Ordinarily a food shot shows the final recipe in all its glory. But sometimes you want to feature one of the ingredients, perhaps the key ingredient that makes the recipe distinguished.
I love Concord grapes. Their intense flavor, available for so little time, seems to be a cascade of flavor bombs. Their appearance signals “fall” to me as much as pumpkins.
I eat them, I drink them, but I’ve never cooked them. Here is a fascinating recipe from Fruitful that asks you to crank the oven up, start the chicken, then add these grapes and cook intensely until they burst and their juices saturate the pan.
I’m posting this recipe now, in early fall. Suzen and I will be searching for the first batches of fully ripe and fragrant Concord grapes to personally enjoy this recipe. Please, don’t wait for us. If you can find good grapes now, go right ahead and enjoy this fascinating combination of flavor.
Peppery Chicken Thighs with Brandy-Roasted Grapes
Yield: serves 4
Ingredients:
- 2 pounds bone-in chicken thighs
- 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt, plus more as needed
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh rosemary
- 2 garlic cloves, smashed and peeled
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 12 ounces Concord grapes, cut into small bunches
- 2 tablespoons brandy
- 1 tablespoon melted unsalted butter
Preparation:
In a large bowl, toss the chicken with the salt, pepper, rosemary, garlic, and oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour, then remove the bowl from the refrigerator and let it stand at room temperature for 20 minutes before cooking.
Preheat the oven to 450°F. Scatter the chicken in the bottom of a lightly oiled roasting pan and roast for 30 minutes. In a medium bowl, toss the grapes with the brandy, butter, and a large pinch of salt; add the mixture to the roasting pan tucking bunches of grapes around the chicken. Continue cooking until the grapes have begun to burst through their skins and the chicken juices run clear when pierced with the tip of a sharp knife, about 15 minutes.
Remove the pan from the oven and serve the chicken and grapes immediately.
Source: Fruitful: Four Seasons of Fresh Fruit Recipes by Brian Nicholson and Sarah Huck [Running Press, 2014]
Photo Information: Canon T2i, EFS 60mm Macro Lens, F/4.0 for 1/40th second at ISO‑160