Serves 4-6

This is a recipe given to me by my friend and Slow Food comrade, Carol Shriver. Carol also happens to be a fantastic cook. I tried this wonderful recipe for the first time several weeks ago and it's gone into my `keeper' file.

Cream together:
1 egg
½ C. butter
½ C. raw turbinado sugar
½ C. dark brown sugar

Add:
1 C. + 2 T. all purpose flour
1 t. baking soda
1 ½ t. cinnamon
1 t. nutmeg
1 t. ground cloves
1/8 t. salt
2 large apples, cored and diced, not peeled
½ C. chopped pecans or walnuts

Mix together lightly, just until barely mixed. Dough will be very stiff and dry. (Used more apples and nuts if desired).

Preheat oven to 325ºF. Scrape batter into a buttered 8 x 8 baking pan, and bake for 35-40 minutes.

Serve with whipped cream, ice cream, or pour heavy cream mixed with some mascarpone cheese over the top of a warm square.

Adapted from Simple to Spectacular, by Jean-Georges Vongerichten and Mark Bittman
Serves 4

The key to this lovely soup is absolutely homemade chicken stock, the stronger the better, and using fresh herbs for the tiny dumplings. The dumplings are small and light, and take the soup from the ordinary to the sublime. This soup makes a fine first course before dinner, or an elegant lunch served with some late tomatoes and a glass of Riesling.

2 Lbs. butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut into chunks
4 C. strong chicken stock

1 t. tarragon, minced
2 T. chervil, minced
1 T. parsley, minced
2 T. chives, minced, reserve 1 T. for garnish
4 oz. fresh goat cheese, drained in a strainer for a few minutes
1 egg
¼ C. flour
1/8th t. freshly grated nutmeg
¼ C. freshly grated parmesan

Combine the squash, chicken stock, and salt and pepper to taste in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium low, cover and cook until the squash is very tender. Cooking time will vary depending on the size of the squash chunks.

While the squash is cooking, combine the minced herbs (leave out 1 T. chives for garnish) with the goat cheese, add the egg, flour, nutmeg and parmesan. Mix lightly with a fork, season with salt and pepper to taste, and refrigerate the mixture.

Puree the squash until smooth in a blender with just enough stock to complete the job. Make sure the soup is smooth with no chunks. Add the remaining stock, whisk and adjust seasonings. Reheat the soup until steaming.

Drop teaspoons of the dumpling mixture into the steaming soup, and cook for about 2 minutes from your last dumpling. Do not overcook - a light hand and careful attention pay off here as the dumplings are delicate. Serve immediately, garnished with the remaining minced chives.

Serves 4-6

I love, love, love pork shoulder - it cooks to fork tender with long, slow cooking. Serve this with buttered egg noodles, creamy polenta, or mashed parsnips. If you should be so lucky to have leftovers, shred the meat and serve the next day on soft white rolls with sweet pickles and coleslaw.
One 4 to 6 lb. bone-in, fresh pork shoulder half (boneless pork shoulder can be substituted)
4 garlic cloves, cut into slivers
2 T. olive oil
1 t. sage powder
6 medium onions, halved lengthwise, then cut lengthwise into 1/4-inch-thick slices
3 apples, peeled, cored, and cut into 6 wedges
1 ½ C. unfiltered apple cider

Preheat oven to 325°F.

Score fat and any skin on pork in a crosshatch pattern. Make slits all over meat with a small sharp knife and insert a garlic sliver in each slit. Pat pork dry and season with salt, pepper and sage.

Heat oil in a 4- to 5-quart ovenproof heavy pot over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then brown meat on all sides, turning occasionally with the aid of tongs and a carving fork, about 8 minutes. Transfer pork to a plate.
Add onions to pot and sauté over moderately high heat, stirring occasionally, until softened and starting to turn golden, about 5 minutes. Add 3/4 teaspoon salt and sauté onions, stirring occasionally, until onions are golden and caramelized, 8 to 10 minutes more.

Stir in cider and apples, return pork to pot. Cover pot with a tight-fitting lid and braise pork in middle of oven until very tender, 2 1/2 to 3 hours.

Transfer pork and as many apples as you can to a serving dish with the aid of tongs and carving fork. Boil cooking juices with onions until mixture is reduced to about 2 cups, 2 to 3 minutes, then season to taste with salt and pepper, serve with pork.
Note: Pork can be made 1 day ahead. Cool uncovered, then cover to chill. Reheat in liquid, covered, at 325°F 1 hour.

Adapted from Cooking at Home with a Four Star Chef by Jean-Georges Vongerichten and Mark Bittman
Serves 4

A simple and terrific salad, using simple fall ingredients. It's important to get the fennel and apple slices as thin as you possibly can, so use a mandoline or the slicing attachment of a Cuisinart.

2 fennel bulbs
2 very fresh, tart, crisp apples
1 lemon, juiced
2 T. best quality olive oil
12 juniper berries
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Trim the fennel, cutting off the tops and reserving some of the feathery fronds. Cut the apples in half, unpeeled, and core.

Slice the fennel in the thinnest possible slices, from the bottom to the top. Repeat with the apple, getting the thinnest possible slices you can. Toss with the olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper.

Crush the junper berries with the side of a wide knife, and mince. Add to the salad, and let all sit for about 5 minutes, or up to one day covered and refrigerated. To serve, arrange on salad plates and garnish with some of the reserved feathery fronds from the fennel tops.

Serves 10

Here's a great vegetable side dish for Thanksgiving or a fall potluck. Try to use the last of the fresh thyme and marjoram before it freezes outside the kitchen door, the fresh herbs really make a taste difference here. Cut your vegetables into uniform sized chunks so they will cook evenly, and don't disregard the balsamic and lemon peel - they add a really nice dimension to the sweetness of the roasted veggies.

9 T. extra-virgin olive oil
2 T. plus 1 1/2 t. chopped fresh thyme
2 T. plus 1 1/2 t. chopped fresh marjoram
2 lbs. yams, peeled, halved lengthwise, then cut crosswise into 1 ½ inch chunks
1 ½ lbs. carrots, peeled, cut into 1 ½ inch rounds (4 cups)
1 ½ lbs. parsnips, peeled, cut into 1 ½ inch rounds (4 cups)
1 ½ lbs. turnips, peeled, cut into 1 inch chunks (4 cups)
1lb. medium shallots, peeled and left whole
Optional: 1 ½ lbs. small beets, peeled; 1 ½ lbs. small fingerlings or red potatoes, left whole

3 T. balsamic vinegar
3 T. chopped fresh parsley
2 t. grated lemon peel

Position 1 rack in top third and 1 rack in bottom third of oven and preheat to 425°F. Whisk 6 tablespoons oil, 2 T. thyme and 2 T. marjoram in large bowl. Add carrots, parsnips, turnips and shallots, toss to coat. Sprinkle vegetables generously with salt and pepper and divide between two rimmed baking sheets. Add yams to the bowl and toss to coat with oil - add a bit more if necessary. Roast vegetables for 20 minutes, then add yams. Roast all until tender and brown, turning occasionally, about 50 minutes total. Can be made 4 hours ahead. Let stand at room temperature.

Whisk balsamic vinegar, remaining 3 T. oil, 1 ½ t. thyme, and 1 ½ t. marjoram to blend in small bowl. Drizzle over roasted vegetables. Sprinkle with chopped parsley and lemon peel. Season with more salt and pepper, if desired. Transfer to a platter, serve hot or at room temperature.

Adapted from Cooking at Home with a Four Star Chef by Jean-Georges Vongerichten and Mark Bittman
Serves 4

Delicious and easy, a one pot meal for a crispy fall night. The Fennel and Apple Salad are especially nice with this dish.

¼ lb. best quality thick sliced bacon
2 T. butter
2 T. good quality olive oil
3 lb. chicken, cut into 8 pieces
Salt and pepper
4 cloves garlic, lightly crushed
Fresh thyme sprigs
1 C. pitted prunes
1 lb. small fingerling or new potatoes, cut into ¾ inch chunks
1 ½ C. rich, homemade chicken stock
2 T. chopped parsley for garnish

Chop the bacon coarsely, and place in a pot of cold water to cover. Bring to a boil, drain and rinse in cold water. Preheat the oven to 500º F.

Place a Dutch oven on the stove and turn the heat to high, add both butter and olive oil. Season the chicken with salt and pepper, and place skin side down in the pan of bubbling butter and oil. Tuck in the garlic, and two or three thyme sprigs. Sprinkle the bacon over the chicken. Cook until the chicken begins to brown, and turn them over for 2 minutes more. Scatter the potatoes and prunes over the top, and add the stock. Bring the whole pot to a boil, then place in the oven, uncovered.

Remove the breast pieces first, after about 10 minutes, or when cooked through. Cook the rest for another 10 minutes, until the chicken is nicely browned and the potatoes are just done. Return the breast pieces to the pot, baste, and serve.

Serves 4

I have been making these pears forever, they were a favorite of mine when I was cooking for a crowd and needed to spend hours in the kitchen. The bad news is you need to baste them every 20 minutes for two to three hours. The good news is your efforts pay off - the pears look stunning, the slow roasting turns the pears a burnished and lacquered brown. The pears can sit at room temperature for half a day once they're done - although it's important you plate them on the dishes you'll serve them on when you take them out of the oven. If you try to move them later, the sticky, delicious sauce will have hardened and you risk tearing your picture perfect pears, and (God fobid!!) not having ample cooking liquid to drizzle.

4 Bosc Pears
4 t. honey, crystallized works well but is not necessary
4 T. water

Preheat oven to 300º F. Scoop out the bottom of each pear with a melon baller, and trim the bottom of the pear sparingly so that it will sit evenly in a baking pan. Take a teaspoon of the honey, and fill the scooped out hole in each pear with the honey. Place the pears in a glass baking dish with enough room so that they don't touch. Add the water and place in the oven. Baste the pears every 20 minutes, drizzling the liquid over the top of each pear. If the liquid dries up, add another 4 T. of water.

Test the pears for doneness after two hours, a knife should pierce the skin easily. They may need up to three hours of roasting. Plate each pear individually and drizzle with the cooking juices. Serve warm or at room temperature with crème anglaise or good quality vanilla ice cream.