sweetener like maple syrup. Maple syrup has ruined batches of my nut butter in the past because it can thicken and create a strange texture in nut butter. If you don’t have Sucanat, brown sugar may work but you probably won’t need to use as much.

3) Sucanat (a contraction of "Sucre de canne naturel") is a brand name for a variety of whole cane sugar that was introduced by Pronatec in 1978. Unlike refined and processed white cane sugar and brown cane sugar, but similar to panela and muscovado, Sucanat retains its molasses content. It is essentially pure dried sugar cane juice. The juice is extracted by mechanical processes, heated, and cooled, forming small brown grainy crystals. The product is sourced in Costa Rica and repackaged in the U.S.

Minimal processing produces products like Panela from Latin America, Rapadura from Brazil, Muscovado from the Philippines, Jaggery which can be found in Asia, Africa, Latin America, and the Caribbean, and Sucanat (which is a brand name product). These products contain much of the molasses that would otherwise be removed in the refining process, giving them a strong flavor.

Unlike traditional brown sugar, vitamins, minerals, and molasses are not displaced during the processing of the product.


Source: http://ohsheglows.com/2012/12/17/chunky-maple-cinnamon-raisin-nut-butter-recipe/#ixzz31x8LzMH4

 

[sister herb]

Simple Raisin Cake

3 cups raisins, boil 10 minutes and cool, reserve 1 cup of liquid
2 eggs
1/2 cup margarine
1 1/2 cups white sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon
2 teaspoons nutmeg
3 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking soda

Cream margarine and sugar together; add eggs and juice.

In separate bowl, combine dry ingredients.

Combine the two in one large mixing bowl.

(Don't forget to fold in the raisins).

Bake in 9 x 13-inch pan for 40 to 45 minutes at 350 F/175 C.

Source: http://www.food.com/recipe/boiled-raisin-cake-31846

 

[sister herb]

Raisin Cashew Drops

2 cups (12 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips
1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk
1 tablespoon light corn syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups coarsely chopped cashews
2 cups raisins

In a heavy saucepan over low heat, melt chocolate chips with milk and corn syrup for 10-12 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from the heat; stir in vanilla until blended. Stir in cashews and raisins.

Drop by teaspoonfuls onto waxed paper-lined baking sheets. Refrigerate for 3 hours or until firm. Store in the refrigerator.

Yield: 2-1/2 pounds

Source: http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/raisin-cashew-drops

 

[sister herb]

Raisin truffles

Yields: 30

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup raisins
• 2 tablespoons orange juice
• 8 ounces semisweet chocolate chips
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1/2 cup warmed whipping cream
• 1 egg yolk
• 3/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup of finely chopped walnuts or 1 cup of unsweetened cocoa powder or about 8 ounces melted chocolate

Directions:

1. Coarsely chop the raisins in a food processor along with the orange juice, and then set aside. Melt the chocolate and butter in a heavy saucepan over low heat.
2. Combine the whipping cream, egg yolk and vanilla over low heat, and then gradually blend this into the chocolate mixture. Stir in the raisin mixture.
3. Place the mixture (while in the pan) over ice water in a bowl. Stir the mixture until it’s completely cool and slightly thickened. Beat it for about 30 seconds. Cover and refrigerate the mixture until it’s firm.
4. Once firm, form the mixture into about 30 small balls, and then roll them in either the cocoa powder or chopped walnuts.
5. If you’d like to dip the balls in melted chocolate, first refrigerate them until they’re chilled. Melt the chocolate and dip them using a wooden skewer or toothpick, one at a time, so all sides are covered. Place them on waxed paper to set.

Source: http://www.sheknows.com/food-and-recipes/articles/955589/gluten-free-recipe-raisin-truffles