Another adventure in Autumn’s produce, this soup combines rich butternut squash and tart Golden Delicious apples with a touch of curry and cinnamon. The produce used below was grown locally. There were several recipes online for this type of soup, but none really matched what I was looking for, so this is more of an original creation with a little help. Great for a rainy day! This is also going to be Turmeric-mania Recipe #8.

1 butternut squash, peeled and seeded, cut into 1-inch chunks
3-4 small or medium tart apples, peeled and cored, cut into 1-inch chunks
2 tbsp butter or oil
1 medium onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 tsp curry powder
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
4 cups vegetable stock (chicken broth can be used instead)

In a large stockpot over medium heat, melt butter or heat oil and add onion and garlic. Saute 3-5 minutes until tender and fragrant. Add salt, curry powder, and cinnamon. Saute 2-3 additional minutes.

Add vegetable (or chicken) stock, butternut squash, and apples. Bring to a boil and simmer gently for 25-30 minutes, until squash and apples are tender.

Working in batches, puree soup in a blender or food processor until smooth. Reheat if necessary. Serve with roasted pumpkin seeds and a pinch of nutmeg (if desired).

From Everyday Food magazine, this recipe combines seasonal pears with crisp amaretti cookies and rich mascarpone cheese. Select pears that are just ripe in order to keep the best shape. Pears ripen best after they have been picked, so purchase under-ripe pears a few days prior to making this dish and store the pears at room temperature, standing upright. To speed things up, add an apple. The skin will change from bright red or green to a dull yellow-red or -green when ripe.

4 firm, ripe Bartlett pears, red or green
2 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
pinch of salt
1/2 cup mascarpone cheese
amaretti cookies (Italian almond macaroons)

Preheat oven to 375F

Halve pears lengthwise and use a melonballer or spoon to remove core. In a baking dish or roasting pan, toss pears with sugar, lemon juice, and salt. Arrange pears in a single layer, cut side down.

Pour 1/4 cup water over pears and cover dish tightly with aluminum foil. Bake 25-30 minutes, or until pears are tender. The skins will begin to turn amber.

To serve, place a pear half cut side up on a plate and top with a tablespoon of mascarpone cheese. Crumble 1-2 amaretti cookies on top.

Now that the days are getting shorter and colder, it is time to shift the ingredients used in Jenn’s Cook Book to Fall. There is still plenty of fresh produce available, but these fruits and vegetables will be a bit heartier than the light tastes of summer. Recipes containing fresh, seasonal produce for Fall will now be in the new category Autumnal Delights. Like the Farmer’s Market category, this will include main dishes, sides, desserts or beverages made with Autumn’s most abundant produce. Below, I have compiled a list of some of Fall’s most popular items (with help from Real Simple magazine, Simply in Season, and Everyday Food).

Apples: varieties include Honey Crisp and Red Delicious, which are great eating out of hand, and MacIntosh, Golden Delicious, and Granny Smith, which are slightly tart and great for baking. Although apples are usually available year-round, Michigan might as well be called Apple Country in the Fall. Look for apples in soups, baked desserts, and roasted with root vegetables or tenderloin.

Cabbage: available in red or green in the fall, and great for salads, soups, and slaws.

Carrots: another item usually available year-round that gets a spotlight in Autumn. Carrots are great in roasts, in soups, and in salads.

Cauliflower: look for bright white cauliflower, or new golden yellow or purple varieties as well. Both cauliflower and it’s green cousin broccoli flourish in the Autumn months. Try these crunchy veggies raw, roasted, or steamed.

Grapes: look for red, green, globe, concord and more (seedless or not). I love grapes, but I do not believe they are in any recipe on the website (unless you count raisins). Like apples, Michigan has tons of great grape varieties, especially with all of the lake-shore vineyards. I may try out grapes in some baked desserts.

Leeks: another item not yet found on Jenn’s Cook Book. Look for leeks possibly in soups or mixed with root vegetables for the Fall.

Mushrooms: really, always available but considered an Autumn item. Mushrooms are probably one of my favorite things to throw into a recipe, so there is a wide variety of recipes to come!

Parsnips: a root vegetable that looks like a pale carrot. Again, there are no recipes yet on the website to go with this Fall vegetable, but I definitely have plans for the parsnip.

Pears: Fall favorite, look for Anjou, Bartlett, or Bosc varieties, which hold there shape well when cooking. Pears need time to ripe, so purchase a few days before using. Pears are great for Autumn desserts, as well as tossed with roasted vegetables and pureed in soups. They are also delicious to eat out of hand, like apples.

Persimmons: a fruit I am not familiar with, but will be available in the Fall. This may or may not make it into some recipes.

Pomegranates: already featured on the website in juice form, fresh pomegranates will be available through winter (a great holiday fruit).

Sweet Potatoes: sometimes labeled yams by mistake, these orange potatoes are great broiled, baked, or roasted. This is one vegetable that can be used in both sweet and savory applications.

Winter Squash: includes Acorn, Butternut, Buttercup, and Pumpkins. Winter squash have tough skins, unlike summer squash like zucchini and yellow squash that have edible skins, and take much longer to cook. Varieties like butternut or pumpkin can be used in sweet dishes as well as savory. Look for cooking methods that take little preparation but longer time, like baking, roasting, simmering, or steaming. Also unlike summer squash, winter squash have seeds that should be removed before cooking.

Seasonal Flavors: with heartier produce comes heartier herbs for Autumn, such as bay leaf, coriander, rosemary, sage, savory, and thyme. Also look for strong spices like cinnamon, cloves, curry, ginger, nutmeg, paprika, and turmeric. Other seasonal flavors include caramel, fennel, hazelnut, and pecan. Also look for chick peas, lentils, and red onions.