Grape

This refreshing drink can be made without the vodka to appeal to thirsty tennis players between sets or after a long match.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less but requires additional unattended time.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less, but requires additional unattended time.

When we think of gazpacho most of us think of a cold chunky tomato-based soup. But this world-renowned export from the Andalucian region of Spain is actually one of many different types of soup — cold, hot, thin, red, green and white — which share the name gazpacho. White gazpacho remains closer than most modern varieties to the soup's origins as a simple combination of bread, nuts, salt, olive oil, and vinegar. Cucumbers, grapes and a pinch of cayenne elevate what was once a poor man's meal to a refined soup.

These caramel-dipped fruits look like jewels and add another layer of elegance to the gingerbread roulade.

For optimum browning, roast this dish in the upper third of your oven.

Come September, I prepare this cake often, taking advantage of whatever clusters of grapes I can find on our vines after harvesting. At Chanteduc, we grow a mixture of Grenache, Syrah, and Morvèdre grapes, each of which contributes its own personality to the wine and to this cake. I love the rustic crunch that seeded grapes impart, and so I also recommend trying Zinfandel, Cornith, and Cabenet grapes. For seedless grapes, try Red Flame. The original recipe was given to me by Rolando Beramendi at Italy's fine Tuscan estate Capezzna, where this intriguing not-too-sweet cake appears frequently at the table during the fall harvest. Note that the cake is prepared with half butter and half olive oil, producing an unusually light and moist cake.

Serve couscous and buttered carrots with this main course. Purchase fresh rhubarb tartlets for a seasonal finale.

A favorite test-kitchen Muscat wine is Bonny Doon's Muscat Vin de Glacière from California.