In real life, this dish is listed in the vegetarian section of Blackbird’s menu by the very, very not weird name of “Goat Cheese Corn Pie.” So I didn’t notice it at first, but then one day the kitchen brought me out a sample. And gah, mind blown.

I find this dish to be deeply comforting and savory, a delicious and beautifully presented plate of food that has richness, decadence, umami and a satisfyingly hearty texture. In my opinion, it’s… well, dreamy.

The chef describes his corn pie as being a “mix between a custard and a quiche.” It starts with a pecan crust, on top of which there is a layer of roasted corn and local greens, plus goat cheese from Celebrity Dairy in Silver City, NC, baked right in. It’s topped with mushrooms from Mountain Gourmet Mushroom, along with local tomatoes and a white wine butter sauce.

The goat cheese corn pie at The Blackbird in downtown Asheville.

Chef told me that the dish is inspired by a dream he had. In it, the corn pie was a beautiful abstract work of art, stacked “about five feet tall,” with each component having its own “magical layers.” The dream was so vivid, he said, “when I woke up, I just knew I had to do it!”

According to Reppert, his first attempts “fell apart in ways that I didn’t think things could fall apart in.” But Reppert persevered. “The cool thing is, within two days, the dish existed as it is today,” he says.

Wellll… lately, I’m not sure if anything really exists, even myself, so I dunno if Chef’s dream came true or if we’re all trapped in his dream now. But either way, this Goat Cheese Corn Pie thing is frickin’ delish and I recommend it highly!