Pie and wine for dinner? Sounds like an indulgent night alone, remote in hand — but make that a savory pie, and you’ve got yourself a dinner party. This simple galette (a rustic tart) is made with butternut squash, sage and blue cheese. The latter is traditionally tough to pair with wine, but sommelier Nate Redner of Lincoln Park’s Oyster Bah suggests ripe, fruit-forward pours that will tame the cheese’s sharpness.
Make this: Squash Galette
Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat; add 1 onion, sliced in thick half-moons. Cook until softened, 10 minutes. Mix in 1 package (10 ounces) cooked frozen butternut squash puree, thawed. Season with salt. Place 1 pie crust for a 9-inch pie on a parchment-lined baking sheet; spread with squash mixture, leaving a border about 1 1/2 inches wide. Sprinkle with 1/4 cup crumbled blue cheese and 5 fresh sage leaves, chopped. Season with plenty of pepper. Fold the border of the crust over the edge of the filling. leaving the middle exposed. Bake at 375 degrees until crust is golden brown, 30-35 minutes. Makes: 4 servings
Recipe by Joe Gray
Drink this
Pairings by sommelier Nate Redner of Oyster Bah, as told to Michael Austin:
2014 Hugel & Fils Gentil, Alsace, France: This traditional blend is composed of gewurztraminer, pinot gris, riesling, muscat and sylvaner grape varieties, which contribute varying amounts of warm spice and floral aromatics, weight and high acidity. The wine’s notes of clove, cardamom and allspice will complement the squash. The tart blue cheese in the dish, often a pairing challenge, will match nicely with the wine’s ripe fruit and slight honeyed character.
2012 Domaine Raspail-Ay Gigondas, Rhone, France: From the southern Rhone, this red shows dark berry aromas and strong notes of thyme, rosemary and juniper — all great matches for any squash or root vegetable. This wine has a fine tannin that will not be too tight or take over the dish. Again, looking at the tricky blue cheese component, the dark fruit core of this wine will help tame the cheese’s sharpness.
2015 Bedrock Esola Vineyard Zinfandel, Amador County, California: This heritage vineyard was planted in the 1910s and then replanted in 1964, landing it solidly in the “old vine” category. Old vine zinfandel translates to concentration and intensity, and this wine is packed with mulberry, boysenberry, plum, tobacco and cocoa notes, with pomegranatelike acidity. Earthy notes will match the squash and sage, with plenty of fruit to play nicely with the blue cheese.
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