Dinner with Julie

Concord Grape Jelly, Tarts and Hand Pies

I love when you have a friend who goes grape picking in the Okanagan and brings you back a box of tight bunches of Coronation grapes, some with twisty vines still attached. If this hasn’t recently happened to you, sorry.

Or… perhaps we should arrange a field trip to the Okanagan?

So I have this box of Coronation grapes – the seedless version of Concords, those dusty indigo blue grapes that pop out of their skins and have far more flavour than the lacklustre green and pale purple ones you see year-round at the grocery store. They’re great for eating, but they also make delicious other things, like cakes and focaccia and chutney and jelly, which is actually a snap to make.

And it tastes surprisingly like the grape jelly of my childhood – not a whole lot more sophisticated.

To make Grape Jelly: simmer 1 1/2 lb Concord or Coronation grapes with 3 Tbsp. lemon juice for about 10 minutes, until the grapes pop; strain through a sieve and return the grape juice to the pan with 1 cup sugar. Bring the mixture to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes, until the jam reaches 220?F on a candy thermometer. Cool and refrigerate for up to a month.

That’s it. It’s thicker than jelly, but I’m not sure I’d call it jam, as all the solids have been strained out. Preserves, perhaps? I love the purpleness of it, especially when spreading on toast or filling little tartlet cups lined with white cheddar pastry. Seemed like a good idea.

Concord Grape Jelly Tarts or Hand Pies

1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 cup butter, chilled and cut into pieces
1/4 cup shortening, chilled and cut into pieces
1/2-1 cup grated old white cheddar or 1/4 cup ground hazelnuts or pecans
2-4 Tbsp. ice-cold water

Grape jelly/preserves, for filling

Make the pastry: in a large bowl or the bowl of a food processor, stir together the flour, sugar and salt. Add the butter, shortening and cheese or hazelnuts and use a fork, pastry blender, wire whisk or the “pulse” motion of the food processor to blend the mixture until it resembles coarse meal, with lumps of fat no bigger than a pea.

Drizzle the minimum amount of water over the mixture and stir until the dough comes together, adding a little more a bit at a time if you need it. Gather the dough into a ball, flatten it into a disc, wrap it in plastic and chill for at least half an hour, or freeze for up to 6 months if you want a head start on things.

To fill, roll the pastry out on a lightly floured surface about 1/4-inch thick; cut into rounds with a cookie cutter or glass rim. Fit into mini muffin tins, pressing up the sides, and fill with a spoonful of jam, filling it only about halfway. If you like, cut the scraps into little shapes to place on top of the jam.

Alternatively, make little hand pies (aka turnovers) by putting a spoonful of jam in the middle of each round, brushing the edge with a little beaten egg or milk, and folding it over, turnover-style. Press the edge closed with a fork to seal, and poke the top with a fork. Transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet.

Either way, bake in a preheated 400F oven for 20-25 minutes, until golden. Remove from the pan while still warm. Makes lots.

September 27 2011 | dessert and preserves | 19 Comments »

In Case You Missed It

Sorry for the radio silence – it has been a bit of a whacko weekend. It’s been a bit of a crazy weekend. There was the reopening of Catch on Thursday night – the space has been completely redesigned and made more fun, casual and approachable. Wine lists are – get this – on iPads! – they had an app made especially for the restaurant, so you can click on region, grape, terroir – see the bottle and learn about the wine, even, before you make your selection. Brilliant, no?

(Speaking of wine and Catch, I have some Free Stuff for you! If you’re in Calgary, or planning a visit, they donated two glasses of bubbly and a half dozen fresh oysters!)

Saturday morning I taught a workshop on what to do with the bounty of your community garden, and then there was a birthday party, and then that evening I cooked for 80 at an Art for the Senses event at the Glenbow. The food had to tie in to the movies whose costumes were on display for Cut! Costume and the Cinema (a great exhibit!) which meant a great deal of eighteenth century British-inspired finger food. Eels in gelée, anyone?

On the menu: Cornish pasties w homemade ketchup (any of the eighteenth century British films!), chorizo and potato Spanish tortilla bites (Goya’s Ghost), crostini with goat cheese and apple-rum chutney (Pirates of the Caribbean, in which the only food scenes involve rum or Johnny Depp eating apples), crostini w ham, manchego, and fig jam (Goya’s Ghost), crostini w hunter’s pate (Sense & Sensibility), mini scones with poached plums and Devonshire cream (Gosford Park, Mrs Dalloway), mini pavlova with lemon curd, berries and cream (Defiance, the White Countess), Earl Grey truffles (again, any number of British films) and dark chocolate chunk cookies sprinkled with fleur de sel and baked on a stick, for which there was no movie connection, but I figured no one would complain.

So because there hasn’t been much in the way of proper (homemade) dinners, I thought I’d catch you up on a few things you may have missed, like bananas Foster, wrapped in crepes (see photo, way up at the tippy-top). Breakfast of champions. Or at least of Very Happy People.

There was a warm loaf of Sour Cream Cheese Bread – one of those quick stir-together recipes that make a perfect accompaniment to a warm bowl of soup, stew or chili. Also? Best potpourri ever.

It went well with that batch of Ham and Black Bean Soup we made in the slow cooker. Best reason to roast a ham, possibly. Also delicious with lentils, and great use of dry beans.

I found a formula for gluten-free soy sauce to use in a recipe. Super easy, and helpful.

And for dessert, cupcakes. Coconut Cream Cupcakes, because why should such an awesome flavour be limited to pie? And Vanilla Sprinkle-Dip Cupcakes, because sometimes they’re just a vehicle for sprinkles anyway. Why not dive right in?

September 27 2011 | Family Kitchen | 9 Comments »