Champagne Grape Pie

Belonging to a produce co-op has given us the opportunity to save money on fresh fruits and veggies while we also increase the amount of these foods that we eat, but the best part is that we have received foods that we probably would not have tried otherwise.  It's so easy to get into a rut with fruits and vegetables, always eating the same old thing. We've also had chances to try new varieties of the standard foods we've always bought - this week it was a kind of grape we've never had: "Champagne Grapes".  Oh my goodness, these things are DELICIOUS!

I usually suspect smallish grapes of being overly tart, but that is definitely not the case with Champagne grapes.  They are smaller than the grapes we usually eat, perhaps the size of beads or pearls, but they are also sweeter than the grapes we normally find in the supermarket.

This weekend we decided to invite our neighbor Kim over for a visit since her husband was out on the road driving truck.  I got out a pie cookbook to look for ideas using whatever I had on hand, and was surprised to find a recipe for Champagne Grape Pie!  Naturally, I had to try this one out.  The recipe is from the book Pie by Ken Haedrich.

I have simplified this recipe a little, because in the cookbook he goes through all sorts of steps about chilling the pie dough and freezing the pie shell and stuff like that which I never do and do not find necessary.  My pie crust is nice and tender and flaky without going through all that foolishness, so I don't see any point in typing all that up.  If you're gentle with your pastry dough you don't need all those extra steps.  Here's my easier version of the recipe.

CHAMPAGNE GRAPE PIE

1 recipe double crust pastry
4 cups champagne grapes, stemmed
1/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2-1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
coarse or sanding sugar

• Combine the grapes, sugar and lemon juice in a medium bowl.  Mix well and set aside to juice.
• Prepare pastry and roll out half.  Line a standard 9-inch pie pan with the pastry.
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
• Stir the cornstarch into the filling, then turn the filling into the pie shell, smoothing the top with a spoon.  Roll out remaining pastry and put on top of the pie.  Trim and flute the edges.  Brush the top with ice water and sprinkle with coarse sugar.  Cut steam vents into the top of the pie.
• Place the pie in the oven and bake for 30 minutes.  Reduce oven heat to 375 degrees and cook an additional 30 minutes.
• Transfer the pie to a wire rack and let cool for at least 2 hours before serving.

We thought this pie was great topped with sweetened whipped cream.  I'm sure it would be fabulous with ice cream too!  We all liked this pie...Eight year-old Ryan devoured two pieces!