Autumn is coming.

As a kid, I remember seeing seasonal school calendars, and noticing that September was always lumped in with the autumn months.  The month of September was typically represented by a back-to-school image, which made sense, but the accompanying theme of falling leaves did not.  The first month of school back in Davis, CA was often plagued by near 100°F days, not giant piles of leaves.  I know that this extended summer is not the norm everywhere, but I was still surprised by the weather change here in Philly this month.  It is noticeably colder at night, and the uncomfortable humidity makes only occasional appearances now.  Don't get me wrong, I like this cooler weather.  It reminds me of what San Francisco is like most of the year, but I was finally starting to enjoy the warmer nights.

To pay homage to this transitional month, I'm using a seasonal fall ingredient to salute the last few weeks of warm weather:

The Grape

When people discuss favorite seasonal ingredients, grapes are almost always overlooked.  Grapes, like apples and oranges, are ALWAYS at the grocery store.  This promotes the false notion that they do not have a domestic or local season, but they do!  Like anything found during their prime harvest time, they will taste better, look nicer, and cost less.  Side note: Bananas also hang around all year in our produce markets, but they are tropical and therefore don't have a season.   What gets shipped to us isn't the most exciting, most delicious, banana specimen out there....but that's another post for another time.

For grapes, we are entering the peak of the season.  Grapes are harvested from July to December, and although we may only think of red and green (typically both Thomson Seedless hybrids), there are many varieties to eat, just think of all the wine varietals.  Other familiar eating varieties include the Concord (the best "baking" grape), the similarly coveted Korean Kyoho, and hundreds of others, including hybrids such as the Thomcord (a seedless cross between the green Thomson and Concord).  Ok, before I go food-nerd crazy on more grape varieties (grape nuts? Sorry...), let's get to the recipe!

Recipe: Fresh Grape Granita

Ingredients:
1 pound seedless Grapes, any variety.
Depending on your grapes:
1-2 tablespoons water
1-2 teaspoons lemon juice
1-2 teaspoons sugar
1-2 tablespoons wine (like Muscat) or liqueur (St. Germain)

Tools: Blender, fork, metal pan

Method:
1. Wash grapes, remove from stem.
2. Place grapes in a blender.  Blend for 3-4 minutes until smooth.  If you want less pulp, you could strain it at this point, but I like it a little thicker.

These grapes look like giant cranberries here...

At first you'll think "this is going to have lots of grape skin that I'll need to strain out",
but just keep it going at a medium-low speed, and it will be fine.

3.  Taste the grape mixture.  If you are using typical table grapes, as I have, your grapes are probably super sweet.  Add at least 3 tablespoons of water and 2 teaspoons of lemon juice.  If your grapes are a specialty or heirloom variety that is not overly sweet, but full of flavor and color, start with just 1 tablespoon of water and 1 teaspoon of lemon juice.  After making any additions, taste and reevaluate.  Keep in mind that when frozen, flavors are slightly muted, so don't dilute the natural flavor too much.
4.  Once you are done tasting, pour juice into a shallow metal dish or pan, and place in the freezer.
5.  Once the grape juice is completely frozen, which takes at least 5 hours (overnight is easiest), scrape it into crystals with a fork.  That's it!
6.  Re-scrape and fluff with a fork before serving in chilled bowls or glasses.  If you are going to wait a few days to serve, be sure to cover it with plastic.

Sliced grapes are surprisingly beautiful! 

The Result: A sweet, icy treat that will please just about everyone.  A perfect ending to a filling and rich meal.  Serve with fresh grapes (a contrasting color or flavor would be a nice touch), or pour sparkling wine or soda to make a refreshing and sophisticated slushy.

So this granita is for you, September, enjoy the treat!  Now if you could tell October and November to play nice, I'd really appreciate it.