Concord Grape Pie
A grape pie made with Concord (or any) grapes. It takes a bit longer to make because separating the grape flesh from the skins is the fiddliest part, but the flavour is very, very impressive. To save time you can use seedless grapes and pass them through a large sieve to remove the skins. Dark black grapes are preferred because they are aromatic and not too watery. If you have grapes to spare, don't hesitate to make this dessert.
Ingredients
| 2 1/2 cups | 600 ml | flour |
| — | salt | |
| 100 g | softened butter, cut into cubes | |
| 1/4 to 1/2 cup | 60–120 ml | cold water |
| 7 1/2 - 8 cups | 1.8–1.9 l | Concord grapes (or any you have) |
| 1/2 cup | 120 ml | granulated sugar |
| 5 tbsp | 75 ml | starch |
| 1 | egg yolk for brushing the decoration (optional) |
Instructions
- To make the pie base, prepare the dough. Put the flour, sugar and salt into a food processor and mix. You can do it by hand, but it will be harder. Add the cubed softened butter and a few tablespoons of cold water. Mix well until the dough comes together and becomes homogeneous. Add more water if it is crumbly. It should be firm but not sticky. Shape the dough into a ball and wrap it in cling film. Chill in the fridge for 1 hour or more.
- Meanwhile, work on the grapes. This is the most labour-intensive part, as you will need to separate the flesh of the grapes from the skins. You will need about 1.5 to 2 kg of grapes. Wash the grapes well and separate the skin from the grape. Put the flesh into a separate bowl and the skins as well. Do not throw the skins away, as you will need them — later we will add them back to the main mixture.
- Once you have separated the flesh from the skins, put the mixture on the stove over medium heat. Cook for about 10 minutes, stirring, until the seeds separate from the flesh. Strain the mixture through a sieve so that no seeds remain in the pie. Add the skins that you set aside earlier.
- Let the mixture cool for 4 hours in the fridge. Take it out and add the starch and sugar. Stir. If you like it sweeter, you can add a little more sugar.
- Roll out the dough on a floured surface and place it in a buttered pie dish. Trim the excess and prick the dough with a fork in several places. Preheat the oven to 220 °C.
- Beat the egg and brush the edges of the pie with it. Pour in the mixture and bake for 10 minutes. Reduce the oven to 180 °C and bake for 30 minutes. Take out and let it cool.
- For decoration you can use some of the leftover dough and shape various forms. Bake the decoration separately at 220 °C for 15-20 minutes.
Time: preparation 4 hours; baking 20 minutes; chilling the dough 1 hour.