The Best Recipes for Rosé

What to serve with your rosé this summer? For picnics, dinner parties and beach retreats, try one of these simple recipes. From the new book, DRINK PINK, A Celebration of Rosé, by sommelier Victoria James, these are the perfect pairings for any occasion.

Radishes with Butter

I believe it is a requirement in France to enjoy a glass of rosé with this snack. The only trick to making this dish delicious is by sourcing the best ingredients possible.

Ingredients:
1 bundle fresh radishes
5-6 tablespoons of Beurre de Baratte*
1-2 teaspoons of Fleur de Sel
1 fresh baguette
To drink: rosé

Directions:
Clean the radishes and trim off any unwanted greens. Cut into moderately thin slices. Dry and chill on a serving platter in the refrigerator to ensure they are cool and crispy.

Take the butter and place in a small bowl. Make sure there is enough for all of your guests (be generous)! Have this sit on the counter so it comes to room temperature.

Slice the baguette into small 1-2-inch rounds. If fresh, serve as is. If a day old, lightly toast it.

Remove the radishes from the fridge and serve alongside the bread, butter, and salt. Encourage guests to slather a piece of baguette with butter, sprinkle on salt, top with a few radishes (and maybe a bit more salt).

Make sure you have plenty of rosé on hand to drink!

*This type of butter is made the old fashioned way, churned, rather than extracted with a centrifuge. If you cannot find it in your stores, no worries, look for something else slow-churned.

Chèvre wrapped in Garlic Mustard

This is a fun and easy recipe. You can wrap the goat cheese in whatever seasonal herbs/flowers you forage or find at the farmers market. My favorite variation is one you can only make in mid-spring, with garlic mustard leaves and violets.

Ingredients:
1 large piece of fresh goat cheese, about 8 ounces
7-10 leaves and garlic mustard flowers (or other herbaceous plants)
A small handful of violets
1 teaspoon fleur de sel
1 ounce rosé + 1 ounce olive oil
Serve with 1 fresh Baguette
Rosé

Directions:
Roll goat cheese into a ball and press cleaned leaves and flowers onto the sides. Once coated, roll it lightly in fleur de sel. Now drizzle the rosé/oil mixture.

Serve this tangy snack with a fresh baguette and make sure there is plenty of rosé to drink!

Pissaladière

This onion pizza originated in Nice, where it was served early in the morning for breakfast. Now it is more common to find as part of a lunch spread. The anchovies can either be placed whole on the tart or in the form of a ‘pissalat’ (anchovy paste).

Ingredients
Tart:
1 cup flour
Dash of salt
10 tablespoons butter, chilled and diced
3 tablespoons cold water

Topping:
4 tablespoons olive oil
2 pounds sweet onions, thinly sliced
8 salt-packed anchovies, rinsed and filleted
½ cup Niçoise olives, pitted
2 ounces fresh thyme
2 bay leaves
Salt and pepper to taste
Plenty of rosé to drink

Directions
Tart:
Mix flour and salt in a bowl. Add butter and crumble together, being careful not to overwork dough or soften butter. Gather the mixture together with cold water and a fork into a ball, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate it for 1-2 hours. Using a floured surface, roll dough into a rectangular shape about 12 inches long and ⅛ inch thick. Fold up the edges with your fingers or a fork.

Topping:
Warm 2 tablespoon olive oil in a large sauté pan, then add in the onions, salt, bay leaves and thyme. Cook covered, over low heat. Stir occasionally for about an hour. Once the onions are caramelized and so tender that they almost resemble a puree, remove the lid so the juices evaporate, about 10-15 minutes. Make sure that the heat stays low and the onions do not turn color. Season with salt and pepper.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Place topping on the tart dough and arrange a simple design with the anchovies (latticework looks nice!). Place the olives in between the filets. Drizzle olive oil over the top and bake for about 20-30 minutes or until the edges are crispy.

You can serve this dish right away or at room temperature. You can leave it on the counter, covered, for a few days, enjoying a piece here and there throughout the week. Either way, make sure there is plenty of rosé to be had alongside the tart.

Rosé Lemon Sorbet

A cool treat and refreshing way to finish a meal. Super simple yet refined.

Ingredients:
2 cups of dry Rosé
½ cup sugar
1 lemon, peeled into wide strips with a vegetable peeler
½ cup lemon juice
1 cup water

Directions:
In a small pan, combine rosé, sugar, and lemon peel. Cook over moderate heat until the sugar dissolves, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat, then add lemon juice and water. Throw away the lemon peels. Pour this final mixture into ice cube trays or shallow containers. Freeze overnight.

Take the frozen mixture out of the freezer and place in a food processor. Use the ‘pulse’ setting to break it up until smooth but still icy. Scoop the sorbet into a shallow container and freeze again until completely set. This will take another six to eight hours.

Serve with leftover rosé and you can garnish with any berries or citrus fruits you have laying around.