Summer barbecues, we will always love you, but there’s something special about food in the fall. Cozying up with comforting dishes, playing with classic flavors like cinnamon and ginger and sharing food with family and friends: for home cooks, it’s a season of endless possibilities, even before Thanksgiving rolls around. Here are some of our favorite fall recipes — three tasty dishes and one spirited cocktail — that will have you ready to ring in the season with style.
Breakfast Quiche with Sweet Potato Crust
Ingredients
- 3 ½ cups shredded sweet potatoes (It’s best to hand-grate these on the large side of a box grater or use the grater tool on your food processor.)
- 1 egg white
- 1 tbsp. flour (use gluten-free if needed)
- 2 tsp. extra virgin olive oil
- ¾ tsp. kosher salt
- ¼ tsp. fresh ground black pepper
Instructions
Preheat oven to 425 degrees and spray a 9-inch cast iron skillet or other oven-proof skillet with cooking oil.
Place the shredded sweet potatoes in a bowl of water and toss around to release some of the starch. Drain and place the sweet potatoes in a clean towel and squeeze out any excess liquid. Place the sweet potatoes back in the bowl, add in the egg white, flour, salt and pepper and toss until coated.
Dump the sweet potato mixture into the prepared skillet and press into an even layer along the bottom and up the sides.
Bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden. If the edges of the potato crust get too dark, cover the quiche loosely with tin foil.
Remove from the oven and add in your favorite quiche filling. A goat cheese and thyme filling makes a good match with this crust.
Lemon Pepper Nut Crusted Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 cup ground nuts
- 1/4 cup Panko bread crumbs
- 1 egg
- 1 tbsp. milk
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1/2 tsp. black pepper
- Vegetable oil and butter
- Lemon peel
Instructions
Beat together egg and milk. In a bowl, combine nuts, crumbs, lemon peel, salt and pepper. Coat fish or chicken fillets with egg mixture, then dip in pecan mixture, pressing lightly. Set aside while the oil and butter heat in a big skillet. Saute the fillets until golden and serve with a squeeze of lemon. Variations: add chopped Italian parsley, basil, dried rosemary, ground chili and/or cumin.
Pecan Tassies
Ingredients
- 3 oz. softened cream cheese
- 1 stick of butter
- 1 cup flour
- 2 pinches of salt
- 1 egg
- 3/4 cup brown sugar
- 1 tsp. vanilla
- 1 cup broken pecans
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Beat together cream cheese with butter, flour and a pinch of salt. Wrap dough and refrigerate until firm—several hours or the day before. Mix together egg, brown sugar, vanilla, a dash of salt and broken pecans. Line small muffin tins with dough, pinching and molding it like Play-doh to make a tart shell. Fill each shell with a spoonful of pecan filling. Bake until filling is puffed and crust is golden. Makes two dozen.
Fall Cocktail
Ingredients
- Orange peel garnish
- 4 oz. medium body red wine
- 4 oz. soda water
- 4 dashes orange bitters
- 1/2 oz. orange juice
Instructions
Forget its low-brow reputation and remember it’s a favorite Spanish refresher. Switch out the traditional lemon soda for a splash of seltzer and amp the sophistication with a dash of bitters. Instantly, the red wine spritzer becomes a great fall sipper. Red wine gives it more body and substance than a white wine cocktail and, of course, lends a festive color. The bitters add backbone to the low-alcohol drink, perfect for casual gatherings. Give it a hint of the holidays by stirring with a cinnamon stick.