Rosé Food Pairing for Fall
Where does Rosé fit in the holiday season?
We all know that rosé is perfect for a day by the pool, but it shouldn't be left till the warmer months return. Rosé has a place in the Fall and Winter months alongside the holidays. The 2023 Rosé we currently serve is a lovely, bright pink of Grenache. It has notes of dried strawberries, pineapple, white peach, lemon rind, rose, raspberries, and a slight minerality. It's too pretty not to invite to the parties!
Rosé Pairing
A few ideas for pairing Rosé are to use dried fruits, nuts, and herbs to welcome it to the table. Some suggestions would be:
Pork Tenderloin with an Apricot Chutney or Sauce
Braised Duck with Herbaceous Wild Rice
Butternut Squash Chili with Cornbread
Thanksgiving Turkey & Chestnut Stuffing
Smoked Cauliflower with Pumpkin Seed Pesto & Tahini
Sourdough Stuffed Acorn Squash (see Recipe Below)
Hopefully, this encourages some ideas for your holiday gatherings! Below is a recipe I came up with since Ethan and I grew acorn squash for the first time this year in our garden. As many of you know, we also make a lot of Cabernet Sourdough, so this would be delicious for stuffing. Cheers to you and yours this holiday season!
Sourdough Stuffing in Acorn Squash Paired with 2023 Rosé
2 Acorn Squash, cut in half & seeds cleaned out
Olive oil
8 cups cubed stale Sourdough
1 cup rough chopped Pistachios
1 cup Dried Cherries
1 cup chopped Medium Onion
1 cup chopped Celery
2 tsp Dried Sage
2 tsp Dried Thyme
1/4 cup chopped Parsley
4 Eggs
1 1/2 cups warmed Vegetable Broth
3 tsp Salt
Pinch of Black Pepper
1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Meanwhile, rub olive oil, salt, and black pepper on the acorn squash halves. Put the squash halves cut side down on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Roast for 35 minutes, or until soft.
2. Toast the pistachios in a small pan and toast for a few minutes taking care not to burn, by moving the pan frequently.
3. Heat olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat and cook the onions and celery until translucent.
4. Next add dried sage, thyme, and parsley with the onion and celery. Mix well and let cook for about 2 minutes.
5. Then pour the onion mixture over the bowl of sourdough. Add in the pistachios, and the dried cherries. Mix.
6. Add the eggs. Depending on the bread dryness and hardness, you can reduce or increase the eggs.
7. Slowly add the vegetable broth to the sourdough-onion mixture. Add and mix gently until the stuffing holds together. Again, you can reduce or increase the broth depending on the bread.
8. Put the mixture in the squash halves and place under the oven's broiler for 2-3 minutes, or until golden brown.
9. Top with more chopped parsley or marigold petals to serve. Best enjoyed immediately.
Notes:
- Add cooked pancetta cubes, or chopped bacon to the mixture.
- Sub onions for shallots or leeks.
- Use avocado oil, butter, or ghee in lieu of olive oil. Brown butter would be amazing!
- Try whatever bread you would like including gluten-free.
- Use chicken broth or whatever stock you have!
- Leftover stuffing? Turn into stuffing balls. Bake for 20 minutes until golden in color.
