My family loves grapes. A pound or two of grapes cannot last more than a day and a half here. I love most any kind of grape, but the kids prefer the seedless varieties (I admit, I do, too). One type of grape that I’ve heard of (and have had as a wine) is the Muscat variety. Whole Foods Market in Southern California is now offering Muscat Grapes from Chile for a limited time and I had to try it. I stopped by my local Whole Foods Market in Hillcrest and bought a few bunches.
The Muscat Grape from Chile is a pink seedless grape and has a softer texture than most other grapes. It is very sweet and almost has a floral taste to it — I’d equate it to a lychee aftertaste. It is delicious. We couldn’t stop eating it.
But there’s more you can do with the grapes than just eating them straight off the bunch. Since spring has been feeling more like summer here in San Diego, I decided to make a Muscat Grape Sorbet. I figured that my kids like eating frozen grapes, so why not refine it just a bit for the adults, too?
The process is super-easy. Just de-stem 2 pounds of grapes and place it in a blender…
With about 2 tbsp of freshly-squeezed lemon:
Taste the mixture — you may not need to add any sugar. The grapes are super-sweet! If you feel it could be sweeter, start with 1/4 cup of sugar and blend it in until the sugar is incorporated/dissolved.
Strain the mixture through a fine sieve to remove any peels.
Use a spatula to get all the juice out.
Process the mixture for about 25 minutes in your ice-cream maker (prepared according to the manufacturer’s instructions). My machine is a basic electric machine that uses ice and rock salt. It’s probably one of my favorite things that I bought for $7 on clearance!
When finished you can either eat it right away (it will be soft) or put it in the freezer for another hour to firm up.
The sorbet should keep for about 2-3 weeks. I’m sure you’ll eat it all up by then. The sorbet will be hard once out of the freezer, so you may have to let it sit out to make it scoopable.
It makes for a refreshing treat on a hot afternoon!
Muscat Grapes from Chile are now available through Mid-April in Southern California Whole Foods Markets.
Follow Whole Foods Markets San Diego on Twitter for the latest events and updates: https://twitter.com/wfmsandiego
Muscat Grape Sorbet
Ingredients
- 2 lbs Muscat Grapes de-stemmed
- 2 tbsp fresh-squeezed lemon juice
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar or desired sweetener optional
Special Tools
- Blender
- Ice Cream Maker
Instructions
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Blend the grapes with lemon juice until smooth.
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Taste to see if you need to add sugar and add sugar and blend to combine if needed.
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Strain mixture through a fine sieve and press a spatula against the sieve to extract all the juice.
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Process mixture in your ice cream maker for about 25 minutes.
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Eat right away or freeze for an hour to firm up.
Recipe Notes
The sorbet will keep for 2-3 weeks. It will be hard when removed from the freezer. Leave out on the counter to soften for about 10-20 minutes so that it easier to scoop.
Disclaimer: This is a sponsored post for Whole Foods Market. All opinions and recipes are my own.