Adpated from Jamie Oliver's Torta di Nada, I can't resist whipping up one of these beauties when the tiny, little purple champage grapes appear in the market late summer.
In keeping with a liking for knowing where our fruit is from these days, Three Sisters Organic Champagne Grapes are grown in the Central Valley at the Soghomonian family's Fresno farm.
Tuscan-Style Grape Torte from the Vineyard Kitchen
4 farm fresh eggs
9 ounces of sugar
7 ounces of melted, unsalted (Clover) butter
4 fluid ounces of extra virgin olive oil (I used our house oil from the Ridgeway's annual custom crush at McEvoy Ranch)
6 fluid ounces of milk
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
14 ounces of white, organic wholewheat flour
1 1/2 teaspoons of baking soda
pinch of salt
zest of a lemon
zest of an orange
1 pound of fresh champagne (or muscat) grapes
Heat the oven to 350 F. Butter a 9 1/2 inch, square baking dish and line with parchment paper. Beat eggs and sugar until thick and creamy, adding butter, oil, milk and vanilla. Sift in flour, baking powder and a pinch of salt, lemon and orange zest. Mix thoroughly. Let sit for five to 10 minutes. Fold in a half of the grapes into mixture and piour into baking dish. Bake for 15 minutes. Remove from oven and sprinkle the remaining fruit on top, pushing down into batter, gently. Bake for a further 30 minutes or more until golden brown on top. Allow to cool before serving with ice cream, or a dollop of whipped cream.
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