Text: Daniel Dubuisson
Photo: Jim Bathie
Food Styling: Katie Moon Dickerson
Styling: Lucy Finney
For as long as I can remember, my paternal grandmother, Shirley Dubuisson, has been a force to be reckoned with in any kitchen. Her ability to effortlessly (and lovingly) feed our family of more than 40 with delicious, memorable meals never ceases to amaze me. Her home is where everyone is welcome at any time, and there’s always something she can quickly cook up or keep adding water to that’ll fill up a crowd.
She’s recently compiled all her favorite recipes from decades of cooking for family and friends and passed them down to each of her children and grandchildren in more than two dozen copies of a handwritten cookbook. Her grape salad is one of those delicious recipes, and it holds a place near and dear to her heart and mine. She first made it decades ago as a pleasant treat for one of our church’s many weekend retreats, but it’s been a summertime favorite of mine for most of my life. A bowlful of her cool and creamy grape salad goes well with any sunny summer day spent lounging and grilling by the pool.
- 4 ounces cream cheese, softened
- ½ cup sour cream
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup firmly packed light brown sugar, divided
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 pounds seedless red grapes
- ½ cup chopped toasted pecans, divided
- In a large bowl, stir together cream cheese, sour cream, granulated sugar, ¼ cup brown sugar, and vanilla until well combined. Gently fold in grapes and ¼ cup pecans until coated. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour or overnight.
- In a small bowl, stir together remaining ¼ cup brown sugar and remaining ¼ cup pecans; sprinkle on top of salad before serving. Serve cold.
Make up to 1 day ahead and refrigerate in an airtight container until ready to serve.
