Dan's Papers - October 23, 2009 - Simple Art of Cooking

Every year at wine pressing time, Hank Ferlauto whose hobbies are cooking and wine making, invites his friends to celebrate an Italian harvest dinner. Hank's Bridgehampton neighbor, Al Ganci traditionally brings his signature country Italian loaf to the dinners and often infuses his country loaf with olives or even sausage. At Hank's recent harvest dinner party, Al baked a grape focaccia which blew everyone away. I was so inspired by this crusty, rosemary infused focaccia with a touch of grapy sweetness I decided to write about it to celebrate our local wine harvest.

Al grew up in Jersey City, New Jersey where the local baker delivered his fresh baked Italian loaves daily to the Ganci household. His typical Italian mom busied her days preparing fresh pasta, tomato sauce, lasagna and simply all good things to eat. Al didn't know from eating sliced wonder bread. Accustomed to having fresh bread daily, when Al, as a young adult, went out into the world he quickly learned that the breads he grew up with just weren't out there. He took bread baking classes at nearby Nutley high school. That was 30 years ago and Al has continued his passion for bread baking ever since.

Inspired by the season, when Al Ganci added grapes to his focaccia he created something quite remarkable.

2 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary

1 Tbls extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra to finish

4 - 4 1/2 cups all purpose flour

Coarse (kosher) salt

About 1 pound red seedless grapes, rinsed

1. For the sponge: Place 2 tablespoons rosemary into 120 degree warm water to infuse. Allow water to cool down to between 90-100 degrees, about 8-10 minutes, and pour in the yeast. Allow yeast to proof about 5 minutes. Add olive oil to the water. In a mixing bowl large enough to hold the ingredients, pour in the rosemary infused water/ yeast mixture. Add 1/2 cup flour and 2 teaspoons salt and stir to incorporate the liquid into the flour. Add 2 more cups flour and stir to mix thoroughly, cover bowl with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place away from drafts for 45 min. to 1 hour.

2. Uncover bowl and work remaining 2 cups flour into the mixture then turn out onto a floured board. If dough feels a bit sticky add a bit more flour to the board and knead the dough until smooth and elastic, about 6-8 minutes. Dough should feel supple as compared to kneading bread dough. Turn dough in a lightly oiled bowl, cover and let rise as above for 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

3. Place dough on a lightly floured board and cut in half. Knead each half for a minute or two then stretch, pull and flatten each piece on lightly oiled baking sheets. If shape is irregular it doesn't matter. Divide seasonings sprinkling over coarse salt and remaining rosemary pressing into the surface of the dough. Drizzle extra-virgin olive oil over each focaccia and divide grapes to press into dough randomly. Bake each focaccia for 25 minutes until golden brown. Let rest then cut into slices for snacking.

The vineyards on our own East End inspired this timely grape tart recipe.

Your own pastry dough or store bought

2 pounds wine or dark red seedless grapes

1/4 cup plus 3 tablespoons sugar

1/2 cup pine nuts, lightly toasted

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, diced

1 tablespoon Kirsch or Grand Marnier

1. Roll out dough on a floured work surface to 1/8 inch thick. Drape the dough over a rolling pin and transfer to a large cookie sheet. Prick the bottom of the shell with the tines of a fork and refrigerate until firm, at least 30 minutes or longer.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2. Stem and rinse the grapes; pat dry with paper towels. Set aside.

3. Beat egg whites in a small bowl until frothy and stir in 1/4 cup sugar and pine nuts. Spread mixture evenly over the dough to within 1 1/2 inches of the edge. Arrange the grapes on top closing all gaps by adding more grapes as necessary. Sprinkle remaining 3 tablespoons sugar over the top and dot with butter. Bring up edges of dough and fold over to create a border. Lightly brush edges with water.

4. Bake the tart on the middle shelf for 40-50 minutes, until fruit is tender and the pastry is golden brown and crusty.

5. About 15 minutes before the tart is done, simmer the grape jelly over very low heat for 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the liqueur.

6. When tart is done, slide onto a large cutting board and drizzle the jelly mixture over the top to glaze the fruit. Can be prepared ahead. Cut tart into wedges and serve with a dollop of whipped cream or vanilla ice cream, if desired.