Grapes: This Week's Market Report "Good Buy!"
I’m all for using unique, unfamiliar ingredients on my menus, but the thing that really gets me excited is re-thinking and finding new uses for typical, expected ingredients. Grapes are a perfect example of a totally familiar food that is a perfect canvass for elevated culinary interpretation (and good news, they are growing really well right now). Need a little spike of freshness on your bruschetta or pizza? Try pickling grapes with champagne vinegar and scattering them at will. The pop of juice is familiar, but the zing of pickling liquid cuts through heavy cheeses and sauces. I also love baking grapes (especially Concord grapes) directly into fresh breads and cakes. Try dotting fresh cornmeal cake with jet black grapes, or upping your bread service with rosemary, sea salt, and Concord grape focaccia. Could there be a better way to start a meal? Well, maybe if it’s served with some fresh grape and caramalized shallot conserve. Of course, grapes are also gorgeous mixed in with chicken or tuna salad, frozen into ice cubes for visually-beautiful cocktails, and popped directly into your mouth!
About the Chef
Stephanie Goldfarb is a Chicago-based chef and national food television personality specializing in seasonal, globally-inspired cuisine. Recognized as the winner of Food Network’s America’s Best Cook competition, and a celebrity chef on Kitchen Inferno and NBC’s Food Fighters, Goldfarb delivers unique and relatable culinary experiences to discriminating and casual diners alike. As the owner of the successful Seven Species Supper Club & Catering, she enjoys the challenge of building brand new menus each month that inspire both repeat clients and newcomers, and seeks opportunities to utilize new ingredients, techniques, and approaches in accessible ways.