Green Grape Pie using Unique Cotton Candy Grapes

The other day I got some green grapes of a variety called Cotton Candy. And guess what? They did taste a little like cotton candy. You know me and my pie addiction. So I started thinking, what would these green grapes taste like in a pie?

Well, it’s time to stop thinking and time to start baking. What a surprise! The pie was just wonderful. If you’re tired of plain old pies like apple, pumpkin, or cherry, then this pie is for you. If you like the taste and the aroma of white wine, this pie will be your new best friend.

After a little research, one of the biggest problems baking with grapes is the pie filling leaks and weeps; it fills itself with juicy syrup. The other problem is the bottom crust was a little soggy. These issues should be expected because green grapes are full of water and sweet and juicy.

I know the solution to these problems and now you will. You can follow the recipe below for the solution. If you simply cook half of the pie filling on the stovetop and combine it with the fresh ingredients, your filling will be perfect. No soggy bottom. No watery filling. Jump to recipe…

 

Cotton Candy green grapes, where did they come from?

Cotton Candy grapes are made by breeding a variety of grapevine plants to create a new hybrid. These rare grapes may seem like designer fruit. However, the goal is to create a new flavor and give consumers more options when they go to the grocery store without the use of artificial flavors or genetic engineering.

The Cotton Candy grapes are grown in the U.S. by California-based distributor Grapery. The grapes have an incredibly short growing season from July through September. The Grapery ships the Cotton Candy grapes to stores all over the country, but as word has spread about the unique cotton candy flavor, they’ve become hard to keep in the stores.

The Cotton Candy grape has about 12 percent more sugar and sweetness than a regular table grape and almost no tartness. That sweet taste comes from the combination of two grapevines that make up the hybrid Cotton Candy Grape.

Green Grape Pie Recipe

Ingredients for one 9-inch pie

One Pie Crust

Pastry dough – single crust plus some for lattice top

Filling

• 3 cups seedless green grapes with stems removed
• 2 apples (tart variety) peeled and sliced
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup water
• 4 tablespoons Clear Gel or cornstarch
• 1 teaspoon real vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh lemon zest
• 2 tablespoons milk or water for crust wash

Crust Directions:

1. Prepare the pastry: Roll the pastry and line a 9-inch pie plate with the bottom crust.  Trimmed any dough hanging more than an inch from the edges. Chill the pastry if it’s a warm day.
2. Preheat the oven to 350° F.

Filling Directions:

1. 1. Mix the sugar and the clear gel or cornstarch in a small bowl.
   2. Rinse the grapes. Slice the grapes in halve or quarters.
   3. In a large saucepan, combine the zest, juice, water, and half of the grapes. Pour half of the sugar and cornstarch mixture into the pan. Gently toss the mixture.
   4. Cook over medium-high heat until some of the grapes have broken down and the mixture has thickened. The mixture will burp like boiling oatmeal cereal.
   5. Remove from heat. Allow the mixture to cool down for 15 minutes or so.
   6. Add the rest of the fresh grapes and the sliced apples to the mixture. Also add the rest of the sugar/cornstarch mixture, the vanilla, cinnamon, and salt. Toss the filling combining everything well.
   7. Dump the cooled filling into the pie crust.
      
   8. Roll out some dough and cut into eight 1/2-inch strips.
   9. For the lattice topping, you should have an over-under pattern with 4 pieces going vertically and 4 pieces going horizontally.
   10. Roll up the edges over the lattice ends and crimp.
   11. Brush on milk-wash or water over all of the dough, edges, and lattice top.
   12. Set the pie on the center oven rack and bake for 50 to 60 minutes, or until the filling has bubbled for at least 10 minutes. Place a cookie sheet or some aluminum foil under the pie to catch any juices that might boil over.
   13. Allow the pie to cool before serving.
   14. For storage, cover the pie loosely with aluminum foil and refrigerate.

   Grape Pie Success Tip

   Grapes are very juicy and can cause your pie filling to be very runny and the bottom pie crust to be soggy. There are two things you can do to fix this:
   1. Pre-thicken a porting of your pie filling in the microwave or on the stovetop.
   2. Bake the pie topless or with a lattice top so that the excess moisture can escape out and not be trapped under a completely covered top crust. Happy pie baking.

   

   Pie Recipes and much more…