This truly is a specialty to the upstate NY finger lakes region. Concord grapes grow abundantly here because of the ideal conditions of the hillside climates alongside the lakes. I found this recipe from an upstate blogger, Jennifer Morrisey of Home in the Finger Lakes. Instead of a two crust pie, I made my upper crust a crumb topping. Here is her recipe…….
Concord Grape Pie
- Prep Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour
- Total Time: 2 hours 30 minutes
- Yield: 8
Ingredients
- 1 recipe or your favorite double crust pie dough prepared
- 1 1/2 lbs of Concord grapes (after removing from stems)
- 3/4 cup + 2 tbsp (6.0 oz) sugar
- 2 1/2 tbsp cornstarch
- 1 1/2 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1 tbsp unsalted butter, softened
Instructions
- On a lightly floured work surface, roll 1 half of a double crust pie dough into a 15-inch round. Fit dough into a 9-inch pie plate, pressing it into the edges. Trim to a 1-inch overhang all around. Cover with plastic wrap; chill pie shell until firm, about 30 minutes. Repeat process for rolling out dough for the top crust. Transfer to a baking sheet, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate until you are ready to assemble the pie.
- Wash grapes and discard any that are under-ripe, damaged and blemished.
- Remove the skins from the grapes by pressing them between your thumb and forefinger. Put the skinless grapes in a medium saucepan. Reserve the skins in a small bowl.
- Gently mash the grape pulp in the medium saucepan to release their juice. Cook over medium low heat until grapes come to a full boil, and simmer, covered, for 5 minutes.
- Remove from heat and allow to cool completely. Press the grapes through a fine sieve and discard the pits.
- In a heavy bottomed pot: combine the grape pulp, grape peels and all the remaining ingredients . (You’ll have about 1 1/3 cups of pulp – add everything else and you’ll have about 2 cups) Bring to a simmer over low heat, stirring continually until the filling is slightly thickened and bubbly. Remove from heat and allow to cool completely.
- Preheat the oven to 400°F with a rack in the bottom third of the oven with a pizza stone or baking sheet on it.
- Transfer the cooked filling to the prepared pie shell. Moisten the edges of the pie crust with water and attach the top crust, crimping the edges to seal the crust.
- Cut six small slits in the crust to act as vents. Place pie on the pizza stone, protect the edges with a pie ring, and bake for 30 minutes at 400° F and then reduce heat to 375° F and bake an additional 25-30 minutes until the filling is bubbling. Cool on a wire rack for at least 3 hours before cutting.