Butternut Squash and Pear Bisque

Finite Cellars Wine pairing: 2024 Laurelwood District Chardonnay

Recipe Origin: Vitaly Paley, Paley’s Place Cookbook

Scale of difficulty: Steph can make this (4/10)

Before we dive into the recipe we must acknowledge the great Paley’s Place - a James Beard awarded restaurant in Portland Oregon that specialized in high end farmer connected foods. This was a must stop for any foodie in Portland for 26 years, but sadly closed in 2021. Ben has the cookbook and lives by some of the recipes, you will see his favorites throughout this blog. If you can find a copy of the book, do yourself a favor and buy it!

This curried butternut squash soup is autumn in a bowl. Rich butternut squash, sweet pear and apple cider, a bit of spice from curry powder, rounded out with cream and crème fraîche make for a complete meal on its own. We recommend pairing this with the Laurelwood District AVA Chardonnay which simultaneously compliments the bright fruit profiles wile also making the rich undertones slightly more complex.

Ingredients:

Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 onion
1 butternut squash
1 Bosc pear
4 1/2 tsp curry powder
1 c apple cider
3 c water (we do half water half chicken stock)
1 parmesean rind
1c heavy cream
Salt and pepper to taste
Crème fraîche and dill For garnish

Recipe:

1: Sauté onions in olive oil until clear
2: Cube and sauté to soften squash and pear
3: add curry powder (and parmesean rind if you have one)
4: add apple cider and water/broth
5: simmer until squash is very soft
6: blend and slowly add cream
Serve with a garnish of Crème fraîche, a touch of dill garnish and a glass of Finite Cellar’s Laurelwood District Chardonnay.

Image of soup ingredients

Sautéing onion, squash, and pear in olive oil