Fall’s comfort food
by Tara Davis
I don’t know about you, but fall means family to me. Maybe it’s the variety of comfort food offerings on menus, or that I spend all year waiting for Thanksgiving. Perhaps it’s simply a case of nostalgia. Once the summer heat breaks and I see the first glimmer of orange on the trees, I begin to crave heartier, earthier fare.
We all know what an impact certain smells can have on our memories, and I believe there are some dishes that are part of our collective culinary consciousness. Apples, pumpkin, squash, a hearty stew — these are the hallmarks of fall cuisine.
But fall isn’t only about the excuse to be gluttonous on a certain third Thursday in November. It’s about cool evenings, spending time with the important people in your life and enjoying the food that warms us from the inside out.
A weekend affair
Imagine your dearest friends from out of town are staying with you for the weekend. Scratching your head, you wonder what you’ll make that will both impress and please them. Because there is no shortage of great area restaurants, take them out to dinner Friday night. After that, focus on a menu that can be prepared well in advance, which will leave you with plenty of time to enjoy your guests’ company.
I make a lot of soups in the fall and winter. One of my favorites this time of year is a roasted butternut squash soup, which I complement with a dollop of cardamom-infused crème fraîche. A small serving of this makes a wonderful first course for a Saturday meal; it has a perfect balance of earthy, sweet and savory. Plus, it yields enough to be paired with a salad and crusty bread for dinner the next day. This soup freezes well, so you can have it on hand for an unexpected visitor or mid-week meal.
Next, I recommend a velvety, rustic pot roast. I owe my passion for food largely to my grandmother, who is a fantastic cook with a bowl-scrapingly delicious pot roast. Here, I have made some minor additions to her recipe. I typically serve it over buttered whole wheat egg noodles. It is one of those dishes that truly tastes better after it’s had some time for the flavors to meld. Make it a day or so before company arrives.
For dessert, I make a cranberry apple-almond crisp that also provides an intoxicating aroma as it cooks. When served warm, à la mode, it is fall heaven in a bowl. This also can be made ahead of time and simply reheated.
On Sunday morning, awaken your guests with the intoxicating smell of pumpkin French toast. Because this is a relatively familiar dish, there’s not much to the preparation. I like to elevate this humble breakfast by making it with brioche, stirring in some pumpkin and spices, and then garnishing it with cinnamon whipped cream and pecans.
Keep these recipes on hand the next time you’re asked to host family and friends, or even if you’re going away for the weekend to see some fall colors. Just consider yourself forewarned: They might never want to leave.
Tara K. Davis is a personal chef and cooking instructor based in Chapel Hill. An active member of the Slow Food USA/Triangle and a supporter of the local farm-to-table movement, she frequently offers group cooking demonstrations through her company, The Studious Chef. To learn more, visit www.studiouschef.com.
Fall recipes
Recipes by Chef Tara Davis
Roasted Butternut Squash Soup with Cardamom Crème Fraîche
(serves six)
For the soup:
1 large butternut squash, halved, seeded and pierced several times with a fork
2 sweet potatoes, halved
5 carrots, roughly diced
4 stalks celery, roughly diced
2 onions, roughly diced
1 quart chicken broth, plus extra for adjusting consistency
3/4-cup heavy cream or half and half
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 tablespoon ground cardamom
1/2-cup maple syrup
1 bay leaf
Salt, pepper and brown sugar to taste
For the crème fraîche:
1 cup crème fraîche
1 teaspoon maple syrup
1 to 2 teaspoons ground cardamom
Salt
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Baste squash and sweet potatoes with melted butter and season with salt, pepper, and brown sugar. Bake for approximately 45 minutes or until tender.
In a heavy saucepan, sweat onions, carrots and celery until tender. Add chicken stock and bay leaf to pot and simmer. When squash and sweet potatoes are cooked, peel and add to pot. Bring to a slow boil for about 15 minutes.
Working in small batches, puree soup in a blender. Pour pureed soup back into pot, add cream and maple syrup, and simmer for 5 minutes.
To make the crème fraîche, mix with the maple syrup, cardamom and salt, and serve drizzled on top of soup.
Morie’s Pot Roast
(serves eight, with leftovers)
4 pounds boneless chuck
3 onions, thinly sliced
7 carrots, cut into ½-inch circles
5 stalks celery, cut into ¼-inch slices
2 packages button or cremini mushrooms, halved or quartered
2 1/2 cups beef broth
1 cup red wine
All-purpose flour for thickening
1 bay leaf
2 to 3 sprigs each of fresh thyme and rosemary (optional)
Salt and pepper
Extra-wide egg noodles
Season meat generously with kosher salt and pepper. In a heavy pot or Dutch oven, brown meat on all sides. Remove meat and set aside.
Sauté onions, carrots and celery in same pot until crisp-tender. Add garlic cloves, rosemary, thyme and bay leaf.
Deglaze the pan with red wine. Reduce by half. Add beef stock and bring to a boil. Return meat to pot. Cover, and simmer approximately 3 hours or until fork tender and meat pulls away easily.
Meanwhile, sear mushrooms over high heat until golden brown and add to pot.
Remove meat from pot and whisk in flour by the tablespoonful until desired thickness is reached for gravy, and return to a boil. Add meat back into pot. Serve over buttered egg noodles.
Cranberry Apple Almond Crisp
(serves eight, with leftovers)
For the topping:
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 sticks of chilled unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch cubes
1 cup old-fashioned oats
1/4-teaspoon ground cloves
2 teaspoons cinnamon
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 cup pecans, coarsely chopped
For the filling:
6 to 8 medium Granny Smith, Golden Delicious or other apples, peeled, halved, cored, and sliced to 1/4-inch
3/4-cup dried sweetened cranberries, or picked fresh cranberries
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 teaspoons orange zest
2 teaspoons ground ginger
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground cloves
In a bowl, combine topping ingredients and mix with hands until mixture forms small clumps. Cover and chill while making the filling.
If using fresh cranberries, place in a pot, and cover with water and orange zest. Bring to a boil, and reduce slightly. If using dried cranberries, pour a cup of boiled water over berries to rehydrate.
Toss apples with the rest of the filling ingredients. Add drained cranberries with about 2 tablespoons of the cooking liquid. Mix well. Place filling into a buttered 13-inch-by-9-inch-by-2-inch baking dish, and bake at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes or until crust is golden brown and filling is bubbling. Cool completely at room temperature, then cover and chill.
To serve, reheat portions and top with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.
Pumpkin French Toast with Spiced Cream
(serves four)
For the French toast:
1 large loaf brioche, challah or Hawaiian bread
8 eggs
1/2-cup milk
1 cup pure pumpkin puree
2 teaspoons cinnamon
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1/2-teaspoon ground cloves
1 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Maple syrup
Pecans, coarsely chopped for garnish
For the whipped cream:
1 pint heavy cream
1 to 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
Slice bread into 1-inch-thick pieces. Beat eggs with milk, spices, sugar and vanilla. Dip bread slices in egg mixture and coat both sides well. Transfer to a plate. Cook toast in a large buttered pan or griddle until each side is golden and eggs are cooked through. To keep warm, place French toast in a preheated 200-degree oven and tent with aluminum foil so it doesn’t dry out. Whip cream with vanilla, sugar and cinnamon until stiff peaks form. Garnish toast with whipped cream, nuts and maple syrup.