Dulce de Frozen Grapes

I am not accomplished in the dessert world.  As you've probably noticed, there are approximately zero posts or references to dessert around these parts. This is a dessert free zone.

I can do some basic desserts and make killer ice creams, but in general, my personality isn't suited to following detailed recipes or weighing out ingredients to exact measurements. 

A little bite of sweet at the end of a meal is certainly understandable, but to be honest, the idea of saving room for dessert is preposterous to me . I max out my stomach space on the savory side of the meal.   I have been known to save room for cheese, but that's about it.  Not that I don't appreciate the pastry arts, I just prefer a bubbly Muscato d' Asti and maybe a slice of creamy cheesiness drizzled with condiments.  Or maybe just the Muscato.

But since I'm a people pleaser at heart, dinner at my place these days concludes with frozen grapes.  Not only are they a refreshing and light way to conclude a meal, but the flavors of the grapes seem to concentrate when frozen.  The texture of the frozen grape is very satisfying and no doubt an excellent treat for the upcoming global warming summer that lies ahead.

As you've seen on this site before, I have stuffed frozen grapes with foie gras as a summer appetizer.  Over the past few weeks, I have been experimenting with frozen grapes as a simple conclusion to a meal.

I've attempted frozen grapes coated with Bliss Maple Syrup, which was nice but the maple was a lost on the grape (despite adjusting the amounts of maple used). 

Another frozen grape variety I've made (and eating as I type this) is coated in a cayenne pepper infused honey.  Spicy, sweet, floral flavors precede the frozen blast of grape flavor, which I found very intriguing.  I haven't received second opinions on this one (read: I horded these alone late at night, drooling, standing in my underwear in a pitch black kitchen with Hall & Oates playing in the background!?!?), so I can't confirm this would be a widely accepted opinion.

But the best combination I've made to date (confirmed by multiple sources, all of whom were fully clothed and within properly lit environments) are frozen grapes covered liberally with Dulche de Leche from Argentina.  The sweet, rich creaminess works perfectly with the frozen grape. 

Simply freeze the grapes in a single layer in your freezer.  After a few hours before serving, mix a few heaping tablespoons of the dulce into the frozen grapes.   The best method is to mix the dulce into the grapes with your hands, as you want a liberal coating of dulce on each grape.  I place the grapes back in the freezer for an hour or so before serving, just so the dulce and grape form into a single entity. 

I'm open to any other flavor combinations....send them in!

Comments

[amg]

does the freezing of the dulce de leche make it any less stick to handle?

[joe]

yes, less sticky but sticky none the less.

a serving idea can be to add toothpicks to them before freezing if that's an issue.