Emily’s Cajun Cooking Adventure: Green Grape Pie

Published 10:00 am Wednesday, March 30, 2022

Hidden in a cubicle of The Daily Iberian exists a treasure trove of cookbooks that date back to when Julia Child influenced American mealtimes, when salads were suspended in gelatin and when TV dinners were making their appearance.

These cookbooks, however, titled “Cajun-Creole Cookery,” were forged by the readers of The Daily Iberian — your mothers, fathers, aunts, uncles, grandparents and siblings — by using their recipes.

Now, I’ll just say it — I’m not a great cook but I try my best, and what better way to get better at cooking than with practice? This week marks the first of an ongoing series where I (attempt to) cook recipes from the Cajun-Creole Cookery books. If you’ve seen “Julie & Julia” then you know exactly what I’m talking about. If you haven’t, go watch it. It’s great.

This week I decided to start things off safe by making a Green Grape Pie. Sounds harmless enough but the amount of butter this recipe calls for will make your body ache. Another confession: I’m not a huge fan of butter. Oops.

Also, please note, that this recipe will yield four pies. So, unless you’re having a party, I’d suggest doing a little math to reduce the recipe to how much pie you actually want.

This recipe is also, unfortunately, very vague. I imagine this was designed for a baker who is well experienced in pie-making (not me).

I’m not too upset with the results of my first attempt. I probably could have cooked it a little longer but I was afraid of it burning. The recipe doesn’t give you an exact amount of time to cook it … just “until firm.” The overall flavor and texture of the pie are fine, but it’s not something that I’m in any hurry to make again. I didn’t make a pretty pie but it does taste like grapes … and butter.

Anyone who is interested in cooking along with me, please do! Give the recipe a try yourself and then email me the results at emilye@daily-iberian.com so I can share them in our newsletter or even a gallery on our site if I get enough submissions.

Here’s the recipe:

Green Grape Pie (makes 4 pies)

• 1 quart of green grapes

• 3 1/8 cups butter

• 4 cups sugar

• 12 eggs

Heat grapes and mash. Remove seeds. Mix butter into the pulp and add sugar. Beat well. Add slightly beaten eggs. Pour into unbaked pie shells (enough for four pies). Bake at 350 degrees F. until firm. If desired, pastry strips may be staggered across the top of the pie.