Concord Grape Galette

Concord Grapes

Concord Grape Galette

Concord Grape Galette by The Messy Baker

Pastry is fickle. One day you’re rolling dough like it’s a bolt of white velvet and pull a golden, bubbling dessert from the oven. The results are so fine you briefly consider embroidering “Pie Guru” on your apron. Only you don’t know how to sew, so you put that idea away for when people ask you what you want for Christmas.

The next day? You’re piecing together pastry fragments and cursing the day the words, “Sure, Mom. I’d love to make Thanksgiving dessert!” left your lips. You wipe your greasy, flour-encrusted fingers on an apron destined to always remain unlettered, and wonder why anyone makes pies. Ever.

Yesterday was Thanksgiving in Canada. Now, I’m not complaining, but I couldn’t help but notice that at dinner when the family shared the things we are grateful for, no one mentioned my pastry skills. (Although the belated Make Up Dutch Chocolate and Orange birthday cake did get a mention, as did Mom’s turkey.)

Concord Grapes

Usually, I make my no-fail pie crust and a Concord Grape Pie for this annual fall gathering. I don’t mind making the fussy filling but dislike the greasy feeling of the dough in my hands. So I suggested skipping the bottom crust —and all its empty calories — and serving the dessert crumble-style instead.

Mom nixed that idea. She wanted pastry with the filling.

If you can’t beat ’em, join ’em. So, this year, I thought I’d ditch the streussel top and double up on the pastry. I’d make a galette. Only I was rushing. And you know what happens when you rush pastry. Right?

Concord Grape Galetter by The Messy Baker

The hole in the centre is intentional, but the leakage? Don’t pour warm filling into a galette. Without the support of a pie plate wall, the pastry can’t take it.

Despite looking like something I’d dropped on the floor, my Concord Grape Galette was popular. My dad, who isn’t a big sweets fan, didn’t say no when offered the leftovers. And my younger sister? Between mouthfuls, she said, “Add a glob of peanut butter and you have the world’s best PB&J.” Write a blog and everyone  hopes to get quoted.

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Concord Grape Galette

Concord Grape Galette by The Messy Baker

This galette is like grape jelly in pie form. It’s messy but delicious. Serve with whipped cream or a dollop of peanut butter.

  • Author: Charmian Christie
  • Prep Time: 30 mins
  • Cook Time: 35 mins
  • Total Time: 1 hour 5 mins
  • Yield: 8 to 10 1x
  • Category: Baking
  • Cuisine: Canadian

Ingredients

Scale

Pastry

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • zest of 1 lemon, finely grated
  • 1 cup butter, chilled (if you use unsalted butter, add 1/2 tsp salt)
  • 1 egg
  • 1 egg yolk

Concord Grape Filling

  • 2 pounds Concord grapes
  • 1/4 cup cornstarch
  • 1 tbsp lemon juice
  • 1 tbsp grated orange zest
  • 1/2 cup sugar

Egg Wash

  • 1 egg
  • 2 Tbsp water
  • extra sugar for sprinkling

Instructions

Pastry Instructions

  1. Stir together flour, sugar, lemon zest (and salt, if using).
  2. Cut in the butter until it resembles small peas.
  3. Whisk the egg and yolk together. Add to the flour and blend until the dough comes together. On a floured surface, knead a few times.
  4. Divide into two balls. Cover and chill for an hour. While it’s chilling, make the filling.

Grape Filling Instructions

  1. Pop grapes out of their skins and into a medium-sized non-reactive sauce pan. Place the skins in a bowl for later.
  2. Bring the pulp to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook until the grapes release their seeds.
  3. To remove the seeds, strain the pulp through a fine mesh sieve pushing the fruit through with the back of a ladle. Discard the seeds. Add the skins to the pulp and mix thoroughly.
  4. In a large bowl, mix the cornstarch with the lemon juice, orange zest and sugar. Add the strained grape mixture and stir to combine. Allow to cool to room temperature before forming the galette. Hot filling will dissolve the pastry.

Assembly

  1. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment.
  2. In a small bowl whisk the egg with the water to make an egg wash.
  3. On a lightly floured surface, roll out one ball of dough into a round about 1/4-inch thick. Transfer the dough to one of the parchment-lined baking sheets.
  4. Spoon 1/2 the grape filling into the centre. Working quickly as the filing will spread, fold the edges up towards the middle. This will take 6 or 8 folds. The pasty won’t meet in the middle, but the sides will hold the filling. Brush the dough with egg wash and sprinkle with sugar.
  5. Repeat with second galette.
  6. Bake for 35 minutes or until golden brown and bubbling.

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19 Comments
  • Lisa MacColl
    Posted at 10:11h, 13 October

    Pastry. I can do pastry, although I chose not to this year, bought pumpkin tarts at the market for the pumpkin pie lovers (ick) and made baked apples for the kid and I. Anyway…pastry. Handle it as little as possible, use ice cold (as in water with ice cubes in it) and roll it between sheets of wax paper. The less your hands come in contact with the dough, the happier the dough is, because the heat from your hands melts the shortening/butter before it’s ready to be melted. The more you handle it, the tougher the crust will be.

    And now I’m wishing I had baked the darned apple pie after all…

  • Lorraine
    Posted at 10:35h, 13 October

    Hi Christie:

    I don’t find pastry too hair pulling.

    Like Lisa, I handle the dough as little as possible. I use a whisk and finger tips to blend butter/shortening, then add ice cube-chilled ice water and toss with a whisk-like utensil.

    With a few presses I gather the dough into a ball and I transfer to wax paper. I roll immediately–I know, culinary heresy, but it works perfectly for me.

    I also recommend…

    *Using 2/3 butter to 1/3 shortening–you get the taste of butter and
    manageability of shortening.

    *If wax paper doesn’t peel off dough easily, slide the wax paper-sandwiched pastry onto a cookie sheet and stick it in the freezer for a few minutes.

    * Chill your rolled out, shaped crust in the freezer for 10 minutes or longer before pre-baking or filling.

  • Cheryl
    Posted at 11:18h, 13 October

    “Write a blog and everyone’s hoping to get quoted.” Heh, heh.

    That’s definitely happened to me before with galettes. I think in the past I’ve just let it cool completely on the baking sheet, and then it kind of hardens and almost plus itself back up, no? I wish I had a secret for not letting it fall apart in the first place but, alas, I’m not that talented.

  • Dana McCauley
    Posted at 13:32h, 13 October

    Galettes are, by their very nature, not perfect so why worry? In fact, you could bust one up and transfer it to a casserole dish and rename it a buckle or something and no one would likely notice!

    On a positive note, I LOVE the concord grape filling you chose. Truly fantastic! Martin’s pastry Chef Collen QUinn has been making these yummy concord grape custard tarts this fall that I have been unable to resist. So very, very delicious in pastry!

  • Cheryl Arkison
    Posted at 14:24h, 13 October

    I’m going with “there was something in the air” this weekend. I normally have NO problems with pastry. Ask Julie, she can attest to that. But this weekend? It would not come together or roll. Not at all. I was pressing it into the pan and hoping for the best. I’m sure I was the only one who noticed the slightly less than perfect pastry. And really is was all about the filling anyway (pumpkin with molasses and maple pecan).

    PS I rely on a pate brisee – all butter and with a splash of vinegar for a softer dough.

  • Andrew
    Posted at 15:02h, 13 October

    Well, given that my Mom and my brother are THE best apple pie makers in the world, lets ask for their pastry tips at the next family gathering.

  • Lori
    Posted at 21:15h, 13 October

    I can make fancy braided loaves of bread ,,,and light and tasty scones, and fabulous cookies but I detest making pastry! I’m glad no one in our family really eats/likes pie-everyone would much rather have “crisp” of some sort -so I rarely have to deal with pastry -thank goodness! Happy Thanksgiving to all of you !!!!!!

  • Charmian Christie
    Posted at 17:32h, 14 October

    Waxed paper? I try not to handle the pastry too much, but it sticks to the counter. I’ll try this trick.

    Thanks, Lisa!

  • Charmian Christie
    Posted at 17:33h, 14 October

    Great tips, Lorraine. Waxed paper seems to be a key. Love the freezer trick. I’ll have to try this next time.

  • Charmian Christie
    Posted at 17:36h, 14 October

    Cheryl, I swear, people have started feeding me quotes. The eye contact, dramatic pause and head tilt (as if to say, “Are you getting all this?”) are dead giveaways.

    Glad to know I’m not the only one to be challenged with galettes. And letting them cool does help — but it’s so hard to wait!

  • Charmian Christie
    Posted at 17:37h, 14 October

    Dana, responses like this are why I will continue to support you no matter what. I’ve only seen photo perfect galettes. Love the idea of passing them off as buckles!

    Concord grape custard tarts? OOOOOooohhh. I can almost taste them!

  • Charmian Christie
    Posted at 17:39h, 14 October

    See — pastry is fickle! It lulls you into thinking you can do it with your eyes closed!! You have problems — usually in direct proportion to the number of guests you’re expecting and inverse proportion with the amount of time left for a re-do.

    My recipe for pate brisee doesn’t call for vinegar. Perhaps it should…

  • Charmian Christie
    Posted at 18:28h, 14 October

    Good thing we passed the seven year mark earlier this month!

  • Charmian Christie
    Posted at 18:29h, 14 October

    Lori, I go the crisp route every time I can. Glad to know I’m not the only baker who struggles with pastry. Unfortunately, many of my family members like pie. A lot.

  • Kevin
    Posted at 16:15h, 17 October

    That looks good! I have been wanting to try using the concord grapes for something. So far I have just been snacking on them.

  • Charmian Christie
    Posted at 22:14h, 18 October

    Kevin, concord grapes are fabulous in pies ( http://christiescorner.com/2006/08/30/peel-me-a-grape/) and I’m going to be making a sorbet with them, too. So many uses other than jam.

    Strangely enough, I don’t like to snack on them. But my mom? She’d wrestle you for the last bunch.

  • Camille in Slovenia
    Posted at 06:58h, 05 February

    i’m about to try this as a cobbler. one problem i noticed is that some of the skins held on to the seeds, so i have been trying to go through again with a sharp eye but i am anticipating meeting some seeds in the final result, which i’m not really thrilled about..

  • Camille in Slovenia
    Posted at 08:33h, 05 February

    just wanted to report that the cobbler turned out well despite an unfortunate baking soda – baking powder mix up.
    .-= Camille in Slovenia´s last blog ..Cities and Ambition =-.

  • Angela Skrade
    Posted at 22:59h, 20 September

    Fantastic recipe! Always looking for tasty ways to use my abundant Concord grape harvest. Separating the grapes takes forever (about 1.5 hours for me, so plan ahead). I made the filing a day ahead and refrigerated, then made galette dough earlier in the day, when I was ready to bake. Only used half the recipe. Froze the rest for another day. Turned out great! Will be buying some peanut butter ice cream to accompany
    the rest and will definitely make again!