AY Magazine / October 2011 / Create: Fall Foods

Create: Fall Foods

Here we are at fall again — time to shift our routines to accommodate school, sports and standard time. I find that at this time of year, I am ready for a change of foods. While I have enjoyed the light foods of summer — the bright berries, stone fruits and tomatoes and zucchinis, not to mention figs in August — I also enjoy the denser, darker foods, like mushrooms and apples, and more intense flavors like mustards, once October rolls around.

The mushroom galette is my favorite this month. I tested it with baby belle mushrooms, but it will also work with porcini mushrooms that have been soaked in warmed cider beforehand. Actually, you can use most any combination of mushrooms from simple to exotic, as long as you reconstitute dried mushrooms first, and thoroughly sweat out all excess moisture from the filling before spreading on the crust.

 The mustard cream sauce for the salmon calls for Dijon mustard, but you might also try a wasabi mustard; if you do so, substitute mirin for the white wine. Fruit and fowl are a time-honored combination, so the chicken marinated with cider and baked with apples and pears is sure to be a winner.

Mushroom Galette

Once you get the hang of putting this together, you can use any filling you choose. During the summer, we make it with tomatoes and basil and also with blackberries and blueberries. For the sweet fruit version, add 1 tablespoon of sugar to the pastry and sprinkle with 2 to 3 tablespoons of sugar just before baking.

Pastry

1/3 cup flour
1/3 cup cornmeal 
1/4  teaspoon salt
Scant 1/4 cup cold butter
1 tablespoon vegetable shortening
1 to 3 tablespoons ice water or just enough to bind

Mushroom Filling

1 small red onion, finely chopped
10 ounces baby belle mushrooms, washed and sliced 
3 to 4 ounces fresh wild mushrooms, like shitakes or chanterelles, washed and sliced 
8 ounces button mushrooms, washed and sliced
2 tablespoons olive or canola oil
1 cup apple cider
1/4 cup chopped Italian parsley
1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese
3 heaping tablespoons creme fraiche or mascarpone

 

Make the Pastry

In a food processor, pulse the dry ingredients, then add the butter and shortening diced into small pieces. Pulse briefly until it resembles coarse breadcrumbs; add ice water 1 tablespoon at a time to form a dough, pulsing gently to mix. Remove the dough from the processor; form it into a disc; wrap in plastic wrap; and put in the refrigerator to rest for about 30 minutes.
 

Make the Filling

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Sauté onion and mushrooms until onions are soft and mushrooms have released their water, about 7 to 10 minutes. While the mushrooms are cooking, heat the apple cider in a small saucepan. When the onions and mushrooms are softened, add the warm apple cider and simmer uncovered over low heat for 20 minutes until liquid evaporates. Remove from heat, drain out any remaining liquid and stir in the Italian parsley.
 

Assemble and Bake

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Roll the pastry out into a rough 8-inch circle, transfer to a parchment-lined pizza pan or baking sheet, and spread mushroom mixture on top, leaving a 1-inch margin around the edge. Sprinkle with Parmesan, spoon over crème fraiche or mascarpone. Press up the edges to form a rim and put in the oven for 20 to 25 minutes or until the pastry is cooked through and golden brown.
 

Cook’s Notes: The cider gives a slightly sweet flavor to the dish and complements the savoriness of the mushrooms. You could substitute wine, broth or water, if you prefer a different flavor profile.

Serve immediately. Serves 4 to 6.

Pastry adapted from Nigella Lawson

 

Salmon in Foil with Mustard Cream Sauce

This easy mid-week supper can be ready in 30 minutes.

2 pounds salmon filet, sliced into 4 to 6 portions
½ cup white wine
2 teaspoons of Dijon or whole grain mustard
4 sprigs fresh dill

Place each slice of salmon onto a separate piece of foil and fold up the sides. Combine wine and mustard. Pour over each piece of salmon. Snip dill on top. Close packets, and place on a baking sheet. Bake 15 minutes per pound at 375 degrees or 20 minutes total for four half-pound pieces. Do not overbake. Make the sauce while the salmon is baking. When the salmon is done remove from foil, and pour over the sauce (recipe follows). Serve with tossed green salad. Serves 4 to 6.

Mustard Cream Sauce

1/3 cup mustard
1/3 cup white wine
1/2 cup heavy cream

Combine the wine and mustard in a small saucepan, and heat over moderate heat to boiling. Boil carefully for 1 minute. Add the heavy cream, reduce heat to low, and reheat to simmer. Do not boil once the cream is added.

 

Baked Chicken with Apples and Pears

Put the chicken in to marinate the night before or in the early morning. Either way it will be ready to go into the oven when you get home.

4 chicken breasts, bone-in, skin trimmed or removed
2 cups apple cider
1/2 cup flour
1 tablespoon ground ginger
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
3 tablespoons brown sugar
1 apple, cored and cut into thin wedges
1 pear, cored and cut into thin wedges
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Put the chicken into a shallow dish. Pour the cider over the chicken, and marinate overnight in the refrigerator, turning the pieces occasionally.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Remove the chicken from the cider; reserve the cider. Mix the flour, ginger, cinnamon, plus salt and pepper to taste, in a pie pan or other shallow pan. Dredge the chicken through the flour mixture, and place the chicken skin-side up in a shallow baking pan. Bake for 20 minutes. Meanwhile, combine the reserved cider, brown sugar and apple and pear slices. Pour the marinade mixture over the chicken; bake 25 minutes more, basting occasionally with the pan juices. Chicken juices should run clear.

Serve immediately, serves 4 to 6.

Adapted from The Silver Palate Good Times Cookbook

 

Questions? Want to submit a recipe? You can e-mail Faith at info@kidscookarkansas.com.