Ripe Grapes Bring Welcome Refreshment

A bunch of grapes freshly washed, still harboring beads of clear water, as if washing had given them relief from the July heat are plump, quenching and carry the antidote to summer’s stickiness.

The great painters of the Dutch and Flemish Renaissance recognized this and used grapes to focus and reflect a glow of light in otherwise lugubrious still lifes.

During the hot months, when apples are not at their peak of tart crispness, I put a bunch of grapes on my cheese platter. Their refreshing juice soothes strong, blue-veined cheeses. They’re the only fruit to serve with runny bries and Camemberts. Serve the cheese at room temperature to enjoy its full range of flavor, but serve your grapes chilled.

In the winemaking regions of France, the vintners often make an unfiltered juice from tart, unripe grapes, called verjus. It’s almost vinegary in its tartness and is used for marinades and salad dressings (more liberally than vinegar, because of its mild character).

Ripe, sweet summer grapes are also the perfect foil for sauces and garnishes. Remember sole Veronique? It was a chef student’s joke, peeling the grapes to add to a sauce for fish. Recently I prepared the dish for the first time in years, and luckily I had some kids around the house who were happy to help with dinner and found peeling grapes a great oddity of an activity.

Faux Verjus

1 large bunch green or red grapes with seeds, removed from stems

2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar

Place grapes (without stems) in food processor and pulse to break them up. Transfer then to container, cover and let stand 4 hours. Press grapes through sieve to extract juice. Add rice vinegar to juice. Use as marinade for meat, or with some extra-virgin olive oil to dress avocados, papayas or baby lettuces.

Yield: 1 to 1-1/2 cups.

Fillets of Sole Veronique

4 large fillets of sole

1 cup verjus (recipe above)

1 teaspoon salt

Freshly ground black pepper

32 green seedless grapes, peeled

1 tablespoon butter

Fold fillets of sole in half lengthwise and arrange in skillet large enough to hold them comfortably. Add verjus, salt and pepper to taste. Cover and cook over high heat 4 minutes. Remove from heat and transfer fish to platter. Keep warm in 200-degree oven.

Return skillet to heat and boil remaining liquid about 2 minutes. Add grapes and swirl in butter. Pour any liquid that has collected on platter into sauce, then pour sauce over fillets and serve immediately.

Yield: 4 servings.

Melon and Prosciutto with Grape and Green Peppercorn Dressing

1 tablespoon green peppercorns in water, drained

1 cup verjus (recipe above)

3 tablespoons olive oil

8 slices cantaloupe

8 paper-thin slices prosciutto (dry-cured Italian ham)

Combine peppercorns, verjus and oil in blender and process until mixture is smooth.

Arrange 2 slices cantaloupe and 2 slices prosciutto on plates. Spoon dressing to taste over cantaloupe.

Yield: 4 servings.