Olive Oil Hunter #234

Grape Galette Recipe, Spotlight on Grapes, and The Facts on Flexibility

Autumn grapes are one of my favorite seasonal fruits. Since munching them right off the stem is so delicious, you might not think of cooking them unless you like to make jam. But this galette is so enticing, you’ll want to make it right away. More than just tasty, grapes are a nutritional powerhouse, according to dozens of studies, making them a possible addition to the list of superfoods. 

Grape Galette

• Grape Galette

  A galette is a freeform tart that you can fill with almost any fruit you like. Fall grapes are a perfect choice—you can use one or more varieties, including intensely flavored concord grapes, as long as they’re seedless or you take the time to remove the seeds with the tip of a paring knife after halving them.

  Ingredients

  For the crust:

  • 6 tablespoons unsalted butter 
  • 6 tablespoons ice water
  • 1 cup pastry flour, plus more for rolling
  • 1/4 cup white or golden whole wheat flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

  For the crumble:

  • 1/4 cup whole white pastry flour
  • 8 tablespoons rolled oats
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter

  For the filling:

  • 4 cups seedless red grapes, halved
  • 1/3 cup sugar
  • 2 tablespoons cornstarch
  • 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

  For the assembly:

  • 1 tablespoon half-and-half
  • 1 tablespoon sanding sugar

  Directions

  Step 1

  Make the crust: Cut the butter into small cubes and return to the fridge to stay cold. Next fill a large measuring cup halfway with ice and cold water; set aside. 

  Step 2

  Place the flours, salt, and sugar in a food processor and pulse a few times to mix. Add the cubed butter and process for 10 seconds, just until the mixture resembles coarse meal. With the food processor running, add the olive oil and then 4 tablespoons ice water in a steady stream through the feed tube until dough forms large clumps, about 30 seconds. Test the dough: It should hold when you press a small amount together. If it’s too dry, add additional ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time, and pulse for a few seconds. Transfer the dough to an 18″ length of parchment paper and form into a flat oval. Fold up the sides of the paper and place in the refrigerator for 1 hour.

  Step 3

  Make the crumble: Combine the flour, oats, sugar, and salt in a medium bowl. Cut in the butter with a pastry cutter or a fork until completely incorporated and large crumbs form. Chill until ready to use.

  Step 4

  To assemble the galette, unwrap the dough on a countertop and dust the dough and a rolling pin lightly with flour. Roll out dough, rotating a quarter turn after every few rolls until you have a rough 12″ oval. Slide the dough, parchment paper and all, into a rimmed sheet pan. Chill for 15 minutes while you preheat your oven to 400°F.

  Step 5

  Place the grapes in a large bowl and toss with the sugar, cornstarch, olive oil, and lemon juice. Spoon the filling over the dough, leaving a 2″ border. Fold the edges of the dough up and over the outer perimeter of the grapes, pressing down with two fingers or a serving fork as you move around the tart. Drop dollops of the crumble randomly over the visible grapes.

  Step 6

  Brush the dough border with the half-and-half, then sprinkle on the sanding sugar. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through, until the dough turns a rich golden brown. Let cool for 15 to 30 minutes before serving.

  Yields 8 servings

Healthy Ingredient Spotlight

Choosing Grapes

With so many grapes being sold already bagged, it’s important to look inside to check that they are firm and plump, not wrinkled or bruised, and that whatever the color of their skin, it’s vibrant. Examine the stems—they should be pliable, not dry or brittle, and the grapes shouldn’t fall off on their own.

Quick Kitchen Nugget

Storing Grapes

It’s fine to store grapes, unwashed, in the bag they came in as long as it’s well perforated for air circulation. Place them in a crisper bin away from any pungent items like garlic. Carefully rinse just before eating, cooking, or freezing. Grapes freeze extremely well (frozen grapes make a fun snack, too)—rinse them, carefully pat them dry, transfer them to a rimmed sheet pan, and pop it into the freezer. Once the grapes are frozen, transfer them to a freezer-safe bag or container.

For Your Best Health

Are Grapes a Superfood?

A recent article in the Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry written by resveratrol and cancer researcher John M. Pezzuto, PhD, DSc, dean of the College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences at Western New England University, explored the concept of superfoods and made the case that fresh grapes have earned a prominent position on the list, even as Dr. Pezzuto noted that the term superfood has no official definition or established criteria. Mainstream superfoods are typically part of the Mediterranean diet and generally rich in natural plant compounds linked to healthful benefits.

Grapes are a natural source of over 1,600 compounds, including antioxidants and other polyphenols such as flavonoids, anthocyanidins, catechins, phenolic acids, and resveratrol. Polyphenols are credited with providing many of the health benefits of grapes, thanks to their antioxidant activity and boosts to cellular processes. It is the whole grape and the unique matrix of these compounds within it that creates the biological effects, not a single component.

Over 60 peer-reviewed studies have been published in the scientific literature on grapes and health, according to Dr. Pezzuto, including their role in cardiovascular health, such as promoting the relaxation of blood vessels and healthy circulation, as well as modulating cholesterol levels. Clinical trials also show that grapes support brain health (help maintain healthy brain metabolism and beneficial impacts on cognition), skin health (enhanced resistance to UV radiation and DNA damage in skin cells), gut health (modulating the gut microbiome and increasing diversity in the gut), and eye health (retinal impact via an increase in macular pigment optical density). Finally, in the realm of nutrigenomics—the study of foods on gene expression in the body—grape consumption has been shown to positively alter gene expression in relevant body systems. Dr. Pezzuto suggested that it is these activities at the genetic level that are likely the driving force behind the health benefits of grapes.

Fitness Flash

The Facts on Flexibility 

As explained by the sports medicine experts at the University of California, Davis, flexibility is the ability of joints to move through an unrestricted, pain-free range of motion. Although flexibility varies widely from one person to another, minimum ranges are necessary for maintaining joint and total body health. Range of motion is influenced by the mobility of the soft tissues that surround the joint: muscles, ligaments, tendons, joint capsules, and skin. Other variables include injury, inactivity, and not stretching. Even if you’re active, not stretching can lead to a fatigue-induced soft tissue shortening over time, making muscles feel tight.

The UC Davis experts listed eight benefits of practicing a regular stretching routine:

1. Enhanced performance
2. Decreased risk of injury
3. Increased blood supply and nutrients to joint structures
4. Increased quantity of synovial joint fluid 
5. Increased neuromuscular coordination
6. Reduced muscular tightness and increased joint mobility
7. Return of muscle to natural resting state
8. Modifying blood pooling and recirculation

The flip side is that inadequate flexibility can hurt you in significant ways. Without enough synovial joint fluid, joints, notably weight-bearing joints like the hips and knees, can’t move through the full range of motion needed to maintain healthy cartilage and other structures. Muscles that are inflexible tire more quickly, causing opposing muscle groups to work harder. Muscle fatigue can lead to muscular injuries and the inability of the muscles to protect joints from more-severe injuries. For example, the hamstrings play a role in stabilizing the knee and preventing anterior cruciate ligament, or ACL, tears. Decreased flexibility may also lead to abnormal stress on structures and tissues; developing tendonitis in the knee, for instance, can be a result of calf tightness.

A physical therapist can measure the range of motion in joints with devices such as a goniometer or inclinometer as well as functional tests, identify areas of inflexibility, and create a program to address them with a set routine that can be incorporated into your regular training program. 

A stretching routine should cover all major muscle groups as well as any specific muscle groups utilized in a sport or activity you participate in. The movement of other areas of the body, other than the muscle group being stretched, should be minimized. While each person’s stretching routine will likely be different, the aim is usually the same: to maintain each stretch position for 30 seconds at first, increasing to 1 to 2 minutes, while breathing normally. Begin each stretch slowly and gently, gradually stretching through a muscle’s full range of motion until you feel resistance or mild discomfort—stretch to the point of tightness and then just beyond. You should feel pulling, but not pain. Stay relaxed and do not bounce. Then gradually release the stretch. 

Stretching is most often thought of as a way to loosen muscles, but it is also effective in increasing the mobility of all soft tissues that restrict flexibility. On the other hand, stretching will not head off delayed-onset muscle soreness, the kind that generally occurs the day after unaccustomed strenuous exercise.

It is generally agreed that stretching at the end of an exercise session has great benefits. Stretching before an exercise session though is generally not recommended unless it is preceded by a 5-minute cardiovascular warm-up. Warming up before stretching increases the blood flow and temperature of the muscles, ligaments, and tendons, improving the elasticity and optimal functioning of the muscles and connective tissue. Stretching when muscles are cold could lead to a strain or pull. 

Keep in mind that gaining flexibility takes time and dedication. It may be several weeks of consistent daily stretching before you notice improvement, so try to be patient.

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