Grape Salad

By David Tanis

Grape Salad
Fred R. Conrad/The New York Times
Total Time
30 minutes, plus at least 1 hour chilling time
Rating
4(126)
Comments
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This grape salad, which falls into the same category of old-fashioned party dishes as molded Jell-O salad, comes from a Minnesota-born heiress, who tells me it was always part of the holiday buffet in her family. It couldn’t be simpler to prepare and has only three ingredients: grapes, sour cream and brown sugar.

Rather like a creamy fruit salad with a crisp sugar topping, it really is delicious, though the concept sounded strange to me before I first tasted it. Other versions, I hear, call for softened cream cheese and nondairy “whipped topping”; I can’t say I’ll be trying that. Some cooks caramelize the brown sugar under the broiler and some don’t, but I definitely recommend this step, which gives the dish a crème brûlée aura.

Featured in: The United States of Thanksgiving

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Ingredients

Yield:8 servings
  • 2pounds seedless grapes, removed from stems and rinsed, about 6 cups
  • 2cups sour cream
  • 1cup brown sugar
  • ¾cup toasted pecans (optional)
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (8 servings)

325 calories; 18 grams fat; 6 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 6 grams monounsaturated fat; 3 grams polyunsaturated fat; 42 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams dietary fiber; 37 grams sugars; 3 grams protein; 25 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Heat broiler. Put grapes in a large mixing bowl. Add sour cream and stir with a wooden spoon or spatula, making sure all grapes are well coated.

  2. Step 2

    Transfer mixture to a 2-quart ceramic soufflé dish or other baking dish. Sprinkle brown sugar evenly over top. Place dish under broiler as far from heat source as possible and broil until sugar is caramelized and crispy, about 5 minutes (be vigilant or you’ll risk a burnt black topping). Rotate dish as necessary for even browning. Chill for at least one hour. May be prepared up to 24 hours ahead. Just before serving, sprinkle with toasted pecans, if using.

Ratings

4 out of 5
126 user ratings
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Comments

Jennifer Falck

I live in Minnesota. When everyone here was upset that this was noted as the official Thanksgiving Day dish, I decided to try my hand at this. I had never heard of this, until the uproar had happened. That being said, I must say, this salad is fantastic! I make it every year and my guests love it too. It's my new tradition.

P. D. Curry

My first encounter with this dish was in the early 1970’s at the Lowell Inn, Stillwater, MN, after we’d moved to Minnesota. It was the final course on the fondue menu in their Matterhorn Room. I duplicated it at home several times but have never seen it elsewhere. Now their menu has a variation, “Fresh Red Grapes, Sweetened Devonshire Cream, Strawberries, Brown Sugar and Mint”. I added pecans, sometimes spiced.

Not a true grape salad

Replace half of the sour cream with cream cheese, add 1/4 Cup of white sugar to the dairy and a splash of vanilla. Add a pinch of kosher salt. This recipe is fine but, the above substitutions significantly improve it.

Christa

I absolutely adore David Tanis' understatement: "I can't say I'll be trying that." :-) His characteristic understatement is pervasive in his cookbook, One Good Dish, and I love him for it.

Not a true grape salad

Replace half of the sour cream with cream cheese, add 1/4 Cup of white sugar to the dairy and a splash of vanilla. Add a pinch of kosher salt. This recipe is fine but, the above substitutions significantly improve it.

Kate

My mother used to make this in the 70's and said it was an old recipe even then. It looked so weird and sounded terrible, but it is delicious! I have made it for friends and they are always surprised at how wonderful it tastes!

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