I love this time of year. I know that it portends some seriously bad weather ahead, but for now I don’t care. I like putting on a scarf and walking around our beautiful new neighborhood amazed by the colors that a tree can produce. I am also pretty enamored with the foods available at the market right now: baskets of apples, and squash and especially concord grapes.
Last year I made a tart using concord grapes which was very delicious and worth a try. This time around I decided to make this foccacia, which I have had my eye on since last season. This was surprisingly wonderful. It falls somewhere between sweet and savory. The sweet concord grape flavor is nicely balanced by the rosemary and sea salt. This would be great with some nice cheese and a glass of wine or as an afternoon snack with tea.
One thing that will annoy some of you (and it annoyed me), is that you have to seed the concord grapes. Not a simple task. So, be patient, put on some good music and seed away. The end result is totally worth it. I’ll be honest though, I cursed a few times as I tried to remove the tiny seeds from their gelatinous protectors.
Grape Focaccia with Rosemary (Claudia Fleming, The Last Course)
-
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons warm water (105° to 110°F)
- 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
- 1 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
- 1 3/4 cups plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon dry milk powder
- 3 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened and cut into bits
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
- 1 1/2 cups halved Concord grapes, seeded
- 1 teaspoon fresh rosemary needles
- 2 tablespoons turbinado (raw) sugar
- 2 teaspoons coarse sea salt
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, stir together the water, sugar, and yeast. Let the mixture sit until foamy, about 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, in another bowl, stir together the flour and salt. Add the milk powder and 1 1/2 tablespoons of the softened butter to the yeast mixture and mix well. Add the flour mixture and set the mixer to lowest setting. Mix for 2 minutes. Attach the dough hook , raise speed to medium-low, and knead for 8 minutes longer. The dough will seem really wet.
Brush a large bowl with a generous amount of the melted butter. Scrape dough into the buttered bowl and turn to coat with butter. Brush more of the melted butter on top of the dough. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let it rise in a cool place (65°F) until the dough doubles in bulk, 1 1/2-2 hours.
Press the dough down with a floured hand. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and form it into a ball. Place it on a large baking sheet brushed with melted butter and brush top with more of the melted butter. Cover the ball with a clean, damp kitchen towel and set aside for 20 minutes.
Divide dough in half and shape into two balls. Dip your fingers in melted butter and press and stretch each ball into a 8-9 inch circle. The dough should be slightly dimpled from your fingers. Brush tops with remaining melted butter, cover with the damp towel. Let the dough rise in a cool place for 1 1/4 hours.
Preheat the oven to 450° F. Top the dough evenly with the grapes, rosemary and the remaining 2 tablespoons of salted butter bits. Sprinkle with the turbinado sugar and the salt. Bake for 15 minutes, until the crust is golden brown and puffed around edges. Let cool before serving. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Molly says:
November 3rd, 2009 at 8:10 am
If I can find Concord grapes I’m going to make this this weekend for when my mom comes to visit.
Jennifer says:
November 3rd, 2009 at 8:44 am
Gorgeous!
Tim says:
November 3rd, 2009 at 9:10 am
Molly, Our Whole Foods had Concord grapes, if you live near one of them. Otherwise, Fleming says you can also make it with red or black grapes. Good luck!
Beth T. says:
November 3rd, 2009 at 9:48 am
What a beautiful and unique recipe! Oh, how I wish you lived in San Francisco… :)
deb says:
November 3rd, 2009 at 1:03 pm
Great minds, Tim! I’ve been hoping to find time to make this soon. I keep seeing grapes at the farmers markets around here, and am itching to make something of them. Glad to know that the recipe is (well, as always from Ms. Fleming, right?) a hit.
Kasey says:
November 3rd, 2009 at 5:53 pm
I’m a big fan of ambiguous carb-y dishes that could either be dessert or lunch. I never get sick of putting sea salt on sweet, baked goods. Must try!
The Purple Foodie says:
November 4th, 2009 at 6:53 am
Gosh TIm, this looks just awesome. I recently tried a Claudia Fleming recipe for macarons and it doomed. :(
Dawn in CA says:
November 4th, 2009 at 2:38 pm
Grapes, rosemary and focaccia – what an interesting combo. I’m having visions of curling up in front of a toasty fire with a wedge of this and some great cheese and sliced cured meats. A while ago, Divina Cucina posted a sweeter version on her blog, called Schiacciata con l’Uva. Her recipe looks delicious too, but since I prefer savory foods, your version is really calling to me!
Kate says:
November 5th, 2009 at 8:16 am
Do you think you could replace the milk powder with regular milk? I dont keep the powder on hand…I can’t wait to try it this weekend as a test run for Thanksgiving!!
Tim says:
November 5th, 2009 at 9:22 am
Hey Kate, Yes- give it a try. I would reduce the water by a tablespoon and add a tablespoon of whole milk. Should be fine. Good luck!
Josh says:
November 8th, 2009 at 1:30 pm
Looks divine.
Angela says:
November 8th, 2009 at 8:37 pm
The pictures insired me to make this today. It was fantastic! (I made it with the suggestions you gave to Kate) Thanks for a great post.
Erin says:
November 11th, 2009 at 3:21 pm
I made this a few nights ago and it was great! Thanks Tim!
Lena says:
September 27th, 2010 at 3:56 pm
CORRECTION: In the 3rd line of the recipe directions, I think it should say “3 1/2 tablespoons of softened butter” (corresponding to the softened butter amount as stated in the ingredient list).
Tim says:
September 27th, 2010 at 4:35 pm
Hi Lena,
Thanks for writing, but the recipe is correct. The remaining softened butter is used on top of the focaccia. Let me know if you have any other questions!
Lynn D. says:
October 15th, 2010 at 3:53 pm
When I was in fourth grade many years ago, my father almost bought a Concord grape farm near St. Joseph, Michigan. The farm had a contract with Welches grape juice. Fun to imagine how my life would have turned out if he had. My mom did learn that the best way to seed a Concord is with a bobby pin!
dinnertonight says:
March 8th, 2011 at 12:53 am
i’ve made this recipe before and it’s excellent. love claudia fleming and always find inspiration in ‘the last course’.
Sandra says:
October 16th, 2013 at 4:40 pm
In the autumn I make grapecakes with red grapes (Dutch Frankentalers) my collegue gives me. I unseed them with tweezers. Still a lot work but the grapes stay undamaged.