I hated grapes as a kid but I made an exception for them if they were peeled. Yes, I was that kid and it still pertains to some tannic skinned fruits today. I also didn’t like the seeds which just made me all kinds of high maintenance for my mom when trying to get me to eat them – whether it be an afternoon snack or snook into my Marvel comic laced lunch box.
And then when I was around 6 or 7, I’m not sure, we found out that I was allergic to everything that bloomed or breathed in nature. It was a rough life as a kid but it was a good life nonetheless, once you find out all the things you’re allergic to, you simply calculate your next move, like chess, and carry-on. There were moments when I’d reach for something and forget to read the label, a few arm scratches later and all my senses were aroused and I was scrambling for Benadryl and a puff of my inhaler. Yes, allergies and asthma is no fun as an energetic youth who had a passion for life the way I did. But I survived and I’m here to tell you all about it.
These days my allergies have somewhat tamed down. I no longer require a weekly visit to get allergy shots and I am able to eat half of the foods I used to be allergic to. So I occasionally enjoy a handful of grapes as long as they’re washed thoroughly – because I learned that with some of my allergies it was about the tree or vine that the fruit itself grew on…interesting huh?
I later learned that it was called OAS, Oral Allergy Syndrome, and it happens when one eats raw or uncooked fruit. You can read more about it here. Once I discovered that it had a name, life became a little bit easier and I was like give me all the fruit pie I can stand! And one frustrating thing about the allergy is that I didn’t always have symptoms – it happened when I was about 7 or 8 years of age. And till this day, there are those days where I all I long for is a juicy peach or sweet gala apple to be devoured in the palm of my hand.
I won’t even tell you about how heartbroken I was when tomatoes got thrown in to the mix…le sigh. Any who, I’m done depressing you about my allergy problems, let’s get to the roasted grape vinaigrette. I really hope you all will give this a try. It’s really delicious and I believe that it would be great on/in a variety of things from salads, wraps to your yogurt bowl (yes, your yogurt bowl).
Roasted Grape Vinaigrette
1.5-2 lbs seedless grapes
1/3 cup red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons granulated sugar (optional)
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 tsp kosher salt (to taste)
Method
1.Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Remove your grapes from the vine, rinse them thoroughly and pat them dry. Place them in a bowl and toss them in 1 tablespoon oil, and sprinkle a about a teaspoon of salt making sure that everything is coated evenly. Pour onto a sheet pan and roast for about 16-20 minutes, or until skin begins to wrinkle and juices begin to caramelize on the pan. I used my Williams-Sonoma Gold Touch non-stick pan for easy clean up.
2. Once the grapes are room temp or completely cooled, transfer them into a blender with the oil and puree until smooth. There is no need to stream in your oil. Scrape down the sides and once your puree is nice and smooth, add your vinegar, sugar and a little salt as you go until it is seasoned to your liking.
3. Transfer your vinaigrette to an airtight container and keep it in your fridge, it will keep a little over a week if you let it last that long.
