Although I am still enjoying the warm evenings, the days are getting shorter and there are some sure signs that fall is just upon us. With the change in season comes a bounty of new colors, flavors and textures that have not been seen over the summer months.
Apples
Apples are the fruit that I always associate with fall; I think it is the memories of warm apple sponge with velvety custard, blackberry and apple jam and not to forget the bobbing for apples at Halloween. There are so many different varieties out there, look out for some unusual varieties at the farmer’s market. Look out for the Empire Apple a successful cross between the Red Delicious and the McIntosh. Empires were released into the marketplace by Cornell University in 1996 and are a versatile apple, perfect for baking, roasting and sautéing. Try them in pies, crisps and crumbles.
If you’re looking for some new apple recipes try Chef Orion Balliet’s recipe for roasted butternut squash and apple soup. Balliet reduces apple cider with Calvados (an apple brandy from the Normandy region of France, famous for its apples) to give the soup the real essence of apple flavor. Fabrice Dubois the executive pastry chef at Farm Restaurant at the Carneros Inn, Napa Valley shares his recipe for French Country Apple Galette, so delicious and simple it’s easy enough for any cook to master.
Pomegranate
Pomegranates or ‘wine apples’ as sometimes referred to are in season from September through December and sometimes stretch into early February if lucky. Pomegranates are not only delicious and beautiful; they’re also one of the most nutritious fruits you can eat. According to the Pomegranate Council (www.pomegrante.org) pomegranates are high in vitamin C and potassium, a good source of fiber and low in calories.Pomegranate juice is high in three different types of polyphenols, a potent form of antioxidants. The three types - tannins, anthocyanins, and ellagic acid - are present in many fruits, but pomegranate juice contains particularly high amounts of all three. As antioxidants, they are credited with helping in the prevention of cancer and heart disease.
Over the last few years there has been a huge growth in the popularity of this ‘Super food’ due to its nutritional value. Pomegranates are grown throughout California and Arizona, however Pomegranates have their origins in the Mediterranean, the Soviet Union, Iran and across Pakistan to the Himalayas’. They are even mentioned in Greek mythology and were a sign of fertility in Greek, Chinese and Hebrew lore and are a sign of prosperity in the Jewish tradition.
Pomegranate seeds are great in salads, their sweet and tart flavor compliments blood oranges, try them in a quinoa or couscous salad. Pomegranate molasses and juice add both sweetness and acidity to salad dressings and marinades not to mention their ruby red color. Watch out for the juice as it does stain.
A more recent and popular use of pomegranate juice is in cocktails. Try it in martinis and margaritas, maybe it proves that you can have a nutritious cocktail. Look out for fresh pomegranate juice at your local farmer’s market , the flavor is far superior to the bottled stuff and try it in Parallel 33’s recipe for ‘Tears of the Prophet’ , an alcoholic twist on a traditional Moroccan drink.
California Spiny Lobster
The commercial California Lobster season begins on the first Wednesday in October with the sporting season beginning the weekend before hand and runs through until mid March. The California Spiny Lobster is a species of spiny lobster found from the southern tip of the Baja California Peninsula to the Monterey Bay, California. Although not respected in the restaurant trade as much as the clawed lobster, it is known worldwide as ‘langusta’ and it’s substantial tail muscles are similar in taste and texture to its clawed cold- water relative. Ninety percent of the legal lobsters taken in the commercial fishing weigh between 1.25 and 2 lbs which produces the size of tail desired by chefs. Look out for spiny lobsters at your local fish market or if they are unavailable, buy them online at Catalina Offshore Products (www.catalinaop.com) where they will ship them to you overnight. Check out the videos of Catalina Offshore Products lobsters here and then try Chef Carl Schroeder’s recipe for Bacon wrapped Arctic Char with herbed gnocchi and spiny lobster sauce.
Winter Squash
There are so many varieties of squash that seem to be buddled under the category of ‘winter squash’, acorn, butternut, banana, spaghetti; carnival and fairytale are just a few. Winter squash come in all different shapes, colors and textures, round and elongated, scalloped and pear-shaped with flesh that ranges from golden-yellow to brilliant orange. Winter squash are vine-type plants whose fruits are harvested when fully mature. They take longer to mature than summer squash (3 months or more) and are best harvested once the cool weather of fall sets in. Squash are packed full of nutrients and a good source of Vitamin A,C and B. They are a good source of fiber and one cup of cooked squash contains about 100 calories. Squash have a golden yellow flesh with a firm texture and are perfect in soups, stews risottos or as a pasta filling. They have a rich flavor when roasted and pairs perfectly with warm seasonal spices such as cinnamon, cloves and allspice. Try acorn or butternut squash roasted in salads, lasagna or soup.
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