Y’all, I Can’t Get Enough of Roasted Grapes
I was so honored when Donna, my friend and owner of the Jelly Queens, invited me to be a part of her second cookbook, and even more excited to create a recipe featuring her perfectly preserved balsamic jam.
Y’all, I can’t get enough of roasted grapes! They’re one of those simple ingredients that transform into something truly special once they hit the oven—juicy, caramelized, and bursting with flavor.
There’s something especially meaningful about taking a product made by a dear friend and incorporating it into a dish that brings people together around the table.
A Recipe with a Little History
This recipe is especially meaningful to me because it was one of the first recipes I shared with Donna years ago during a ladies’ weekend in McKinney, Texas.
There’s something wonderful about recipes that carry a little history. They remind us of good friends, long conversations, shared tables, and those weekends that stay with us long after they’re over.
Bringing this recipe back for Donna’s cookbook felt like the perfect way to celebrate all of that.
Homemade Ricotta Makes It Even Better
I’m pairing these beautifully roasted grapes with my deliciously homemade ricotta cheese. The creamy, delicate ricotta is the perfect contrast to the sweet roasted grapes and rich balsamic jam.
And because you can never have too much of a good thing, I love serving extra balsamic jam alongside it. Each bite has that wonderful balance of creamy, sweet, tangy, and savory.
Brown Butter Crostini for the Perfect Bite
For a shared grazing board or a beautiful communal appetizer platter, I’ll be serving it all with my Brown Butter Crostini.
The crisp, buttery crostini bring everything together and make this an appetizer that feels both rustic and elegant. Guests can build their own perfect bite with a little ricotta, roasted grapes, balsamic jam, and a crunchy crostini.
The Perfect Dish for Gathering
This is the kind of recipe I love serving when friends gather around the table. It’s beautiful enough for entertaining, but relaxed enough for a casual weekend get-together.
Best of all, it brings together a few simple, homemade elements that feel incredibly special when served together. Sweet roasted grapes, creamy ricotta, Donna’s balsamic jam, and crisp Brown Butter Crostini—what more could you ask for?
Balsamic Jam–Glazed Grapes with Orange Ricotta & Brown-Butter Crostini
Equipment
- 1 sheets cheese cloth
- 1 fine strainer
Ingredients
Balsamic Jam–Glazed Grapes
- 1½ pounds seedless red and black grapes
- 2 tablespoons The Jelly Queens Balsamic Jam Vol 1 Chapter 2 Pg 53
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon fresh orange juice
- ½ tesaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 small sprigs fresh rosemary
- 1 teaspoon finely grated orange zest
Homemade Orange Ricotta
- 4 cups whole milk
- 1 cup heavy cream
- ½ teaspoon teaspoon kosher salt
- 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon finely grated orange zest
- 1 tablespoon honey
- Freshly cracked black pepper to taste
Brown-Butter Garlic Crostini
- 1 French baguette sliced diagonally
- 6 tablespoons salted butter
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves halved
To Finish
- ⅓ cup toasted chopped hazelnuts
- 2 tablespoons honey
- Fresh rosemary leaves very finely chopped
- Flaky sea salt
- Fresh orange zest
Instructions
- Remove about half the grapes from their stems, leaving the remainder in several small clusters. This gives you beautiful presentation grapes along with individual grapes that collapse and become almost jammy.
- Whisk together the Balsamic Jam, olive oil, orange juice, black pepper and kosher salt. Toss with the grapes and rosemary and spread them in a shallow roasting pan.
- Roast for 18–22 minutes, stirring the loose grapes once, until some have burst and their juices have mingled with the Balsamic Jam to form a glossy sauce. Remove the rosemary sprigs and toss the warm grapes with 1 teaspoon orange zest.
- For the ricotta, combine the milk, cream and salt in a heavy saucepan. Heat gently until steaming with small bubbles around the edge, but do not boil. Remove from the heat, stir in the lemon juice and leave undisturbed for 10 minutes.
- Drain through cheesecloth until creamy but still soft. While slightly warm, gently fold in the orange zest, honey and several turns of black pepper. Don't whip it completely smooth—I would keep those beautiful soft homemade curds.
- For the crostini, melt the butter over medium heat and continue cooking until the milk solids become golden and the butter smells nutty. Add the olive oil. Toast the baguette slices in batches until deeply golden on both sides. Immediately rub one side lightly with the cut garlic.
Nutrition
Congratulations, Donna!
Congratulations, Donna, on your beautiful second cookbook! I’m so honored to be a part of this special collaboration and to celebrate your love of preserving, sharing, and bringing people together around the table. Be sure to find Donna’s first edition cookbook and pre-order here and enjoy all the delicious recipes she has created and shared.
Pre-Order here
If you're looking for another variation find my original Lemon Thyme RICOTTA RECIPE HERE
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