This Spiced Grape Apple Pie tastes of mulled wine with tart apples, bursting grapes, zesty orange & warming spices. All baked inside a tender and flaky all butter pie crust.
What happens when you bring 5 Food/Lifestyle bloggers together for dinner? Magic. Dreamy, color coordinated, delicious magic. It starts with a snack board and ends with this festive Spiced Grape Apple Pie.
I know what you’re thinking, that’s what life looks like through an Instagram filter. But here’s the thing, this is what life looks like somewhere between the sunset on summer and the head rush of the holidays. There is a little window of slow magic that happens every year. But if you blink you could miss it.
Fall Harvest Feast at Folded Hills in the Santa Ynez Valley, CA
Image by Silas Fallstich.
We couldn't let this magical moment pass without a celebration of the season, so my fellow Santa Barbara blogger buds and I decided to gather together for a Fall Harvest Feast at our favorite local winery, Folded Hills.
Together we cooked up our dream dinner on the idyllic property nestled in the folding hills of Santa Barbara wine country. Surrounded by vineyards, pastures and the spunkiest little heritage pigs, majestic Clydesdales and elegant peacocks imaginable. I wish I could sit you all down and feed you this fabulous feast. Followed up with a fat slice of my Spiced Grape Apple Pie.
Viktoria of FOLD outfitted our table with her handmade, textural autumn-toned linens and that set the mood for the entire tablescape. Inspired by the linens, we all combined our serving ware, props and table styling techniques to create a bountiful backdrop for the harvest spread.
My experience/obsession with grazing boards came in handy for the appetizer course combining sharp cave aged Cheddar
, creamy Syrah soaked Toscano
and a wheel of hand brûléed Brie cheese
topped with candied pecans
, served with briny Castelvetrano olives
, chianti salami
, pistachios
, dried apricots.
Served with bread from a favorite local bakery Oat Bakery. Cheese dreams really do come true, people. Just wait til you see the Spiced Grape Apple Pie.
Hana-Lee of the Santa Barbara-based wine and travel blog, Wander and Wine tossed together an autumnal salad loaded with seasonal Roasted Squash Salad with Warm Cider Vinaigrette. She then expertly paired each course with a lovely bottle of Folded Hills wine. Get her salad recipe and read about her pairings here.
Denisse, the super talented blogger and photographer behind Le Petit Chef baked up a show-stopping Root Vegetable Gratin that had me going back for seconds and maybe thirds.
Robin, the blogger behind Cali Girl Cooking cooked up a stunning Red Wine Roast Chicken with Grapes and Herbs roasted to perfection with sumptuous grapes, loads of fresh herbs and earthy shallots. Have you ever seen a chicken look prettier?
Let's talk Spiced Grape Apple Pie
And you know I can't be part of a fall gathering without packing in the pie, so I baked up a Spiced Grape Apple Pie to honor the fall and wine harvest inspiration. The juicy grapes burst with flavors of mulled wine in every bite.
Grapes in pie?
Yes! This Spiced Grape Apple Pie may sound a little different. We all have our go-to apple pie recipe. But grapes in pie? Grape pie is indeed a thing. So is grape apple pie, aka grapple pie. Grapes can be so much more if we just give them a chance. When baked with crisp and tart Granny Smith apples, they burst with character.
Concord grape pies are popular on the East Coast but we don't often see Concord grapes out west. Instead, this Grape Apple Pie recipe uses a seedless Thomcord grape variety. I used seedless Thomcord grapes from Trader Joe's.
Roasting or baking grapes deepens the flavor, giving them an alluring complexity and texture
This Spiced Grape Apple Pie has multifaceted flavors and textures. An unexpected combo of the apples and grapes, combined with the brightness from orange zest is a lovely start of flavors. Combine that with the warmth from the spices and a buttery crust and this Grapple Pie is in business.
Spice is nice
Cinnamon, ginger and cloves combine in this Grape Apple Pie recipe. The warming spice melt together with the lush, deep purple grapes and tart green apples as the pie bakes. The flavors transform to a warmly spiced grape apple pie filling with seasonal flavors reminiscent of mulled wine
.
Start with my All Butter Vodka Pie Dough recipe
All of that gets baked between the flaky layers of my all butter vodka pie dough which creates the flakiest, most tender crust imaginable. Feeling fully inspired by the wine harvest season, I topped the pie with a weaved, leafy
crust and a cute little cluster of tender pie crust grapes.
This Spiced Grape Apple Pie a delightfully unexpected surprise
I know we've all got our favorite apple pie recipes, my go-to is my famous Apple Cheddar Pie. However, I encourage you to try something new and unexpected this season. Perhaps this Spiced Grape Apple Pie or maybe my Chocolate Hazelnut Maple Bourbon Pie. Think beyond the basic pie recipes and spice things up this season.
Whatever you bake, this magical time of year deserves to be celebrated. What better way than gathering your friends for a bountiful Fall Harvest Feast that's slowly savored and ends with a handmade Spiced Grape Apple Pie?
How to bake a frozen pie
This Spiced Grape Apple Pie can shaped and frozen ahead of time. However, there are a few key tips to keep in mind when baking a pie from frozen.
- After shaping the pie, chill the whole pie in the freezer on a baking sheet.
- Once it is firm, carefully wrap it tightly with plastic wrap to seal. I often add a layer of foil outside of the plastic wrap to help fight off freezer burn. When wrapped tightly, the pie will last a couple of months in the freezer.
- When baking a frozen pie, there is no need to defrost. Just go straight from the freezer to oven. It will take an additional 10 up to 30 minutes to bake thoroughly, depending on the pie. You can test to see if it's ready by inserting a toothpick or skewer, if the apples feel soft, it's ready. If they are still pretty firm, keep baking until the apples are soft.
- Never bake a frozen pie in a glass or ceramic baking dish as it may explode in the heat of the oven. Instead use a metal pie dish.
A huge thanks to our pals at Folded Hills Winery for letting us take over their property for the day to enjoy this Fall Harvest Feast. Thanks to Tory of Folded Hills for her gracious help in organizing this perfect day and for being such a joy to hang out with and work with.
Big ups to our photographer for this Fall Harvest Feast - the uber-talented Silas Fallstich of fullframefoto.us. Thanks for making our set up and us look good!
PrintRecipe
Spiced Grape Apple Pie
- Total Time: 3 hours
- Yield: 8 slices
Description
Tart apples and sweet grapes burst with flavor when baked with zesty orange and warming spices inside a flaky all butter pie crust, evoking flavors reminiscent of mulled wine. The perfect pie for a fall feast.
Ingredients
- 2 disks all butter vodka pie dough or favorite pie dough (see recipe notes)
- 4-5 Granny Smith apples - peeled & cored, about 2 lbs
- 3 cups Thomcord or other seedless red grape, about 1 lb
- 1 medium navel orange, zested & juiced
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoons ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon ground cloves
- 2 tablespoons tapioca starch (or cornstarch)
- 2 tablespoons cold butter, cut into ¼" cubes
Instructions
You will need 2 disks of prepared pie dough, you can't go wrong with my All Butter Vodka Dough Recipe. *This recipe makes 2 disks. *If the dough is frozen, allow to thaw in the refrigerator overnight.
First, Remove the dough disks from refrigerator and allow them warm up for at least 15 minutes on the counter.
Make the Grape Apple Pie Filling
- Cut the peeled and cored apples into ⅛"- ¼" slices. Place in a large mixing bowl and toss with grapes, orange zest & juice, sugar and spices. Set aside for at least 15 minutes so the juices begin to release from the fruit.
- In a small bowl, stir the tapioca starch together with a few tablespoons of the fruit juices to form a slurry. This will help thicken the filling so you don't end up with a soggy bottom pie. Then toss the slurry with the fruit.
Roll out the Pie Dough
- While the filling is resting, roll out the dough. Roll out the first disk onto a lightly floured surface about 11" round and ⅛" thick.
- Gently transfer the rolled dough into a 9" pie pan, leaving a 1"-2" overhang all the way around. Trim the edges and gather the scraps together, wrap scraps in plastic wrap and store in the fridge.
- Tuck the edge underneath itself to form a ring around the edge of the pie plate.
Place the pie shell a lined baking sheet in the fridge and chill while you roll out the other dough disk. - Roll the second dough disk into a round shape ⅛" thick. Using a straight edge and a pizza cutter or small knife, cut the dough into 1" - 1 ½" wide strips. *If the dough strips are becoming too warm and soft, transfer to a lined baking sheet and chill in the fridge for a few minutes.
- Gather the scraps together and cut out leaf shapes or make a little grape cluster if you'd like. *If the dough is getting too soft, chill in the fridge for a few minutes to firm back up.
Shape the Grape Apple Pie
- Spoon the spiced up grape apple pie filling into the bottom shell, forming a mound that is taller in the center of the pie. Then dot the top with ¼" butter bits.
- Arrange half of the dough strips horizontally over the filling, evenly spaced out. Use the longer strips in the center and the shorter strips towards the edge.
Gently fold back every other strip just past the center and lay another long strip across the pie, perpendicular to the horizontal strips. Unfold the strips to their original position, back over the top of the perpendicular strip. - Going in the same direction, fold back the strips that weren't folded back the first round, lay another perpendicular strip on top, them fold them back to their original positions.
Repeat the process on the other side of the pie. Be sure you are alternating the strips that are folded back so that they weave in and out, over and under. - Trim away any extra long edges. Tuck the edge underneath itself to form a ring around the edge of the pie dish. Flute the edges by pinching the dough between your thumb and pointer finger on one hand and your pointer finger knuckle on the other. *If you have extra pie dough, re-roll to create more leaves and arrange the leaves and grape cluster on top of the weave in any pattern your heart desires.
Bake The Pie
- Preheat the oven to 400° F. *You can bake right away but I highly recommend freezing the pie whole to retain the shape. I prefer to freeze for at least 1 hour before baking but if you can't at least freeze the pie while the oven preheats.
- Place the chilled pie on a lined baking sheet. Just before baking, whisk the egg with a teaspoon of water until blended. Gently brush the top and fluted edges of the pie with the egg wash. Sprinkle with sparkling or turbinado sugar.
- Bake at 400° for 20 minutes, then lower the temperature to 350° and bake for another 40-50 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through. Bake until the filling is bubbly and the crust turns a deep golden color, you may need to cover the edges and or/tent the pie to keep from over-browning.
*if baking a frozen pie, it may take an additional 10-25 minutes to bake thoroughly. You can test to see if it's ready by inserting a toothpick or skewer, if the apples feel soft, it's ready. If they are still pretty firm, keep baking until the apples are soft. - Allow to cool on a rack for at least 1-2 hours before cutting, I know it's hard. Slice and serve with fresh whipped cream or a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
Notes
My All Butter Vodka Pie Dough recipe is my go-to, never fail solution to all things pie. You can't go wrong with this recipe.
This pie can be shaped and frozen ahead of time. Once shaped, chill the whole pie in the freezer on a baking sheet. Once it is firm, carefully wrap it tightly with plastic wrap to seal. If wrapped tightly, the pie will last a couple of months in the freezer. When baking a frozen pie, there is no need to defrost. Just go straight from the freezer to oven. It will take an additional 10-25 minutes to bake thoroughly. You can test to see if it's ready by inserting a toothpick or skewer, if the apples feel soft, it's ready. If they are still pretty firm, keep baking until the apples are soft. Do not bake a frozen pie in a glass or ceramic baking dish as it may explode in the heat of the oven. Instead use a metal pie dish.
- Prep Time: 1 hour
- Chill Time: 1 hour
- Cook Time: 1 hour
- Category: Dessert
Robin |CaliGirl Cooking says
This was such a dreamy afternoon and evening, I can't stop thinking about it. And my mouth starts watering every time I think about that pie!!!
beckysue says
It really was a dreamy day. The whole meal was to die for and the dishes complimented each other perfectly. We must do it again ASAP! <3 <3 <3