Fall Harvest Dinner Recipes & Wine Pairings

Ah, fall. I just adore this time of year. Even though we don’t get many excuses to wear boots or curl up next to a fire around here, we do have our own version of fall in Santa Barbara and it usually revolves around harvest in wine country. Harvest may be buzzing in the vineyards, but it’s also a time to gather around the table, share good wine and savor slow cooked, comforting meals. So, in the spirit of the season, I teamed up with some talented Santa Barbara locals to throw a fall harvest dinner at one of the most beautiful wineries around: Folded Hills. Delicious food and wine pairings, good company and a stunning setting were the makings of a perfect harvest dinner you’ll want to recreate this season.

Folded Hills

Folded Hills is a ranch, vineyard and winery in the Santa Ynez Valley owned by Kim and Andy Busch. Using organic farming practices, they specialize in handcrafted, estate Rhône wines. In addition to rolling hills of vineyards, this picturesque property is home to a farmstead, happy farm animals, a peaceful lake and even a full-sized polo field. Oh, and did I mention the Clydesdale horses? Yes, THE Budweiser ones. Needless to say, this little slice of heaven was the perfect backdrop for our fall-inspired harvest dinner.

The Menu

One of the best parts about being in the wine and food world is meeting so many skilled people in the industry. In order to showcase the bounty of the fall season, and the talents of my fellow collaborators, we created a menu to reflect the comforts of a family-style fall feast in wine country. Not only did Viktoriya Filippova of FOLD help set the scene with her gorgeous linens and place settings, but the food was as delicious as it was beautiful to look at. 

Fall Harvest Grazing Board – by Becky Wilberding of Baking the Goods

Root Vegetable Gratin – by Denisse Salinas of Le Petit Eats

Roasted Squash Salad with Warm Cider Vinaigrette – by me (recipe is below!)

Red Wine Roast Chicken with Grapes and Herbs – by Robin Deem of CaliGirl Cooking

Spiced Up Grape Apple Pie – by Becky of Baking the Goods

Wine Pairings

Angela Osborne, the talented winemaker behind A Tribute to Grace, is also the winemaker for Folded Hills. Using minimal intervention in the vineyard and cellar, she crafts limited-production wines that let the grapes speak for themselves. Each wine is meant to reveal purity of fruit and the unique expression of the site.

2017 Folded Hills Lily Rosé – Grazing Board & Salad

This delicate yet flavorful rosé has mouthwatering freshness and zesty acidity that make it an easy choice to pair with a variety of foods. Though most people associate rosé with summer, it is one of the most versatile food wines out there — a perfect match for mild cheeses, charcuterie and salad (keep reading for my squash salad recipe, below).

2016 August White – Root Vegetable Gratin & Chicken

A blend of 80% Grenache Blanc and 20% Roussanne, this complex and aromatic white wine showcases notes of stone fruit, radish, white pepper and minerality. With a bit of viscosity, it can pair nicely with a heavier vegetable dish with cheese, like this gratin, as well as roasted white meat.

2016 Grant Grenache: Red Wine Roasted Chicken

This pretty Grenache has lots of herbal notes, with hints of smoky tobacco, black licorice and slightly chalky tannins. Though it’s medium-bodied, it feels light on the mid-palate, finishing long with a vibrant backbone of acidity. A smoked/roasted white meat is the right pairing for this, especially with savory herbs.

Roasted Squash Salad with Warm Cider Vinaigrette

To prepare the squash:

–       1 large Kabocha squash (cut into half rings) or Butternut squash (diced into chunks)

–       1 TB maple syrup

–       2 TB olive oil or coconut oil

–       Salt & pepper

Salad ingredients:

–       Dried cranberries

–       Baby arugula

–       Toasted pecans

–       Feta cheese, crumbled

Dressing (from Barefoot Contessa):

–       2 TB cider vinegar

–       ¾ cup apple cider

–       ½ cup olive oil

–       2 TB minced shallots

–       2 tspn Dijon mustard

–       Salt & pepper

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Place squash on a sheet pan. Add oil, maple syrup, salt and pepper and toss. Roast squash for roughly 20 minutes, turning once, until tender and starting to caramelize.

While squash is roasting, prepare the dressing. Combine apple cider, vinegar, and shallots in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Cook for 6-8 minutes, until cider is reduced to about ¼ cup. Off the heat, whisk in the mustard, olive oil, and salt and pepper to taste.

Place the arugula in a large bowl. Add the toasted pecans, feta, cranberries, and squash. Drizzle warm dressing over salad, then sprinkle with salt and pepper and toss.

Special thanks to the following for making this collaboration a success:

Folded Hills for the fantastic wine and location; Silas of Full Frame Fotos for capturing the day with stunning photographs; Viktoriya of FOLD for providing linens, napkins, place settings and the flora & fauna for the table; and Becky of Baking the Goods, Robin of Caligirl Cooking and Denisse of Le Petit Eats for the incredible recipes, food presentation and styling contributions. #gathercollab