Roasted Red Grapes with Mascarpone and Rum from Fine Cooking Magazine, October/November 2010

Fruit is an area of food where I get a little squirrelly. For instance, I love bananas. As long as bananas are wrapped up in their nice yellow jackets I love them, that is. Take it out and do anything else with it and I'll stay away. I moved south 15 years ago and still eat banana pudding out of politeness rather than true appreciation for the dessert (unless I've eaten yours; that one I loved, I promise). I can't stand anything with banana flavoring. I just like bananas.

There are other fruits that can be all over the map and I'm fine. Apples are that way. I love them raw, sauced, juiced, baked and roasted. I'll eat them in a pie or with pork roast. Same goes with pears. Most berries can be eaten straight off the bush, jammed, in a sweet dessert or savory chutney too.

Then there's grapes. What a versatile fruit. I love grapes straight off the vine.I adore grape juice; both the purple and white varieties.  I love wine. I love wine by itself or used in cooking. I also love raisins. I can eat them by the boxful, especially if they're wrapped up in oatmeal by way of cookies or the hot breakfast variety.

So, I got pretty excited when I saw the recipe for Roasted Red Grapes with Mascarpone and Rum. Another way to make my beloved grape. I don't think I've ever really cooked grapes before, just raisins. This method gives pure 100% grape flavor since the only thing on them is honey, oil and a little sea salt. They're roasted in a hot oven until just about bursting and served with a creamy mixture of mascarpone, rum and orange zest.

If you're Italian and love me, please stop reading now and pick up again after this paragraph. I don't think this recipe needs mascarpone. I made two batches; half with mascarpone and half with cream cheese and I didn't notice enough of a difference to warrant the doubled price for the Italian version of cream cheese. I hear cussing in Italian. I knew that would happen.  I'm serious though. The flavor of the grape (which I'll get to in  a minute) and the rum and orange mixed into the cheese cover up the sweet and delicate flavors of mascarpone. Save the money, use cream cheese and then make something that really highlights mascarpone, like tiramisu. Then bring some to my husband. It's his favorite dessert.

What this recipe reminded me of was the fact that while I love grapes, wine and raisins, I don't like grape jelly. It must be whatever chemical reaction occurs when a grape heats up that changes its flavor because I don't care for it and the grapes in this recipe remind me of grape jelly. I didn't like the flavor of them when I first tried it and don't still since I just walked back in the kitchen for another roasted grape that's cooled down.

The sweetened mascarpone was very good, but not enough to warrant the messiness of pulling the warm grapes off the stems and getting enough of it scooped on to them. That was my feeling, at least.  Dudette didn't like either the grapes or the cheese mixture (and she loves grape jelly).
I know the issue wasn't with the honey because it was given to us by a friend and is from a local, certified naturally grown bee farm. I've been chewing on honey comb like it's gum and it's so delicious. Just so you know, the leaf was brought in for me by Dudette while I was typing so it got added to the picture. Fall in North Carolina is a wonderful thing.

I'm unsure as how to end this review because I honestly think the like or dislike of the dish is a matter of taste, not the dish itself. So, if you make this, please let me know your thoughts. I've shared mine and the bottom line is that I don't like cooked grapes.