Okay, so maybe not
such a mystery since I have been talking obsessively about grape pies since I learned of their existence back in January. When I started the pie odyssey, I studied the rules for various pie competitions, and found that the Albemarle County Fair has a whole category for grape pies. How could a pie I've never even heard of have its own category of competition at my county's fair? Are there really that many people in the county making grape pies on a regular basis? If so, why have I never met them? Is there anywhere in the county that one can purchase a grape pie?
Anyways. With contributions of concord grapes from friends and strangers, I finally got enough for a pie. I used a recipe from
Retro Pies: A Collection of Celebrated Family Recipes by Linda Everett (a fabulous cookbook that Miss Julie gave me). It was way less tedious to make than I thought it would be because you get to pop the grapes out of their skins, which is very satisfying. I include pictures of the separated pulps and skins. After heating and straining the pulps, you reintegrate the two parts, add a few other ingredients and pour into the
shell. I opted for a crumb top rather than a double pastry crust, because I didn't want it to taste like grape jam on white bread. I've hesitated to make this pie because I worry that it is going to be too grapey; it certainly smells like jam. But why else does the pie odyssey exist, if not to make even the most seemingly repulsive of pies? I suspect that after eating this, I may only want to make toned-down versions in future. Like perhaps a grapes balanced by something creamy or cheesy, or perhaps paired with a really tart fruit, like gooseberries, or dare I suggest it, rhubarb...
Okay, so maybe not such a mystery since I have been talking obsessively about grape pies since I learned of their existence back in January. When I started the pie odyssey, I studied the rules for various pie competitions, and found that the Albemarle County Fair has a whole category for grape pies. How could a pie I've never even heard of have its own category of competition at my county's fair? Are there really that many people in the county making grape pies on a regular basis? If so, why have I never met them? Is there anywhere in the county that one can purchase a grape pie?
Anyways. With contributions of concord grapes from friends and strangers, I finally got enough for a pie. I used a recipe from Retro Pies: A Collection of Celebrated Family Recipes by Linda Everett (a fabulous cookbook that Miss Julie gave me). It was way less tedious to make than I thought it would be because you get to pop the grapes out of their skins, which is very satisfying. I include pictures of the separated pulps and skins. After heating and straining the pulps, you reintegrate the two parts, add a few other ingredients and pour into the 
shell. I opted for a crumb top rather than a double pastry crust, because I didn't want it to taste like grape jam on white bread. I've hesitated to make this pie because I worry that it is going to be too grapey; it certainly smells like jam. But why else does the pie odyssey exist, if not to make even the most seemingly repulsive of pies? I suspect that after eating this, I may only want to make toned-down versions in future. Like perhaps a grapes balanced by something creamy or cheesy, or perhaps paired with a really tart fruit, like gooseberries, or dare I suggest it, rhubarb...
5 comments:
Wow. That's a powerful pie! As I described it to one of our colleagues. Finally, the worth of rhubarb shines through--I knew you'd come around. Speaking of things, I particularly like the photo of the vat of eyeballs.
If by powerful you mean overwhelmingly vile. Ugh, it's just so grapey. I could hardly choke down a sliver. I don't think I would ever make that again, even with something to cut the potency of the grapes. Maybe it's just shock - it's probably been twenty years since I existed on a steady diet of grape flavored foods; nobody makes grape flavored foods for adults. It was like eating a half a cup of grape jelly. Grody to the max.
Perhaps you could just go with the whole grape thing and do grape and peanut butter cream pie?
Ellen, I gotta say, that picture of grape eyeballs makes me want to hork.
I'm glad you did the experiment, so we can put all the speculation to rest. Now we know that a grape pie is a dark alley we don't want to go down.
I wonder, though, if you've actually proved that welch's grape jelly actually has grapes in it? You know how stuff in grocery stores says, "fruit-type jam substance," or, "made with 100% real grape-stuff" or whatever and you always wonder if the stuff has actually been within 5 miles of an actual grape? Maybe, by proving that a grape pie made with grapes tastes like grape jelly, you've shown that grape jelly has grapes in it. Which is too bad, because the bottom line is, grapes cooked with sugar do not taste good.
mmmm, pb and j pie would be so good! But I'm done with grapes in pie...it would have to be strawberry or raspberry or something.
I was surprised how much like fake grape it tasted. I guess you're right Helen that Welch's must actually be made with grapes. I know that Sarah K has a theory that artificial fruit flavors have nothing to do with the actual fruit flavor. I agree in regards to cherry, banana, etc., but no longer with grape...
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