As a kid, I always wondered where that artificial grape flavor came from.  Green grapes or big purple grapes don’t taste like grape flavored products.  Where the hell did that purple scented marker come from?

Clearly not grapes.

But now I’ve come to realize that my west coast upbringing has limited my grape palate.  Enter the concord grape.

That‘s what they mean by grape flavored.

So while I was dog sitting, the dog parents were nice enough to let enjoy fruit from their fruit share.  They had about 6 gallon-sized bags of concord grapes, tons of apples and a tart pan.

Since it’s been about 3 weeks since I’ve baked anything, I don’t know what I was waiting for.

What you’ll need:

• 1 recipe for pate brisee (or other tart dough), see below
• 5 apples, peeled, cored and sliced in half
• Concord grape juice (enough to cover the apples), about 3-5 cups.  Store bought would probably work, but I cooked down a large bag of concord grapes in a pot then strained it to keep the juice only.
• 1 recipe for frangipane, see below
• 9″ tart pan with a loose bottom
• Apricot jam to glaze with

I started by making the crust using a basic Pate Brisee recipe

Pate Brisee

250 grams cake flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp sugar
125 grams (4 1/2 oz) Butter, very cold
1/4 cup + 1 tbsp very cold water

Combine the cake flour, sugar and salt.  Cut in the butter until you get pea sized pieces.  Create a mound with your flour/butter mixture, add the water and knead until combined.

Chill the dough for at least half an hour.  Preheat your oven to 375F.

Roll out and chill again.  Place in a 9 inch tart pan.  Bake for 15 minutes.  Allow to cool.

In the meantime, poach your apples in the concord grape juice for about 10-15 minutes, or until tender.  That’ll soften them, give them the lovely deep purple color while also contributing a hint of grape flavor.  Allow them to cool, then slice them.

Next make your the frangipane (almond filling).

Frangipane

7 ounces Almond Paste
4 tbsp (1/2 stick) butter, softened
3 tbsp sugar
1/8 tsp almond extract
2 eggs
3 tbsp flour

Combine the almond paste, butter, sugar and almond extract with an electric mixer.  Add one egg at a time until combined.  The gradually add in flour.

Spread frangipane in tart shell.  Top with sliced apples and bake at 375F for 30-40 minutes.

Once it’s cooled a bit, quickly glaze the tart.  In a small bowl, combine some apricot jam and hot water until you get a slightly runny/jelly consistency.  Brush your tart with the apricot jam for a shiny, sweet finish.

Then slice it and share it with friends, because really… what fun is baking if you have no one to share it with?