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Tuscan Grape Bread - Schiacciata

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Christina Georgina

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Tuscan Grape Bread - Schiacciata

by Christina Georgina » Mon Oct 10, 2011 8:55 pm

A focaccia really, traditionally made at grape harvest time. Mentioned a week or two ago in the NYT food section. I've made it several times and varied it each time but a riff on Marlena de Blasi's recipe in Regional Foods of Italy is a winner.

Fresh rosemary, fennel seeds , anise seeds and cracked black pepper are steeped in olive oil and then mixed into a not too sweet yeast dough. A layer of seedless concord grapes from my very prolific arbor this year was placed on half of the dough shaped into a flat rectangle then covered with the second flattened half. Topped with another layer of grapes, the remains of the spices and oil then showered with sugar and left to raise. Baked for 30 min till the grapes popped and oozed it was a beauty. The sweet, savory taste was sublime. Perfect with roasted pork but sublime the next day smeared with gorgonzola and drizzled with honey and served with Vin Santo as a dessert. Never had it any better. A beautiful Tuscan food item and well worth the effort. Like all focaccia, it dries out quickly, so best eaten soon after baking.
Carol Field makes it with raisins. Others use commercial red or green seedless grapes. I prefer the savory, or at least, not so sweet renditions.
Mamma Mia !
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Carrie L.

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Re: Tuscan Grape Bread - Schiacciata

by Carrie L. » Tue Oct 11, 2011 8:56 am

Christina, that sounds absolutely amazing. What happens to the grapes? Do they stay plump and juicy or do they shrivel up a bit?
Hello. My name is Carrie, and I...I....still like oaked Chardonnay. (Please don't judge.)
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Christina Georgina

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Re: Tuscan Grape Bread - Schiacciata

by Christina Georgina » Tue Oct 11, 2011 5:22 pm

THey burst and the juice carmelizes with the sugar. The fatter ones retain some moisture, the small ones shrivel. The ones inside just drain their juice into the dough - like any berry cooked in dough
Mamma Mia !

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