Pie of the Tiger

In the November 15, 2008 issue of Wine Spectator, Sam Gugino comes to Philadelphia to profile Chef Daniel Stern. (See The Apple Pie of Mom’s Eye, subscription required.) Guigino falls in love with the apple pie Stern serves at Gayle and Rae, a recipe from his mother’s bakery that he tweaked:

The Gayle version I sampled was one of the best apple pies I’ve ever eaten. It was incredibly rich—although I should have expected that given the half-pound of butter, shortening, and two cups of sour cream in the recipe. Despite this richness, the crust was extremely tender and the taste of the apples came through nicely, even though I tasted the pie in August, before the flavorful local apples arrived. I also liked the fact that the flavors and textures of the pie—apples, brown sugar, cinnamon, butter, sour cream, and walnuts—were all in harmony. The gently herbal thyme ice cream provided the perfect foil.

Because Stern provides the recipe, you could make it at home. But if you did that, you’d miss out on the exciting wine pairings Rae’s sommelier, Ryan Davis, suggests: Leacock’s Bual Maderia 1966, Selaks Ice Wine 2005 or the Merryvale Muscat de Frontignan.