rosemary & grape pies

jammy black grapes, infused with fragrant rosemary

i’m still deep in my grape baking obsession (see also my sweet & salty grape focaccia here) and have also just finished the wonderful Felicity Cloake’s new book Peach Street to Lobster Lane in which she cycles across the usa tasting pies along the way

the idea of a crisp, buttery pie filled with sweet jammy grapes lodged in my head

i added a sprig of rosemary to the grape filling because it just felt right and i’m really happy with the outcome. it adds incredible complexity and dimension and smells incredible

makes two mini pies (multiply by four if making one full-size pie)

ingredients

pie dough

80g plain flour

pinch salt

pinch sugar

50g cold butter, cubed

1-2 tbsp ice cold water

few drops lemon juice or vinegar

rosemary & grape filling

200g black grapes

15g dark brown sugar

pinch salt

1 sprig rosemary

method

pie dough

add the flour (80g), salt (a pinch) and sugar (a pinch) to a medium bowl and loosely mix together with your fingers

add the cold, cubed butter (50g) and toss through with your fingertips

rub in the butter into the flour until the butter pieces are a mix of fine crumbs and larger flat flakes

drizzle in the vinegar (a few drops) and ice cold water (1-2tbsp) as required to just bring the dough together

tip onto the bench and bring together into a rough disk

wrap in plastic wrap and chill for an hour

rosemary & grape filling

slice the grapes (200g) in half

place in a bowl and toss with the sugar (15g), salt (a pinch), rosemary (1 sprig)

microwave for 2-3 minutes until the grapes are juicy, jammy, and bubbling

let sit for a few minutes to cool, then strain off excess juices (note: this makes an awesome cordial)

cover and let cool completely while the dough chills

assembly

preheat the oven to 200C

if making two mini pies, remove the dough from the fridge and divide in half

roll out the dough into 3mm thick rounds

drape the dough over each pie tin

press the dough into the corners of the tin, then trim the edges

fill each pie tin with half of the cooled grape filling

re-roll the dough scraps into a flat sheet, and cut into strips

arrange into the lattice pie tops

sprinkle with caster sugar

place in the oven to cook for 25-30 minutes, or until the tops are bronzed

let cool before tucking in to avoid any molten lava grapes