I was lucky enough to recently receive a nice bottle of grape must as a gift. Having never even heard of this ingredient, I set about doing some research on it (and, of course, taste testing). Grape must, as it turns out, is essentially freshly pressed grape juice before it’s made into wine. Thick and sweet with just a little tartness, the taste is more reminiscent of raisins than your grocery store grape juice. In some countries, grape must is cooked down to form a thick syrup (called saba, pekmez, dibs, or grape molasses), and in fact, I even recall having eaten this before when in Lebanon (as a dessert with a soft mild cheese and whole wheat bread). I’m excited to experiment with my grape must (and will probably be trying my hand at making a small batch of grape molasses to recreate the dessert I had in Lebanon), and this salad was an amazing starting point.
I like my salads with a good amount of sweetness to them. So here, in addition to grape must, I’ve used blood oranges and candied walnuts to make this salad truly decadent. Having discovered that traditional balsamic vinegar (i.e. “aceto balsamico tradizionale”) is actually fermented and aged grape must, I opted to let the grape must take the place of balsamic. Goat cheese and mixed greens help to balance the dish. The result is fantastic, and I found myself craving more immediately after eating it (and couldn’t keep myself from making it again the next day and then again a few days later).
Blood Orange and Candied Walnut Salad
Yield: 4 appetizers or 2 entrees
Ingredients:
- 1/2 lb mixed greens
- 1 – 2 blood oranges, cut into pieces
- 1 cup candied walnuts, chopped
- 3 – 4 ounces goat cheese, crumbled
- grape must*
- olive oil
- salt and pepper, to taste**
*Grape must has a syrupy consistency and sweet flavor (similar to raisins) with just a little tartness. A traditional balsamic vinegar would be a good substitute.
**I actually found that the goat cheese and candied walnuts provided enough spicing that I didn’t need any additional salt or pepper.
Method:
- Divide 1/2 lb mixed greens between two (or four bowls), then top with 1 – 2 blood oranges, cut into pieces, 1 cup candied walnuts, chopped, and 3 – 4 ounces goat cheese, crumbled.
- Drizzle the salads with grape must and olive oil. Toss, taste, and add salt and pepper, to taste, if needed.
