Fall Ingredients Dinner

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Mulled Apple Cider

INGREDIENTS

1 gallon apple cider
10 whole cloves
1/2 teaspoon whole black peppercorns, lightly crushed
2 strips orange peel, about 2 inches long
6 dried allspice berries
4 heads star anise
1 cinnamon stick
1 (1-inch) piece fresh ginger, thinly sliced
Orange twists, for garnish

INSTRUCTIONS

Combine apple cider with all other ingredients except orange twists in a large pot and stir well.
Bring mixture to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and let steep for 10 minutes before serving.
Serve cider in a heatproof mug, garnished with an orange twist.


Mini Tapenade and Manchego Sandwiches

INGREDIENTS

1/3 cup Mixed Olive Tapenade (recipe follows)or just use store bought olive tapenade
1 sweet baguette, sliced in half horizontally
4 ounces aged Manchego cheese, shredded (about 1 1/2 cups)
1 ounce arugula leaves (about 1 1/2 packed cups)

INSTRUCTIONS

Heat the broiler to high and arrange a rack in the middle.
Evenly spread tapenade on cut sides of baguette halves. Evenly sprinkle cheese over tapenade.
Place baguette halves on a baking sheet cut sides up, and broil until the cheese is melted and bubbly and the edges of the bread are toasted, about 2 minutes. Top with arugula, close sandwich, and cut into 24 pieces.

Mixed Olive Tapenade

INGREDIENTS

1/2 pound high-quality mixed olives (such as Cerignola, kalamata, and Lucques), pitted
3 oil-packed anchovies, rinsed
1 tablespoon brined capers, rinsed
2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 medium garlic cloves, halved

INSTRUCTIONS

Combine all ingredients in a food processor fitted with a blade attachment, and pulse 20 times.
Scrape down the sides of bowl and continue pulsing until mixture resembles a coarse paste, about 20 more times.


Baby Spinach, Arugula And Toasted Walnut Salad With Golden Raisin Vinaigrette Recipe

Ingredients:

***Vinaigrette***

1/2 cup white balsamic vinegar
3/4 cup golden raisins
1 1/2 teaspoon chopped shallots
1/2 teaspoon honey
Salt and ground white pepper

***Salad***

1 1/2 cup baby spinach
1/2 cup arugula
1/4 bunch flat leaf Italian parsley, leaves only
1 cup walnuts, toasted
1/4 cup golden raisins
2 tablespoons Vinaigrette (above)
Fresh cracked black pepper

Directions:

For vinaigrette, combine ingredients in container with tight-fitting lid and shake to mix thoroughly. Set aside to chill. Shake well before each use.

To assemble salad, mix spinach, arugula and parsley together with walnuts and raisins in large bowl. Toss with a few tablespoons vinaigrette and coarsely ground fresh black pepper. Taste and add more dressing, if desired.

Note: To toast walnuts, spread on baking sheet and roast in oven at 350F until light brown and fragrant.


Simple Roast Chicken (Mon Poulet Roti)

INGREDIENTS

One 2- to 3-pound farm-raised chicken
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 teaspoons minced thyme (optional)

Unsalted butter
Dijon mustard

INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat the oven to 450°F. Rinse the chicken, then dry it very well with paper towels, inside and out. The less it steams, the drier the heat, the better.

Salt and pepper the cavity, then truss the bird. Trussing is not difficult, and if you roast chicken often, it's a good technique to feel comfortable with. When you truss a bird, the wings and legs stay close to the body; the ends of the drumsticks cover the top of the breast and keep it from drying out. Trussing helps the chicken to cook evenly, and it also makes for a more beautiful roasted bird.

Now, salt the chicken — I like to rain the salt over the bird so that it has a nice uniform coating that will result in a crisp, salty, flavorful skin (about 1 tablespoon). When it's cooked, you should still be able to make out the salt baked onto the crisp skin. Season to taste with pepper.

Place the chicken in a sauté pan or roasting pan and, when the oven is up to temperature, put the chicken in the oven. I leave it alone — I don't baste it, I don't add butter; you can if you wish, but I feel this creates steam, which I don't want. Roast it until it's done, 50 to 60 minutes. Remove it from the oven and add the thyme, if using, to the pan. Baste the chicken with the juices and thyme and let it rest for 15 minutes on a cutting board.

Remove the twine. Separate the middle wing joint and eat that immediately. Remove the legs and thighs. I like to take off the backbone and eat one of the oysters, the two succulent morsels of meat embedded here, and give the other to the person I'm cooking with. But I take the chicken butt for myself. I could never understand why my brothers always fought over that triangular tip — until one day I got the crispy, juicy fat myself. These are the cook's rewards. Cut the breast down the middle and serve it on the bone, with one wing joint still attached to each. The preparation is not meant to be superelegant. Slather the meat with fresh butter. Serve with mustard on the side and, if you wish, a simple green salad. You'll start using a knife and fork, but finish with your fingers, because it's so good.


Roasted Acorn Squash with Wild Rice Stuffing

INGREDIENTS

3 medium acorn squash (about 1 1/2 pounds each), halved lengthwise and seeds removed
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 tablespoon packed dark brown sugar
1/2 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
2 medium shallots, finely chopped
4 celery stalks, finely chopped
1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme leaves
2 cups cooked wild rice mix (1 cup uncooked)
2/3 cup pecans, toasted and finely chopped
1/4 cup dried cranberries, finely chopped
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

INSTRUCTIONS

Heat the oven to 450°F and arrange a rack in the middle.
Place squash cut side up on a baking sheet, brush 1 tablespoon of the melted butter over the tops and insides of the squash halves, sprinkle with brown sugar, and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Roast in the oven until just fork tender, about 25 to 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, place 1 tablespoon of the melted butter in a large frying pan over medium heat. When it foams, add the onion, shallots, and celery, season with salt and freshly ground black pepper, and stir to coat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until just softened, about 6 minutes. Stir in thyme and cook until just fragrant, about 1 minute.
Remove from heat and stir in the rice, pecans, cranberries, salt, and pepper.
Divide the rice filling among the roasted squash halves (about 1/2 cup for each) and drizzle the remaining tablespoon of butter over top. Continue roasting until the squash is completely fork tender, the edges have started to brown, and the filling is heated through, about 20 to 25 minutes.

Spiced Honey Cake with Caramelized Figs

INGREDIENTS
For the cake:
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon ground clove
1 1/2 cups honey
3/4 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup strongly brewed coffee
1/2 cup granulated sugar
3 large eggs, at room temperature
For the topping:
2 tablespoons unsalted butter (1/4 stick)
2 pints Mission figs, halved (about 2 pounds)
1/2 cup honey liqueur
1 tablespoon honey

INSTRUCTIONS

For the cake:

Heat the oven to 325°F and arrange a rack in the middle. Coat a 10-inch springform pan with butter; set aside.
Whisk together flour, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, and clove in a large bowl to break up any lumps and aerate; set aside. Whisk together honey, oil, coffee, sugar, and eggs in another large bowl until eggs are broken up and mixture is smooth and combined. Add dry mixture to wet and stir just until combined.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake until golden and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out completely clean, about 1 hour and 20 minutes. Remove the cake from the oven, transfer it to a rack, and let it cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Run a knife around the inside perimeter of the pan and remove the springform ring.

For the topping:

While the cake is cooling, add the butter to a large frying pan over medium-high heat. When the foaming subsides, add the figs cut side down. Cook undisturbed until browned, about 5 minutes.
Add liqueur and honey, stir to coat the figs, and cook until syrup is golden brown and figs are soft but still intact, about 10 minutes. Top the cake with the fig mixture and serve.


Sources: chow.com
epicurious.com