Concord Grape Cobbler or Pie

Although I have probably written about this before, the time is at hand when the Concord grapes are ripe, and it would be a shame to miss out on them.  If you are lucky enough to have access to fresh Concord grapes, cobbler and pie are good ways to enjoy them.  These grapes are especially healthy because they have a lot of plant nutrients, but they are rather hard to find in the stores because they don't travel very well.  A lot of people make jelly or juice out of Concords, but they are also good in cobbler or pie—if you are willing to take the extra trouble with them.  Because they are trouble.

Of course, Concord grapes have seeds, and although some people eat the seeds, we do not care to be munching them through-out our dessert.  If you feel the same way, the seeding problem will have to be taken care of first. 

Pick and wash the grapes. Then remove the skins by pinching each grape between the thumb and forefinger until the skin splits and the pulp bursts out.  You can squeeze the pulp directly into a medium-sized saucepan.  At the end of this great production, you should have a bowl of skins and a saucepan full of pulp and seeds.  Set aside the bowl of skins.  Bring the pulp to a boil, stirring constantly. Cook about two minutes.  Allow the pulp to cool to the point where you can handle it easily and not get burned.

Then, I put the pulp into a sieve and press the pulp through the mesh.  The seeds will remain behind in the sieve, and the pulp is finally ready to use. There may be other ways to do it, but this works.  In the end, you should have a bowl of skins and a bowl of seedless pulp.  You do not need as much pulp as will be in those grapes, so don’t worry if you don’t get every last drop!

Preheat oven to 375 F.

Filling:
4 c. Concord grape skins
1 to 2 c. seedless pulp
3/4 c. stevia (this is the kind that measures like sugar)
1/4 c. flour

In a saucepan, add the grape skins to the pulp and bring to a boil.  You may end up with more pulp than 2 cups, but if you use it all in this recipe, it will bubble out all over your oven.  This is to be avoided.  Stir and boil skins and pulp about 5 minutes.  In a small bowl, mix stevia and flour.  Add to grapes and cook until it starts to thicken--about another 5-10 minutes.

Batter for cobbler:
1/2 c. flour
1/2 c. stevia
1/2 t. baking powder
2 T. oil
1 egg, slightly beaten

Combine all ingredients and beat until smooth.  Set aside.  Pour hot grape mixture into an oven-proof dish; drop batter into grapes, spacing dough evenly.  Batter will spread during baking.  Bake at 375 degrees for 35-40 minutes.

Or you can pour the grapes into a pie crust, cover with another crust, and bake them that way.  That option is also delicious.

*Note: You can probably substitute blackberries or blueberries for the grapes in this recipe.  Of course, you won't have to seed or skin them, but it won’t be the same.  Also, once you start to cook the grapes, your entire house will smell so good that you may mysteriously find several people in your kitchen. I’m not sure why it works that way, but it often does.