Each fall here in the southeast you’ll find cartons of giant purple grapes with a very thick skin called Muscadines. They are part of the family of “slip-skin” grapes, as are their green-gold cousins the Scuppernong, and Concord grapes from the northeast. “Slip-skin means” that the flesh can be easily popped out of the skins by squeezing the side of the grape and popping the flesh out of the top stem opening. This is the method in which they are usually eaten since the flesh itself is edible but quite thick and leathery. Quite often I will honestly just eat the whole thing, sometimes including the seeds, and consider it an addition to my daily dietary fiber! Both Muscadines and Scuppernongs are often used for making a sweet style of wine here in the south.
A couple of years back I started offering a class called “Fresh from the Market” where I would take guests to the farmer’s market to shop for produce for a seasonal market-inspired menu. That first fall we had many people that had never seen Muscadine grapes, much less eaten them. Quite honestly, they were fairly new to me as well. The first time I tried one the taste immediately reminded me of ruby port wine and I couldn’t get that thought out of my head. I then began to think of how the two could be brought together and this recipe was the result of that experimentation.
Muscadines in Port Wine Syrup with Vanilla Ice Cream
The thick-skinned Muscadine grape is native to the southeastern United States and has been cultivated here since the 16th century. Skinning and seeding the grapes can be a little tedious but will be worth it when you taste this sweet treat! If you don’t mind a little extra fiber in your diet and a bit of crunch, you can skip the part of seeding the grapes. This isn’t a hard and fast recipe. you just want to have a nice thick flavorful syrup in which to poach the grapes. Adjust all quantities as you like or need.
Yield: 8 Servings
1 dry quart muscadine grapes (“dry quart” is the labeling term for the large plastic clamshell container that they are commonly packed in)
½ cup of reserved muscadine juice from peeling the grapes (add water if necessary to bring up to ½ cup)
½ cup port wine
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 quarts vanilla ice cream
Peel the muscadines by holding over a medium bowl with stem end facing the bowl. Squeeze the grape with your thumb, index and middle finger until the top splits open and the flesh is ejected from the skin. Place the grape skins in a 1-quart saucepan. Remove seeds by either cutting the flesh in half and poking them out, or squeeze the seeds out the stem end of the grape. Set seeded grapes aside.
Strain the juice from the peeled grapes and add water if necessary to bring the quantity up to ½ cup. Place grape juice into the saucepan with the skins and add the remaining ingredients. Bring to a simmer and cook for about 30 minutes or until mixture is syrupy and reduced by half. If the grape skins are not tender to the bite, continue to simmer. Add peeled grapes to sauce and serve warm over ice cream.