That sound delicious. :)

You didn't say for how many people or how big your chill bowl is. --My mind also went right to buffet when I wrote this up!-- If it's for a manageable number and you have the dishes to do it, what I'd do is fill a nice looking pan, a big stoneware lasagna would be ideal, but even a stainless roaster would work. Find (or make with a utility knife and packing tape) a cardboard box that it fits into fairly snugly. Just an inch or two around. Line the box with plastic bags or waxed paper. Cover the outside with wrapping paper, or maybe a small holiday tablecloth, if you have one sitting around, but paper is easier because you can tape it in place.

Day of, spray a beach towel that goes with the table decor with water to just damp, and put in the freezer for several hours. Chill the pan as well. Line the box with the towel, including up the sides and set the pan inside, arranging the towel nicely around it. Fill the pan with big ice cubes (they melt slower).

Then I'd put the frozen grapes in small, chilled vessels in the pan. The vessels could be anything from shot glasses to small custard dishes to stubby martini glasses, if you don't have tasting bowls. There are plenty of disposables, both the washable ones and one use kind, that would work. If you have space, you can put extra "shots" in the freezer ready to refill the server, but it would also be easy enough to make up more on the fly.

Now that I've realized you didn't say "buffet", if you have room in the freezer for it, you can do the same thing with the cups on a flat tray during a lull in your prep time, and put them in the freezer.

Otherwise, just chill the vessels, add the grapes and serve around from a tray, and maybe put the extras in your chill bowl to look good on the table and provide refills.

Anyway, that's what I'd do. :)

Yum! Reminds me I need to make some sugared cranberries too. Have a fun dinner party. I like plllog's suggestions.

I experimented with a small batch of the Marinated Frozen Grapes yesterday...they are addictive and I'm not a wine (or beer or liqueur) drinker. So good, easy, and I think they will present well.

plllog, Thanks for your suggestions!

BTW: This is a dinner at a classmate's house for 10 couples. I am bringing Roast Red Pepper Bisque and wanted to bring something cool...literally and figuratively.
I got 12 small glass bowls for $4 at the $ store. I'm going to fill each of those with the frozen grapes when the hostess is getting the desserts readied. I'll place the grape filled bowls on a tray or casserole like Plllog suggested that will be set on ice.

Robin, I had a lot of dried cranberries that had gotten pretty dried out. I had some Triple Sec left over from the cranberry sauce I made (subbed Triple Sec for the water) so I poured it in the Mason jar with the dried cranberries. Plumped them up and they are good! The HG asked what was going on with all this alcohol I have been consuming.

So I'm wondering how much the wine permates the grapes' skin. Cathy, did you taste any before rolling in sugar, and if so, did you taste the wine? I've got a few grapes soaking right now and after about 7 hours I don't notice any effect. I'll let the rest go for the recommended 12-24 hours before trying again, but I'm thinking it might be beneficial to stab each grape through the stem end a few times to help the process along.

Triple sec and cranberries. Oh my. Sounds even more divine! Of course, with them being dried, they likely soaked it up like a sponge. Hm....

FOAS, There is a hint of the wine. Stabbing the grapes might be a good idea. But I was fine with the hint; but I would like to know if it is too faint for a wine drinker.

Robin, the Craisins didn't soak up too much, just enough to have a hint of the Tripe Sec.

This post was edited by mustangs on Thu, Dec 11, 14 at 17:33

Considering that raisins have a similar skin to grapes and that they always do plump up alcoholically when macerated the way Cathy did, I'd think that the issue with the soaking up is how waterlogged the grapes are, more than the skin. Perhaps leaving them unwrapped by the evaporator vent in the fridge would help more? Or perhaps slightly less fresh grapes left out would have evaporated more?

If you want to force the issue, you can always use an injector...

for some reason I thought these were served before dinner, but after does make more sense.

I too can't see the grapes taking on the wine. What wine did you use? Piercing may help, but since they are so juicy, I can't really see them taking on the wine.

What about freezing and coating and serving them with a nice sweet Moscato ? Or dropping frozen grapes ( no sugar) into the wine, a lemon ice with a dash of wine over it is lovely also.

If the grapes don't work out, there is always Advocaat, an egg and brandy drink that is not comely seen in the US. You should be able to find it at a liquor store though. It can be served in a dessert glass with a dollop of whipped cream and dash of brandy and eaten with a spoon. You could even pour it over gingerbread.

The grapes were a hit! I even had guys asking how to make them. Thank you for your responses.

As suggested, I pierced the grapes with an ice pick (stem end) before soaking them. I used a Mead wine (honey) which tasted good when I poured it back into the bottle after marinating the grapes (too sweet of some).

As far as serving them, instead of using ice, I put water in the bottom tray (see below) and froze it.

Here is a link that might be useful: Serving Tray