Grapes, without wrath

One of the signs that summer is ending and autumn is coming, is the appearance of grapes. All kinds of them. If you can stand back and look at a season at a bit of a distance, you have periods where things are available and in season that you never really think about as "together". Today, at the Market, there were peaches, raspberries, apples, pears, and grapes. In two weeks, I bet that won't be the case. In a month, it certainly won't be. But the time is NOW, and this is what we have to work with.

I've been buying and using table grapes for a few weeks. The early, seedless varieities "Nimrod" and "Canadace," which are green and red, respectively. But today, my favorites, the concords showed up. And again, while it may seem like I need a life, I got as excited about the concords as I did when rhubarb showed up earlier this year.

Concords are the "quintessential" American grape. My research reveals that they were not one of the original fruits that colonists found when they got to what became the United States, but were the result of a breeding program with wild grapes (scuppernongs for you word collectors). "Vitis labrusca" as they are called, or "fox grapes." Why they are called fox grapes, no one seems to know; however, the flavor that concords have is called "foxy." There's a musky, deepness to them that is unique . You won't find that flavor in other grapes. Their dark purple color is , at least to me, a sign of the transition from summer to autumn: dark purple plums, figs, blackberries, elderberries, concord grapes. We move from red, to dark purple. And the flavors do , too.

Almost no one sells concords in a supermarket. Again, my research shows that there are several reasons for this. One is that consumers do not care for grapes with seeds. And concords DEFINITELY have seeds. Hard ones. If you suffer from diverticulitis, they can be a problem. They also have a very, VERY thick skin. Many people find the feel of that skin very displeasing. And ironically, even with their thick skin, they are very delicate, and damage easily. I guess in food marketing "tough but tender" just doesn't cut it. Oh well.

When you get concord grapes, you may think they need to be washed, because they have a "dust" about them, or so it seems. If you're that nervous about pesticides and that kind of thing, rub them with a paper towel or a cloth, and do it GENTLY. Don't wash them. Like strawberries, there's a lot of flavor right up there in the top layer (we chemists call them "fruit esters), and you'll pour it right down the drain with the wash water.

Concords don't keep that well. If you buy them on a Monday, plan on eating them by Wednesday, or doing something like I'm going to suggest to you in the following recipe.

People tell me that the best ice cream I make is either my strawberry or my peach ice cream. And that's fine. For my taste, concord grape sorbet is the pinnacle of all frozen desserts. It's simple to make, and again, it's worth having one of those little ice cream makers, just for this. One of my favorite dessert chefs suggests freezing bags of the grapes so that you can make it during the winter, when the season is over. I've tried that, and didn't find the flavor all that appealing. Nor did I find making the sorbet from premade juice all that tasty. So , make it now, while the grapes are here.

To make a quart of sorbet, you'll need a good three pounds of grapes. The hardest thing you're going to do is pull them all off the stems. Put them into a big pot, add a quarter cup of water, and cover the pot. Cook the grapes at very low heat until you've got a good mass of broken down grapes, and a lot of juice. Every pound of grapes will yield about a cup of juice. Keep that in mind when you get to sweetening the juice for sorbet.

While the grape mix is still hot, strain it. Push down hard on the solids if you use a colander, and if you use a food mill (my preferred utensil for this), don't press down all that heavily, because you don't want to crush seeds. You DO want all the flavor that's in the skin. Then add sugar to the hot juice. You'll want about a quarter cup of sugar, per cup of juice. But hold some back and taste the juice. Sometimes the grapes will be very sweet and you'll want less. DO keep in mind that when the stuff is frozen, it won't taste as sweet. You may also want to balance the flavor with a drop or two of lemon juice. The lemon juice will also help to stabilize the color. Some people add a tablespoon of corn syrup as well, to smooth out the finished product. I have never found it necessary or helpful. "Six of one, half a dozen of the other." Then chill the juice, and use your ice cream maker to make the best sorbet you'll ever have. Put a scoop of it next to vanilla ice cream, or peanut butter ice cream, or both, for an incredible fall dessert.

If you just don't feel up to the sorbet, after you've cooked down the grapes, sweeten the juice and drink the stuff as a beverage. There's a Venetian concoction where they mix grape juice with prosecco, and you could do that too. It's GOOD. I think it's called a Rossini, but that may be with cranberry juice. It's definitely named after a musician. The 60s drink "the purple Jesus" is grape juice and vodka, and you've got the makings of that as well. Or, just freeze the juice, and maybe the stuff will work for you in the winter, when you want to recall that "Foxy flavor" as they call it.

Up and coming: concord grape pie. In my opinion, the most underrated and underrappreciated dessert in all of cooking, except in Naples New York, where they have a grape pie contest, every year.