RECIPE: Creamy Grape Salad

RECIPE:  Creamy Grape Salad

I am totally obsessed with this salad! It is so delicious, refreshing and extremely easy to make. I have made it twice in 2 weeks changing it up a little each time. I was afraid that the halved grapes would release their juice and make the salad soggy, but it held up very well, even with apple and lemon juice added. Both times I made it, I kept some in the refrigerator for at least a week with no problems.

 

Creamy Grape Salad

2 pounds table grapes, preferably mixed colors

1 apple, any firm variety

1 C sour cream, at room temperature

1 C cream cheese, at room temperature

1/3 C sugar

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 tsp lemon juice

Pinch of salt

Some notes before we get started:

GRAPES: you want sweet, seedless “table grapes”. Table grapes are grapes meant to be eaten fresh. You can use all one variety of grapes or a mixture. I like a mixture because they all taste slightly different and the different sizes and colors make for a more visually appealing dish. You can cut them in half or leave them whole. I like to halve them because they’re easier to eat. And, because I’m obsessed with using the between-2-lids method of cutting them. Also, if one of your grape varieties is less sweet you can make sure you get half of a sweeter one with it on your spoon.

APPLE: I don’t even know what variety the one I used was. You just need one that is firm not mealy. Unless you like mealy…? Does anyone like mealy apples? Anyway, you can peel it or not. I chose not to and it was fine.

SOUR CREAM / CREAM CHEESE: I used full fat dairy with as few ingredients as possible. You can use lower fat but I don’t know if it would hold up as well. You could probably use Greek yogurt, but I haven’t tried it. With this batch I used half sour cream & half cream cheese. I made it before with all sour cream, which I prefer, and will probably continue to do all sour cream in the future. Make sure your dairy ingredients are at room temperature for easier mixing.

SUGAR: I used dark brown sugar, but you could use white, light brown or a substitute. And, unlike me, make sure your brown sugar doesn’t have clumps before you try and blend it in. I had to grab a fork and try and find all the clumps in the dressing to break them up.

LEMON JUICE: I threw this in spontaneously since I was juicing them for another dish and had some left over. And, since I had decided to throw in the chopped apple, lemon seemed like a good idea to help prevent browning.

SALT: Why salt? Habit. I always add a pinch of salt to sweet dishes to enhance flavors.

GARNISH & OPTIONS: I garnished the salad with a toasted minced coconut. Toasted pecans or walnuts would also be great. Had I noticed the orange in the fruit bowl sooner, I would have added orange zest to the salad and substituted orange juice for the lemon juice. I think the next time I make this salad, I will leave out both the apple and the citrus juice, but include either lemon or orange zest…or chop and add some of the candied orange peels I happen to have in the pantry. Or add some fresh herbs. I have spearmint, lemon verbena and pineapple sage in my herb garden, and I plan on trying each of them in this salad at some point.

Okay, now on to the method:

1. Wash grapes, remove them from stems, discard any rotten grapes, pat them dry with paper towels or a kitchen towel, or let them drip dry in a colander.

2. Make dressing by whisking last 6 ingredients in a salad bowl until well combined and smooth. Again, watch out for clumps if using brown sugar.

3. Wash and dry or peel apple. Core and cut into bite-sized cubes. Add to dressing and stir to coat. This will help prevent the apples browning.

4. Cut the grapes in half and add to the salad bowl. The easiest method I’ve seen for cutting a lot of grapes quickly is the “between-2-lids” method pictured above. Or, add uncut grapes if you prefer. Stir to coat all of the fruit.

This salad can be served immediately, or covered & refrigerated for up to a week. You may need to give it a stir before serving to redistribute the dressing. This salad is especially refreshing cold right out of the refrigerator on a hot day.