Sunday, September 22, 2013

Oven-dried grapes


I do some of my best work in the kitchen when I'm in the bedroom. Asleep. For hours. You should try it.

Here's what you do. First, get yourself some seedless grapes (probably best to do this during daylight hours). Just before you call it a night turn on the oven and set the temperature to 200 degrees F. Rinse the grapes, place them on a baking sheet and then toss them into the oven. 

Okay, now here's the tough part, so pay attention: GO TO SLEEP! 

When you get up in the morning one of life's great pleasures will await: not raisins, but dried grapes. Suitable to accompany a cheese plate, a charcuterie or salumi platter, or simply eaten as-is. 

Dried grapes have been a staple at my house for some time now. We've used all varieties and colors and every one of them has worked out great. Drying time does vary, depending on the grapes' size and moisture content, and so you may need to practice a little at first before doing the overnight shift. I'd suggest trying a batch on a day when somebody will be around the house to keep an eye on things. That way you can check on the grapes every hour or so and take them out of the oven when they're ready. 


And they're "ready" whenever you say they are. I really like it when the grapes still have a fair amount of moisture inside, but even approaching raisin territory can be okay. That's the great thing about this: Experimenting is almost as effortless as being unconscious.

1 comment:

Velva said...

This would be delightful to serve on a cheese board.....This is definitely saved. Super easy too.

Velva