Spiced Grapes in Port Dessert Sauce

A combination of star anise, balsamic vinegar, and a touch of black pepper imbues sophisticated flavors. Serve this thin sauce with vanilla ice cream or with pound cake.

Yield: 6 servings (serving size: 1/3 cup)

Ingredients

• 1  cup  ruby port
• 2  tablespoons  sugar
• 1  (1-inch) strip lemon rind
• 1  star anise
• 1  teaspoon  balsamic vinegar
• 1/8  teaspoon  freshly ground black pepper
• 2 1/2  cups  seedless red grapes, halved

Preparation

Combine first 4 ingredients in a saucepan. Bring to a boil; cook 2 minutes or until sugar dissolves. Reduce heat; simmer 15 minutes. Remove lemon rind and anise; discard. Add vinegar and pepper to wine mixture; cook until reduced to 1/4 cup (about 10 minutes). Remove from heat; stir in grapes. Serve at room temperature or chilled.

Nutritional Information

Calories:

124 (3% from fat)

Fat:

0.4g (sat 0.1g,mono 0.0g,poly 0.1g)

Protein:

0.5g

Carbohydrate:

20.8g

Fiber:

0.7g

Cholesterol:

0.0mg

Iron:

0.3mg

Sodium:

5mg

Calcium:

11mg