Roasted Grape and Fig Relish

My family and I just can’t get enough of all the fresh summer fruits available right now. While stone fruits are far and away my favorite, there’s another fruit that shows up toward the end of July that we all love just as much, if not more – grapes. Turns out the guys over at Melissa’s Produce know me and my family pretty well, too. A couple weeks ago they sent me a care package filled to the brim with four different kinds of grapes.

There were Champagne, Black Muscato, Red Muscato and Jelly Drop. The Champagne were tiny and perfect for T’s little fingers. The Black and Red Muscato were firm and sweet and ideal for what A calls Grape Pops.  (I freeze them and then A eats them like popsicles.) But it was the Jelly Drops that were the most interesting to me. I think I liked them the most because they’re a hybrid. According to Melissa’s, Thompson Seedless grapes combine with the richer, meatier Concord grape to create a plump, juicy, dark purple seedless table grape. Because of this combo the Jelly Drop has a more earthy flavor than the others Melissa’s sent me which is why I knew it would be the perfect choice for a relish to go with crackers and goat cheese.

I didn’t want the relish to be made up solely of grapes, though. I wanted to add another fruit that was earthy and sweet and would compliment those little orbs of deliciousness. It just so happened that I’d bought some fresh figs which I knew would be the ideal match. So, a few figs, a little balsamic, some rosemary and of course a handful of those scrumptious Jelly Drops later and a delectable relish was born. A relish that’s fancy enough for a dinner party, but casual enough to bring to a picnic. A relish I will definitely be making again, before those Jelly Drops disappear.

Roasted Grape and Fig Relish

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 cups stemmed Jelly Drop grapes
• 6 figs (Black Mission or Brown Turkey), quartered
• 1/4 cup super fine sugar
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 2 teaspoons fresh rosemary, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon salt, plus extra for roasting
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper, plus extra for roasting

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425°F.
2. Toss the grapes with 1 tablespoon olive oil. Place on a baking sheet, sprinkle with salt and pepper and roast until shiny and plump, about 10 minutes.
3. Place roasted grapes, figs, sugar, vinegar, rosemary, salt and pepper in a 3 quart sauce pan; give a stir and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer until the vinegar becomes thick and syrupy and the figs and grapes start to break down, about 30 minutes.
4. Remove from heat and let cool. Spoon the relish into 16 ounce jelly jars and chill for an hour or so. Serve with herbed goat cheese and crusty bread or crackers. (The relish will last up to 2 weeks in the fridge.)