Overwhelmed and underprepared -or- Roasted grapes in wine sauce

I know that I have been using the overwhelmed card a lot lately. I swear, as soon as I am done presenting at a conference next week I will go back to being busy but prepared for life instead of the constant state of overwhelmed and unprepared that I have been living in the last few weeks.

In the meantime, I am cooking with whatever we have on hand (rather than making meticulous grocery lists based on the things I want to make in the coming week) and cooking simple. Sometimes this turns out to be just delicious.

I have already told you about Peter Berley's book Fresh Food Fast. And I am working with a recipe from it again today. It is my go to book. The recipes in the book always inspire me and lend themselves well to substitutions.

The desserts in this book are one of my favorite parts. They are all decadent in their own right, but none of them require an entire day spent baking and assembling.

Roasted Grapes in a Wine Sauce
serves 4
adapted from Fresh Food Fast

Berley's original recipe calls for red grapes and a dry red wine. I used black seedless grapes (they were 2 dollars cheaper a pound than white or red at the market) and white wine (all of the reds we had were "nice wines" and I didn't dare open a bottle of those without Mr. Man home to enjoy the rest of the bottle with me). I have fallen in love with this recipe due to it's ease, the way it made my house smell, and it's ability to be made with any grape/wine combo. I think that next time around I am going to try out a white grape/white wine combo. Also, I served this over ice cream, but I think it would be divine over a pound or olive oil cake with maybe a little creme fraiche on top.

1 lbs. seedless grapes, cut in half
2 Tbs. unsalted butter
2 Tbs. Dememera sugar (brown sugar will work just fine also)
1/4 cup dry white or red wine
ice cream or cake for serving

Preheat your oven to 450 degrees F.

While the oven is preheating place the butter in the pan (a baking dish big enough so that the grapes can roast in one layer) and put the pan in the oven. While the butter melts cut the grapes. Once the butter has melted remove the pan from the oven and add the grapes and the sugar and stir.

Roast for 20 minutes. Then add the wine, stir, and continue roasting for another 10 minutes.

Remove from the oven and let it sit for just a couple of minutes.

Then serve over ice cream or cake or eat by the spoonful from the pan (which I definitely did not do).