Lina Caschetto’s grape "cheesecake,” crispy oat cookie, vermouth and grape jellyTHOMAS GIRARD/The Globe and Mail
The first time I ate grapes in France is seared into my memory. I had arrived in Paris at the height of grape season, a fresh-faced, naive, young(er) Canadian who had simply forgotten (or never known) what real grapes taste like. The markets were bursting with local varieties, many of which I had never even heard of. I carefully selected a beautiful bunch of Muscat grapes, their skins as black as the night sky.
Their fresh bright-green stems looked nothing like the dried brown stalks I was used to plucking this fruit from. It was love at first bite: sweet-yet-fresh juice-filled orbs with snappy, tannic and textural skins worth chewing on. One thing did require getting used to: the (gasp) seeds! But while they are a bit annoying, I've learned to eat around them, because it's worth it. Fresh French grapes are the real deal and I wouldn't trade them for all the seedless grapes in the world.
This recipe was inspired by my love of French grapes, my love of cream cheese and my love of cheesecake. Feel free to substitute Concord grapes for the Muscat – any smaller red seedless variety will do, if you must. There are a number of steps, but you can do some of them in advance.
Vermouth and grape jelly
1 1/2 envelopes gelatin
1 cup white grape juice
1/2 cup cold water
5 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon white sugar
1/2 cup cold sweet vermouth
Crispy oat cookie
1 cup flour
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp fine salt
14 tbsp softened butter (1 3/4 sticks)
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 large egg
2 1/2 cups whole oats
'Cheesecake' filling
1 cup butter, room temperature
1 cup icing sugar
1 cup (250 grams) cream cheese
Grape glaze
1 cup sugar
1 cup red wine
1/2 cups white grape juice
1 tbsp lime juice
Assembly
30-40 small fresh Muscat or Concord grapes, cut in half lengthwise
Lime zest, microplaned
Method
Vermouth and grape jelly
Bloom gelatin in the cold water.
Boil grape juice, add the gelatin and water to dissolve. Add sugar and stir until dissolved. Add cold vermouth and whisk to combine.
Pour onto medium sized tray and cool in the fridge until firmly set, about 4 hours.
Scrape from tray into rough chunks and store in an airtight box in the fridge until ready to serve. This can be made a couple days in advance.
Crispy oat cookie
Combine dry ingredients in a medium-sized bowl.
Cream butter and sugars in a mixer with the paddle attachment until light and fluffy. Add egg and beat until well mixed.
Gradually add dry ingredients and then stir in the oats until just combined.
Roll the cookie dough into 6-centimetre-wide logs and wrap with plastic wrap. Store in the fridge until ready to bake – the dough can be made up to a week in advance.
When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 F. Cut 1-cm-thick cookie slices and bake from cold on a parchment-lined tray until golden and crispy, approximately 10 to 15 minutes.
Cool completely on the trays before storing in an airtight box until ready to serve. Cookies can be baked a day ahead.
'Cheesecake' filling
Beat butter and icing sugar until light and fluffy and creamed together in the mixer. Add the cream cheese and fold through with a spatula until combined. Place in a piping bag and store in the fridge until ready to use. Best when used the day it is made.
Grape glaze
Heat sugar, red wine and grape juice in a small pot over medium-high heat until reduced by half. The mixture should be thickened and shiny. Add lime juice and stir to combine. Adjust with more lime juice if too sweet or too thick. Cool and store in the fridge until ready to use. Allow to come to room temperature before using.
Assembly
(4 small bowls)
Glaze the grapes in a small bowl with some of the glaze, stir until coated.
Spoon 2 to 3 spoonfuls of jelly into the bottom of each bowl.
Dollop 5 to 6 generous dots of the cheesecake onto the jelly. Place one cookie on top of the cheesecake. Dollop 5 to 6 more dots in a round on top of the cookie. Spoon the grapes evenly over each bowl. Garnish with lime zest.
Serve immediately.