Tuscan Grape Calzone
The Christmas gift of an Easy Bake Oven when I was seven years old began my lifetime joy of baking. My first baking adventure was a heart-shaped chocolate cake for my classmate’s birthday. The satisfaction I received from that first foray into baking, led me to experiment with many recipes and techniques for baking breads and desserts traditional to my Italian heritage. Who can forget the first dessert I baked for my husband? It was my Tuscan Grape Calzone creation, a unique dessert which has become my baking Claim to Fame.
The idea of creating a Grape Calzone came to me after reading an article about the history of cooking with grapes. The concept of grape bread dates back to the eighth century B.C. in Tuscany, where grapes were first cultivated. For centuries, this bread was made only during the harvest when wine grapes were available. Today, because grapes are available throughout the year, this delicious dessert bread can be made any time.
My baking legacy began in Abruzzo, Italy long before I was born. This region is where, as a young girl, my grandmother Antonina baked bread for her family in a wood-fired communal oven in the tiny mountain village of Assergi. The common bread of the region is called pagnotta. In America, Antonina prepared the pagnotta dough on a large wooden table and then placed the loaves on the floor of her wood-fired oven to bake. My mother often recalled that magical bread, vividly describing the rich yeasty smell, the crispy crust, and how she and her eight siblings would tear into it before it had completely cooled.
A calzone is an Italian bread with a filling, and my husband loved my Grape Calzone from the very first taste as have so many others who have marveled at the simplicity and earthy flavors of this rustic dessert. In my extended family, originating from my father’s eighteen and my mother’s eight siblings, I am famous for this creation. I have baked this dessert calzone for my cousin’s surgery clinic, my husband’s office staff, and for many gatherings of family and friends. My only Grape Calzone disaster was serving it half-baked , due to a malfunctioning oven, to my brother-in-law, a trained baker.
To make my Claim to Fame Tuscan Grape Calzone, I start with a sweet pizza-like dough, rich in extra-virgin olive oil. After rolling out the dough, I place black seedless grapes and toasted walnuts over half. Next, I sprinkle sugar and drizzle olive oil over the grapes and walnuts. The other half of the dough is folded over the grape mixture and sealed in the shape of a calzone. Before placing in the oven, I press more grapes into the top and sprinkle on more sugar and olive oil. Yum! Friends and family love this interesting and historically-inspired dish, especially with a side of whipping cream whisked together with mascarpone cheese. Simply delicioso!
Tags: calzone, dessert, grapes, Italian desert, pizza dough
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