MY KNOCK OFF MUSCATELS

I love a dried fruit whatnot on my cheeseboard. There’s something particularly fabulous about plucking dried muscatels from twiggy branches whilst enjoying good wine and cheese. However, I’m bamboozled by the cost of them. One almost needs to harvest an organ to pay for 200 grams at fancy food stores. But fear not fromage loving friends, swanky cheeseboard style help is at hand. These are your stock standard supermarket grapes dried slow in a home oven to dehydrated deliciousness, and I can confirm almost better than an exorbitant muscatel because there’s no choke worthy seeds.

Fresh seedless grapes, well rinsed, drained and cut into small bunches. I sit the bunches on a cake cooling rack on my oven tray. This is so the grapes have air circulating underneath.

Place in the oven for 5–6 hours at 80–100°C fan bake until withered and firm but still a little soft when squeezed.

Cool and store in airtight containers for just over a month.

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Fiona Hugues

Award winning food stylist, designer & creative multi-hyphenate Fiona Hugues spent her childhood gallivanting around the Waikato countryside on horse back. After Hillcrest High School, Elam School of Fine Arts took her to Auckland where she has lived ever since and now resides on a rural property with her French husband, their three children & a plethora of animals. She’s an entertaining expert, sourdough coach, art director and gourmand and it’s said in dire circumstances she would possibly trade one of her children for a bottle of Pinot Grigio & a good burrata.