Fall flavors

Image by andrewodom via Flickr

On a few occasions I’ve talked about how fall is my favorite season, but for some reason I have neglected to mention one of the main reason why – fall flavors. When the temperature begins to fall and the winds turn chilly my mind turns to the dishes that I love to make with butternut squash and cranberries.

For the past few years I’ve been making a roasted butternut lasagna with port wine cranberry sauce around Thanksgiving time that has always gone over well. The port wine cranberries, which I incorporated on a whim into the bechamel sauce that I make for my lasagna, were left over from my first attempt at a non-traditional creme brulee.

Then last year, as I ramped up my non-traditional Thanksgiving Day menu, I added a roasted butternut squash risotto to the fall flavor rotation. And soon I will be introducing a new menu item to my arsenal, a roasted butternut squash and apple bisque, thanks to the suggestion of a fellow blogger.

The one thing that I haven’t tried, quite surprisingly, is making a roasted butternut squash ravioli. I have made a ravioli with sweet potato puree and maytag blue cheese, which came out pretty good, but I kind of cheated with those and used wonton wrapped rather than pasta sheets. I think that before this season is over I am going have to force myself to make the butternut squash raviolis with real pasta.

The basis for many of these recipes is the same basic elements – roasted butternut squash and cranberries braised in port wine. There is no particular rhyme or reason to their formulation and they are so versatile you can use them pretty much however you want. Here is how I create mine, if you have any interest in following along with my fall flavors series.

Roasted Butternut Squash

• 1 butternut squash, peeled, seeded and chopped
• Olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/4 cup brown sugar (or molasses)

1. Preheat over to 350 degrees
2. Coated the chopped butternut squash lightly with olive oil
3. Add the cinnamon, nutmeg and brown sugar, then toss to combine
4. Spread out onto a cookie sheet (lined with parchment paper helps)
5. Roast in the oven for approximately 60 minutes or until fork tender

Port Wine Cranberry Sauce

• 1 12oz package of fresh cranberries
• 1 cup port wine
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• orange zest
• dash of salt

1. Add the port wine, water and sugar in a medium sauce pan and bring to a boil
2. Wash and pick over cranberries, then add them to the sauce pan
3. Bring back to a boil, then reduce heat to medium and cook for 10 minutes, or until cranberries burst
4. Stir in the cinnamon, nutmeg, orange zest and salt
5. Using a blender or an immersion blender, blend until smooth
6. Allow the sauce to cool before using in any other recipe

As you can see, there is nothing to it. After all, if I can do this, anyone can. It just takes some prep time to get the basic elements assembled. Once you create these you can make one of many different dishes right away. Alternatively, you can store it in the refrigerator for about a week or freeze it for about a month before using.

I’m going to start the series over here and will obviously share the recipes, however I may also get adventurous and post some videos of the fall flavors recipes over at my ebook site – peachesenrisotto.com.

On tap for the fall flavors series:

• Roasted Butternut Squash and Apple Bisque
• Roasted Butternut Squash Lasagna and Port Wine Cranberries
• Port Wine Cranberry Creme Brulee
• Roasted Butternut Squash Ravioli
• Roasted Butternut Squash Risotto