Waldorf Salad with Champagne Grapes

Ever buy strange and wonderful local produce, haul it home—and then feel at a complete loss as to what to do with it?

That’s how I felt about the Champagne grapes I bought last week. At Westchester Greenhouse, my local farm stand, the tiny frosted purple grapes called to me.

Nestled in homey quart boxes, the petite grapes’ refined beauty set them apart from the oversized seedless varieties heaped beside them.


Next to the engineered-to-ship, globular perfection of the mass-farmed grapes, the Champagne grapes looked fragile and vulnerable. I would rescue them.

As with the stray cats and dogs I brought home as a kid, once the Champagne grapes were home and staring up at me expectantly, I felt uneasy.

I recalled all the specialty produce I’d purchased—and wasted—on whims.

There was the beautiful half pint of blackberries that sat in the fridge until the berries grew fuzz. The local okra turned soft and spotted black. Fruit fly-haloed heirloom summer fruit.

That was not going happen this time, I decided.

Google, our information deity, revealed Champagne grapes—also called Corinth grapes—are used as fresh currants.

So I mixed a cupful of the grapes into cream scones—recipe coming next week. I turned another cupful of grapes into currants—Zante currants are made from Champagne grapes—see directions below.



And, inspired by Yiddlenet’s recipe, I made this Waldorf Salad with Champagne Grapes.

The tiny grapes make the perfect sweet, crunchy addition to rough-chopped apples, walnuts and diced celery. My tangy take on Waldorf Salad’s traditional mayonnaise dressing includes sour cream and fresh lemon juice.

For a heartier main course salad, you might want to toss in a handful of cubed Monterey Jack or mild brie cheese.

Waldorf Salad with Champagne Grapes

2 large tart apples, unpeeled and diced
1 cup Champagne grapes
1/2 cup coarsely chopped walnuts
1/2 cup finely diced celery
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup sour cream
1 tablespoon Demerara or plain sugar
Juice of 1 lemon
1/2 cup Monterey Jack or mild brie cheese, cubed (optional)

1. Pluck grapes from stems, wash and pat dry.
2. Chop apples, celery and walnuts.
3. In a medium-sized bowl, mix grapes, apples, walnuts and celery.
4. In a small bowl mix mayonnaise, sour cream, sugar and lemon juice.
5. Pour dressing over salad and toss carefully to coat salad. Chill until ready to serve.

Serves 4.

How to make oven-dried currants

Ingredient: Champagne grapes

1. Pluck grapes from stems, wash and pat dry.
2. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or paper towel.
3. Spread grapes over paper.
4. Place cookie sheet in cold oven.
5. Turn oven on to 160 degrees or its lowest temperature setting.
6. Check grapes 30 minutes later. If they are not dry enough, check in another ten minutes. Continue to check grapes every ten minutes until they are dry.
7. Remove currants from the oven, cool completely and store in an air-tight container. Use as you would raisins.