Concord grape tart with cinnamon crumble

I've never really liked "grape flavored" foods, but I've always loved eating fresh grapes. As I've gotten older, I've started to really enjoy foods made from real grapes like jelly or juice (or wine), but I still can't stand anything grape flavored (e.g., fake grape flavors in candy).

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For the past couple of years I have been wanting to make a concord grape pie. We live in an area surrounded by grape growing and wine making, and I guess grape pie is pretty common (although I had not seen or tasted it in real life before I made this tart). 

But, I was intrigued by the idea of it and during the peak of concord grape season, I prepared the filling and froze it to make a different pie for Thanksgiving this year. It ended up being a tart because I had less grapes than I needed to make a pie -- but it worked out well because the grapes are so sweet, that the layer was thick enough for me! 

Everyone enjoyed this tart and the grape flavor was so bright and pronounced. I highly recommend saving this recipe for next fall and giving it a try! If you want to have it at your next Thanksgiving dinner, you can freeze the grapes after they cool and then just stir in the remaining ingredients after they thaw. 

This recipe will make one 9-inch tart.

Concord grape tart with cinnamon crumble
for the filling:
1-3/4 lbs. Concord grapes
scant 1/2 cup sugar
4 tablespoons cornstarch

for the crumble:
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
pinch of sea salt
3 packed tablespoons brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
3 tablespoons cold butter, cut into small cubes

one recipe for your favorite pie crust (or this one with olive oil)

First prepare the grape filling. Slip each grape out of its skin and put the pulp in a medium saucepan and the skin in a large bowl. Heat the pulp over medium heat, stirring often, until soft, about 10 minutes. 

Then place a fine mesh sieve over the bowl of skins and place the pulp into the sieve. Use a wooden spoon or rubber spatula the press the pulp through the sieve until the majority of the pulp is in the bowl and the seeds remain in the sieve. 

Stir the grape mixture and let cool. Then stir in the sugar and cornstarch (making sure there are no lumps).

While the filling cools, prepare the crumble. Whisk together the flour, salt, brown sugar, and cinnamon in a medium bowl. Then cut in the cold butter using your fingers until it is distributed and small clumps form. Place in the refrigerator.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Fit the crust into a 9-inch tart pan on a baking sheet. Pour in the filling. Bake for 10 minutes and then scatter the cold crumble on top. Reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees and continue to bake until the crust and crumble are golden and the filling is set and bubbly, about 25-30 minutes. 

Remove from the oven and let cool completely before serving.