Grape Pie (Recipe)

When I was a kid I learned much about waiting patiently for something you wanted.  Every week my mom, my brothers and I would go to the grocery store.  I remember having to sort through the banana stand to find a certain number of green and a certain number of yellow bananas so we could have ripe bananas all week.  That, at least, was my mom's goal.

My goal was much different: get as many bananas as I could as close to browning as possible.  Heck, if the peel was falling off of them, even better.  You see, in my house once browned, bananas  would no longer have to lay with the other lowly fruit on the counter.  No, in my house a browned banana was deemed worthy of glory, worthy of refrigerator status.  Once refrigerated it would lay in wait until more joined it's royal quarters. 

When my mom deemed it "time" these ugly, nasty old "royal" bananas were turned into what can only be described as, "Bananas the way God intended them!"  Bananas made into bread!

I can still smell the banana bread baking in the oven.  The oven light stayed on so we knew the precise millisecond they went from batter to bread.  It was worth the week long burn on your tongue you received to get the first scorching hot bite.  Pretty sure my tongue is all scar tissue at this point from too many banana bread burns in childhood---worth it!

I learned to do the same with apples to get apple pie.  Delicious apple pie.

Now the roles have changed, I'm the mom trying desperately to get my kids to eat all their fruits and veggies.  All the while having three little ones (and one husband) who try desperately to get me to turn bruised apples to apple pie, past their prime oranges to orange popsicle, mushy pears to pear sauce, and withered grapes into....

Streusel-Topped Grape Pie

 

Double Crust (save the other half for later):
1 C butter, chilled and cubed
1 Tbsp sugar
2 3/4 C flour
8-10 Tbsp water

Filling:
4 C grapes
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1/3 C flour
1/4 + 2 Tbsp sugar
2 Tbsp butter, softened

Struesel:
1/2 C flour
1/4 C sugar
1/4 C brown sugar
1/4 C butter, chilled

Preheat the oven to 400. 
In a food processor mix flour sugar and butter.  Process until grainy.
Slowly add water until until crust comes together.
Flour counter, place dough on flour and divide in half.  Form half into a disc and freeze for later use.
Roll out the other thalf and place in pie plate. 

Cover with parchment paper and refrigerate 15-20 minutes.
Fill with pie weights (I used dried beans).  Bake 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, process all filling ingredients in food processor until smooth (there will be some flecks of skin).

When the pie crust is baked remove beans and parchment and fill with grape filling.  Bake at 400 for and additional 25 minutes.

Meanwhile in a bowl, use a fork to mix the struesel ingredients until grainy/clumpy.

When pie with filling is baked add struesel to top and bake an additional 15 minutes. 

Let cool fully and serve with whipped cream.