There’s nothing like homemade comfort food and a nice glass of wine to soothe your soul on a chilly night. Stuffed acorn squash makes me long for Thanksgiving. The aromas of baked apple and cinnamon wafting through the air just makes me smile. It tastes so decadent. You feel like you are giving into your cravings, but it’s actually quite good for you.
I am pairing this sweet and savory treat with a glass of oaked Chardonnay. Oak imparts a lot of complex flavor in a wine like those beautiful baking spices of cinnamon, nutmeg and clove. These flavors are particularly noticeable when a wine is aged in French Oak. I really enjoyed the Schug Chardonnay from Carneros with this dish. This wine also works well with crab bisques, roast chicken and an array of seafood dishes. It’s a great wine for under $30. A little fun fact; Walter Schug, the founder of Schug Carneros was also responsible for creating America’s first bordeaux style blend – Insignia.
When buying a Chardonnay from California, I gravitate to Russian River Valley, Carneros and Santa Barbara. These micro-climates are perfect for the Chardonnay grape. Sonoma-Cutrer is pretty reliable from vintage to vintage for under $20. I also really enjoy Jordan, Cakebread, Grgich, Ramey and Rombauer Chardonnay.
Recipe: Roasted Acorn Squash
Ingredients
1 acorn squash
1 apple (peeled & diced)
1/4 cup pecans
1/4 cup craisins
2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 tsp. ginger
1/8 tsp. ground cloves (small pinch)
1/4 tsp. sea salt
1 tbsp. honey
1 tsp. walnut or grapeseed oil
Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cut a small piece off bottom, so you have a level suface. Take out seeds and place upside down in a roasting pan and add about 1/2 cup water and roast for 45 minutes.
While the squash is roasting, mix remaining ingredients in a medium bowl and set aside. After 45 minutes remove squash from oven, turn over and stuff with apple mixture. Place back in the oven for an additional 45 minutes. Serves 2.
