Pickled Grapes with Prosciutto

By Maverick19

Recipe courtesy of Alex Guarnaschelli

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups white wine vinegar
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 9 whole cloves
• 1 Tbsp mustard seeds
• 1 Tbsp black peppercorns
• 1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1/2 pound seedless red grapes, preferably med to large)
• 1 garlic clove, lightly crushed
• 10-12 thin slices prosciutto, halved lengthwise
• extra virgin olive oil, for drizzling

Preparation

Step 1

1. Make the pickling liquid; In a small nonreactive saucepan, whisk together the vinegar, sugar, cloves, mustard seeds, peppercorns and salt, and simmer over medium heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar and salt, 3-5 minutes. Remove from the heat and let stand for 5 minutes.
2. Pickle the grapes; cut off the "belly button" at the top of each grape (where it connects to the stem), taking as little of the actual grape as possible, make a few shallow incisions in each grape, and put the grapes in a small bowl. Pour the pickling liquid over the grapes and let sit overnight in the refrigerator. These grapes keep for a long time, so make a jar and have them around for when you need them.
3. Serve the grapes; rub the garlic over the prosecution and wrap each grape in about 2 layers of the prosecution and set seam side down on a serving platter. Secure the ham around each grape with a toothpick, if desired. When ready to serve, drizzle a little of the pickling liquid and a little olive oil over them.

If desired, you can brown the grapes in a saute pan in a thin layer of hot canola oil, turning them so the prosciutto crisps. Serve warm