Our fall dinner was a spectacular success, if I do say so myself! Josh and I hosted all our dear friends for a dinner based around the idea of celebrating the seasonal harvest and the comfort of fall foods. The kids were shuffled off to spend the evening at the Bayon's, I put the flowers in our home grown centerpiece pumpkin and Josh made up some cocktails in mason jars to welcome our guests - apple cider and a choice of rum or bourbon (of which I'm enjoying one now!), yummy either way!
With everyone arrived and plates prepped, it was time for our appetizer course: Pickled beet salad. Now... these were no ordinary beets out of a can/jar from the store. These were bought fresh, cooked and pickled at home from scratch by Team Bayon! Two kinds of beets, red and orange, gave the dish extra depth of beety flavor. Hard boiled eggs were added to the pickling liquid and were a wonderful accompaniment to the salad. Everyone loved it - even Josh, who typically shuns all things beet related. The Chardonnay served with it was light and fruity, a mix of oak and steel casking and very well paired.
The Lundquists were up with the first course, an Autumn Chopped salad w/ pears, bacon, cranberries & pecans tossed in a poppy seed & balsamic vinaigrette. I know there were clean plates all around and even a couple second helpings of this delicious salad! Great fall flavors, but light, crisp and bright. It was paired quite nicely with a blended wine of Petit Syrah and Petit Verdot.
After a short break to chat and drink and make room we moved on to the main course, ala Josh and I - a butternut squash and mushroom lasagna. Jen and Andrew served a very yummy spinach gratin along with it. The orange and white of the lasagna and the deep green of the gratin looked lovely and tasted even better! We found super fresh, ripe squash and cinnamon mushrooms from the Boulder Farmer's Market that morning, and paired with the fresh thyme and sage in the cheese layers it was one our best batches of this fall-fantastic lasagna! The gratin was warm and luscious. Even through the cream and cheese the spinach was still distinctive and true, nicely balanced yet comforting in it's richness. Both dishes had a wine served with them. The lasagna had a light Pinot Noir and the spinach brought with it a very fabulous Zin from Ravenswood to the table (thank you Jen & Andrew for sharing that very special wine with us!)
One of the many fun conversations we had at dinner was talking about what our personal "food porn" was, what makes each of us swoon to eat. Well, I'd like to add this last course, Budino, to my list. Oh. My. Gawd. Jillian & Gerald astounded the table yet again with this butterscotch pudding, served with a choice of Pinot Noir ice wine or Grappa to drink. I mean.... wow. If I thought for a minute my tongue would reach the bottom of the glass I would have licked it clean!
As we wound down the night with a few cigars on the patio we all glowed from a very filling and extremely delicious meal. Our next dinner is too far off if it's not tomorrow.
Autumn Chopped Salad
- 6 to 8 cups chopped romaine lettuce
- 2 medium pears, chopped
- 1 cup dried cranberries
- 1 cup chopped pecans
- 8 slices thick-cut bacon, crisp-cooked and crumbled
- 4 to 6 oz. feta cheese, crumbled
- Poppy seed Salad Dressing
- Balsamic Vinaigrette
Butternut Squash Lasagna with Cinnamon Mushrooms & Sage
FOR MUSHROOM LAYER
- 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
- 2 1/2 cups chopped onions
- 1 pound cinnamon mushrooms rough chopped, OR crimini mushrooms, sliced (about 3 cups)
- 2 pounds butternut squash, peeled, seeded, diced (about 5 1/2 cups)
- (1) 14-ounce can vegetable broth
- 4 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme, divided
- 4 tablespoons sliced fresh sage, divided
- (3) 15-ounce containers whole-milk ricotta cheese
- 4 cups grated mozzarella cheese, divided
- 2 cups grated Parmesan cheese, divided
- 4 large eggs
- Olive oil
- 1 box Barilla no-boil lasagna noodles
- Melt butter in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions; sauté until soft, about 8 minutes. Increase heat to high; add mushrooms and cook until tender, stirring constantly, about 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer mushroom mixture to bowl; set aside.
- Add squash, broth, 3 tablespoons thyme, and 3 tablespoons sage to same skillet. Cover and simmer over medium heat until squash is just tender, about 6 minutes. Uncover and cook until squash is very soft about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and use a stick blender to puree the mixture .
- Mix ricotta, 2 cups mozzarella cheese, 1 1/2 cups Parmesan cheese, and remaining 1 tablespoon thyme and 1 tablespoon sage in large bowl. Season to taste with salt and pepper; mix in eggs.
- Brush 13x9x2-inch glass or ceramic baking dish with oil. Spread 1 cup ricotta mixture over bottom. Arrange 3 noodles on top. Spread 13/4 cups ricotta mixture over noodles. Arrange 1 1/3 cups squash mixture over. Sprinkle with 1/2 cup mushrooms and 1 cup mozzarella. Top with 3 noodles, then 1 3/4 cups ricotta mixture, half of remaining squash, 1/2 cup mushrooms, and remaining 1 cup mozzarella. Repeat with noodles, 1 3/4 cups ricotta mixture, remaining squash, and remaining mushrooms. Top with 3 noodles. Spread remaining ricotta mixture over; sprinkle with remaining Parmesan. Cover with oiled foil.
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Bake lasagna, covered, 35 minutes. Uncover; bake until heated through, about 25 minutes longer. Let stand 10 minutes before serving. (The lasagna can be assembled one day ahead and refrigerated.)
Butterscotch Budino with Maple Syrup Sauce
1 hr prep, plus three hours' chilling
FOR THE BUDINO
- 3 cups heavy cream
- 1 1/2 cups milk
- 1 large egg
- 4 large egg yolks
- 5 tablespoons corn starch
- 1 1/8 cups dark brown sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 5 tablespoons butter
- 1 1/2 teaspoons dark rum
FOR THE SAUCE AND TOPPING
1. For the budino, combine cream and milk in bowl or pitcher, set aside. Whisk egg, egg yolks and cornstarch in medium bowl set aside.
2. Combine brown sugar, kosher salt, and 1/2 cup of water in pot. Place over medium-high heat and let sit until edges start to brown. Tilt pot as needed to even the browning until caramelized, nutty and deep brown, about 10 minutes.
3. Immediately whisk in cream mixture, mixture will steam and caramel will seize. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium. Whisk a cup at a time in to egg mixture until half is incorporated. Remove from heat, and immediately whisk egg mixture back into pot until custard is very thick, about 2 minutes.
4. whisk in butter and rum. Pass through a fine mesh strainer and divide among 10 6-ounce ramekins. Cover with plastic wrap, allow to cool and refrigerate until chilled, about 3 hours or up to 3 days.
5. For sauce combine 1/2 cup of cream and vanilla in medium saucepan. Heat until simmering. Add butter and remove from heat; set-aside.
6. In large heavy-bottomed saucepan, combine maple syrup, sugar and enough water (3-4 tablespoons) to make a wet sandy mixture. Cook over medium-high heat, swirling pan for even cooking, until mixture is medium amber, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and carefully whisk in cream mixture; set aside and let cool (may be refrigerated and reheated before serving)
7. Whisk remaining 1/4 cup cream in a large bowl until it begins to thicken. Add creme fraiche and whisk until thick and fluffy. To serve, spoon a tablespoon of warm caramel sauce over each budino. sprinkle with 1/8 teaspoon fleur de sel, and add a dollop of cream topping.
- 3/4 cup heavy cream
- scrapings from 1- inch piece of vanilla bean or 1/4teaspoon good vanilla extract
- 3 tablespoons Maple Syrup Dark Amber
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 1/4 teaspoons fleur de sel
- 3/4 cup creme fraiche
1. For the budino, combine cream and milk in bowl or pitcher, set aside. Whisk egg, egg yolks and cornstarch in medium bowl set aside.
2. Combine brown sugar, kosher salt, and 1/2 cup of water in pot. Place over medium-high heat and let sit until edges start to brown. Tilt pot as needed to even the browning until caramelized, nutty and deep brown, about 10 minutes.
3. Immediately whisk in cream mixture, mixture will steam and caramel will seize. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium. Whisk a cup at a time in to egg mixture until half is incorporated. Remove from heat, and immediately whisk egg mixture back into pot until custard is very thick, about 2 minutes.
4. whisk in butter and rum. Pass through a fine mesh strainer and divide among 10 6-ounce ramekins. Cover with plastic wrap, allow to cool and refrigerate until chilled, about 3 hours or up to 3 days.
5. For sauce combine 1/2 cup of cream and vanilla in medium saucepan. Heat until simmering. Add butter and remove from heat; set-aside.
6. In large heavy-bottomed saucepan, combine maple syrup, sugar and enough water (3-4 tablespoons) to make a wet sandy mixture. Cook over medium-high heat, swirling pan for even cooking, until mixture is medium amber, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and carefully whisk in cream mixture; set aside and let cool (may be refrigerated and reheated before serving)
7. Whisk remaining 1/4 cup cream in a large bowl until it begins to thicken. Add creme fraiche and whisk until thick and fluffy. To serve, spoon a tablespoon of warm caramel sauce over each budino. sprinkle with 1/8 teaspoon fleur de sel, and add a dollop of cream topping.
