Grape Pie a la Mode

The weather is hot, hot, hot here, and I was in the mood to make a summertime pie.  Looking for something new, I began perusing the archives of Saveur, hoping to find a unique idea.  I came across a recipe for a Concord grape pie and decided to adapt it for this delicious grape pie a la mode (no grape pie is complete, in my opinion, without a scoop of vanilla ice cream).  It's so simple yet oh-so-good.

While this pie is delicious warm, you've gotta let this one cool once you take it out of the oven.  The filling really needs to set.  If you want to have your pie warm with some ice cream or whipped cream on top, first let it set and heat it up just a tad later on.  (By the way, you'll notice my new Le Creuset red "pie bird" in my pics.  Super cool.  Thanks, Happy Cook!)

I'll let you in on a little secret: my new thing for fruit pies is adding some jelly or preserves.  It helps the filling to firm up a bit, and it adds a great jammy flavor.

And another not-so-secret tip: grape juice really does stain!  After making this pie, my fingertips were purple, and my white melamine bowls were flecked with purple.  My kitchen was in, well, a bit of a purple haze.  Naturally, here's the Cure covering Jimi Hendrix's "Purple Haze."

Ingredients:
--2 pie crusts (my truly never-fail pie crust recipe here)
--1 pound black grapes (you could definitely use Concord grapes, but our Virginia grocery stores don't seem to stock them)
--1/4 cup grape jelly
--1/4 c. granulated sugar
--juice from one lemon (freshly squeezed is always better!)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Line a 9" pie dish with your first pie crust.  Now, I hope you have some patience.  Fill a large bowl about halfway with ice water and set aside.  Bring a medium saucepan of water to a boil and drop your grapes in.  Let them sit for just 20-30 seconds, then remove and place in the ice water.  This is all to make "skinning" your grapes a little bit easier.  (The skins will peel off relatively easily, but this is still a labor of love.)

Put grape skins in a large bowl and set aside.

Add skinned grapes to a medium saucepan over medium-low heat, stirring regularly for about 12-15 minutes, or until the grapes are quit soft.

Using a potato masher or a fork, mash them just a little bit (you want them mashed but retaining a bit of shape).  Transfer them into the bowl with the skins.  Add grape jelly, sugar, and lemon juice.  Mix and pour into unbaked pie shell.  (If you have a "pie bird" like mine, place him in the center of your pie crust before pouring in the grape mixture.)

Cover the pie with the second crust.  You can do a lattice pie if you'd like, or simply cover with a full pie crust and cut a small hole in the center.  Pinch the edges and cover them in foil.

Bake for 35 minutes with crusts covered.  After 35 minutes, remove the foil and bake for about another 20 minutes, or until crusts are just golden brown and the top of the pie crust is firm.  Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely.

I really recommend serving warmed, a la mode.  The pie leftovers will keep for quite a few days and are also delicious straight out of the fridge.