Susanna Griffith, honor graduate of the Culinary Institute of America offer a menu to make your Autumn meals very special.


Autumn Celebration

Autumn always gives me a sense of home and comfort. For this reason, I like to celebrate it with produce that is specific to this time of the year. We created the following menu to utilize the staples of the season, but then prepared them with non-traditional methods. After all, one can only eat so much Turkey and Pumpkin Pie before it changes from a tradition to a chore.

The main food and wine pairing technique used for the entirety of this menu is based on the “complement” method. The main reason for this linear pairing method is to give a streamlined, harmonizing and comforting sensation to the meal. The focus is on non-traditional wine pairings that work well with each course.

For the first course, the Ginger Spiced Macintosh Apple Bisque is paired with a dry Riesling from Germany. Typically Rieslings are used in holiday pairings, however not as the introductory wine, or with soups. Rieslings are usually reserved as a wine to match with the main course, especially for Thanksgiving. However, this Riesling offers characteristics that lends itself to this pairing. The main flavor profile of the Lingenfelder Riesling has flavors reminiscent of baked yellow apples, pears and nectarines. The initial taste presents a slight amount of residual sugar, but then finishes dry.

The second course utilizes Jean Marc Boillot Rully 1 er Cru “Mont Palais” 2003 as the wine match for the Savory Butternut Squash and Pumpkin Custard. Traditionally, Chardonnays are also reserved as the main wine match to holiday meals. However, this Chardonnay has characteristics of smoky apricots and blanched almonds, which pairs well with this course. These characteristics complement the rich and savory flavors of the custard. This wine also has sufficient acidity, especially noticeable on the finish, to cut through the creaminess of the custard.

The main course of Roasted Chicken and Cranberry Ballotine with Sweet Potatoes and Heirloom Beets utilizes and echoes the flavor profile of Ghislaine Barthod’s Chambolle-Musigny 2002. This Pinot Noir has characteristics of dried dark cherries, dried boysenberries, cranberries and fresh raspberries. This pairing is a little more traditional, but still strays away from the thought of “Red wine with red meat, and white wine with white meat.”

Finally, the last course of Apricot Swirled White Chocolate Cheesecake is paired with a lively Moscato D’Asti. The Castello Del Poggio Moscato D’Asti has characteristics of ripe peaches, apricots, and nectarines with a noticeable amount of residual sugar. Obviously, this pairing is not as unique, but it is one that I really enjoy and lends an air of celebration with its slight effervescence.

1. In hot butter, sauté the leek, celery and apples. Sauté until tender, do not brown.
2. Add the Chicken Stock, ground ginger, bay leaf and honey. Bring to boil and reduce heat to simmer vegetables until soft and liquid has reduced by half.
3. Remove bay leaf. Strain vegetables and reserve remaining liquid. In a food processor, purée vegetables until smooth. Add a small amount of cooking liquid if needed to achieve a smooth puree. Set aside and keep warm.
4. Using a wide mouth, heavy bottom pot, add heavy cream and reduce by half on medium heat.
5. Add vegetable purée and adjust seasoning.
   

1. Preheat Oven: 350°F
2. Mix, do not whip, the egg yolks with the eggs
3. Heat the cream to the scalding point. Gradually pour in the egg mixture, stirring constantly. Stir in the salt and minced shallots.
4. Divide the roasted pumpkin and butternut squash among the ramekins and arrange in the pan. Top off with the custard mixture. Fill the ramekins to the top, as the crème will shrink while it is cooking. Add hot water to the pan to reach ¾’s up the side of the ramekins. Place pan on the middle rack of the oven
5. Bake at 350°F for about 25 minutes until the custards are set and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
6. Top with the crispy leeks.
   

Entrée
Roasted Chicken and Cranberry Ballotine with Sweet Potatoes and Heirloom Beets

Servings: 8

Roasted Chicken Ballotine:
8 chicken leg quarters, boned, skin intact and evenly pounded
1 lb skinless and boneless chicken breast
1 egg
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup dried cranberries
½ teaspoon salt
oil
salt to taste
melted butter

1. Preheat oven to 400ºF
2. In a food Processor puree 1 lb. of chicken breast, egg, and cream until smooth.
3. Remove this mixture and stir in cranberries
4. Divide this mixture into 8 portions and place each portion in the center of each boned chicken leg.
5. Wrap the boned chicken leg around the mixture as to encompass it and place on a baking sheet with the skin side up
6. Rub the exposed skin with oil and sprinkle with salt.
7. Baked for 40 - 50 minutes, or until done.
8. Slice each leg into 5 pieces and drizzle with melted butter.

1. Preheat oven to 400ºF
2. Clean and cut in half, lengthwise. Cut into ½ inch slices.
3. Toss potatoes with the remaining ingredients.  Place in single layer on baking sheet.
4. Roast until tender, brown and crisp
   

Heirloom Beets (if not available any type of beet will work)
2 pounds Heirloom beets
3 tablespoons butter, melted
Salt to taste

1. Gently boil whole beets until tender and drain
2. Allow to cool enough to remove peel
3. Slice and sauté in melted butter
4. Season to taste

Dessert
Apricot Swirled White Chocolate Cheesecake

Servings: 8-12
From The Cake Bible by Rose Levy Beranbaum

One 8 inch springform pan, greased and bottom lined with parchment. Wrap a double layer of foil around the pan to prevent seepage.
One 10 inch cake pan or roasting pan to serve as a water bath.
A food processor works great for mixing the ingredients, but a mixer will do as well.

Preheat Oven to 350ºF
1 pound cream cheese
¼ cup sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch (optional, helps prevents weeping)
3 large eggs
2 tablespoons lemon juice, freshly squeezed
1 ½ teaspoons vanilla
¼ teaspoon salt
3 cups sour cream
9 ounces white chocolate, melted over hot water (best quality such as Callebaut, Tobler, or Lindt)
2/3 cup apricot puree (recipe follows)
4 ounces white chocolate, grated or curled to decorate the top of the cake

1. In a large mixing bowl or food processor, beat the cream cheese and sugar until smooth, scraping down the sides as needed. Add the cornstarch and mix thoroughly. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition until smooth, and scraping down the sides. Add the lemon juice, vanilla, and salt. Beat in the sour cream until just blended. Blend in the melted white chocolate.
2. Pour a third of the cheesecake batter into the prepared pan. Drizzle half of the puree over it. Add another third of the batter and repeat with the remaining puree. Top with the remaining batter. Using a small spatula or knife, cut through the batter and swirl to marble the puree throughout the filling.
3. Set the pan in the larger pan and surround it with 1 inch of very hot water. Bake 45 minutes. Turn off the oven without opening the door and let the cake cool for 1 hour. Remove to a rack and cool to room temperature (about 1 hour). Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
4. To Unmold: Have ready a serving plate and a flat plate at least 8 inches in diameter, covered with plastic wrap. Wipe sides of pan with a hot, damp towel. Run a thin metal spatula around the sides of the cake and release the sides of the springform pan. Place the plastic wrapped plate on top and invert. Remove the bottom of the pan and the parchment. Reinvert onto the serving plate and use a small metal spatula to smooth the sides. Top with grated or curled white chocolate. Refrigerate until serving.

Apricot Puree
2 cups packed dried California apricots
1 ½ cups water
1 ½ tablespoons lemon juice, freshly squeezed
½ cup + 1 tablespoon superfine sugar

1. In a small saucepan, soak the apricots in the water for 2 hours. Simmer 20 minutes on very low heat, tightly covered, or until the apricots are soft. Puree the mix in a food processor.
2. Press through a fine strainer. You should have 1 ½ to 1 ¾ cups. Stir in the lemon juice, adding less if you have less puree.
3. Add sugar to equal 1/3 the volume of the puree (i.e., 1/3 cup sugar to 1 cup puree).
4. Store in an airtight container.