Thomcords Are the Better, Grapier Grape for Fall Baking

We are living in a time of transition. There is upheaval. There is strife. We cast away our iced coffees to mark the annual return of the Starbucks PSL. That's right: it's fall. And that means it's time to let the donut peaches and heirloom raindrop tomatoes drip through our fingers until they return again in 2020.

It also means that grape season is in full swing.

You may think "grape season" is no big deal. "I can buy grapes at grocery stores, pharmacies, and gas stations year round!" you say. But here is something you can't get year round—or at gas stations: Thomcord grapes.

A hybrid of Concord grapes (the juicy, jewel-like dark purple grape that beget the flavor most associated with grape candies, juices, and jellies) and green Thompsons (the most ubiquitous of all the seedless grapes in America), Thomcords have two distinct qualities that make them exceptional. First, these grapes have the rich, deep flavor associated with Concords. Second, they don't have the pesky seeds that make Concords so obnoxious. These purple orbs are a grape season game changer.

Thomcords aren't new—they were developed by the USDA in the mid 1980s and were eventually determined suitable for market in 2003. In the intervening years, Thomcords have made the rounds at farmers' markets and specialty grocers and they are finally making their way into more and more mainstream grocery stores.

In addition to their seedlessness, the Thompson side of the family passed along their delicate skins, making this snackable hybrid especially well suited for baking. If you've always wanted to make a Concord cake or pie but couldn't imagine the hours spent slipping off the skins and fishing out the seeds, you're in luck. If you've always found the grapes in your fridge to be juicy but kind of bland, you're in for a smack of nostalgic juice-box flavor. Well, at least for the next few weeks.

Unlike Thompsons and Red Globes and those other grapes you see year-round, Thomcords are a more delicate crop. That means they really are still very much a seasonal product, available from August through early October.

Their color ranges from blue-black to an almost shimmery reddish purple—and that's all in one bunch. And while the Thompson influence makes Thomcords a bit milder than true Concords, in general the darker the grape, the richer its jammy, Concord-like flavor.

Use them in any recipe that calls for grapes—no matter what kind of grape is called for. They'll work wonderfully in vinegar-spiked grape-and-fig sauce, with pork chops, or in a crumb cake so full of grapes you wouldn't even have considered it if seeds were involved.

And for that matter, feel free to use Thomcords even when grapes aren't expressly called for. Truth is, the first time our crumb cake made the rounds in the Epicurious office, one coworker exclaimed, "what kind of blueberries ARE these!?" So just go for it. Make an autumnal, grapey spin on classic blueberry muffins. Don't mourn the end of berry galette season—just swap in grapes for a Thomcord tart! What I'm saying is, anything your grape can do, Thomcords can do graper—er, greater. And that goes for blueberries too.

Grape Cake with Hazelnut Streusel

Originally Appeared on Epicurious