If it isn’t overwhelmingly obvious at this point, I love a good risotto. This Milanese staple is the perfect canvas as your culinary muse. I have made a good number of risotto’s over the years and have even splurged on a special pan to cook them in.

Some of my risotto’s were intended to be served primo (as an appetizer) or secondo (as an entree). This particular recipes, which also happens to be the fifth and final installment in the fall flavors recipe series, is one I came up with for Thanksgiving dinner the first time I did my turkey osso bucco style.

While it is certainly hearty enough to stand on its own as a secondo, you could serve it as a side dish to go with any number of things like turkey or even braised short ribs.

hardware

• large saucepan or saucier
• wooden spoon, knife & cutting board
• measuring cups and spoons

software

• 1 cup roasted butternut squash (see link for recipe)
• Pancetta, diced
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 shallot, minced
• 1 cup Arborio rice
• ½ cup white wine
• 3 cups chicken stock
• 1/2 cup milk
• Salt and pepper, to taste

assemblage

• In a saucepan render the pancetta until crispy, then add the shallot and butter
• Once the butter is melted and the shallots are translucent add the Arborio rice and toast to two to three minutes
• Deglaze the pan with the white wine and allow the rice to absorb the liquid
• Begin ladling in the chicken stock a little at a time, allowing the rice to cook and absorb
• When the rice is al dente add the roasted butternut squash and milk
• Taste and adjust seasoning, if necessary

presentation

How you plate it all depends on how you intend to serve it. When I made this dish for this post I intended for it to be our entree and simply plated it up in a shallow bowl with some freshly grated parmegan reggiano cheese and a chiffonade of sage.

In today’s fourth installment of the fall flavors recipe series I’m offering up roasted butternut squash ravioli. The base mixture is very similar to that of the roasted butternut squash lasagna with a few minor changes. While raviolis are more labor intensive initially, the fact that you can make a big batch and freeze them in individual or family serving sizes makes them more convenient in my view.

Fall Flavors: Roasted Butternut Squash Ravioli from PJ Mullen on Vimeo.

hardware

• food processor
• large mixing bowl
• spatula, measuring cups and spoon
• basting brush
• ravioli stamp – 2 inch (optional)
• drying rack

software

• 2 cups roasted butternut squash (see link for recipe)
• 1/2 cup ricotta cheese
• 1/2 cup mascarpone cheese
• 1/2 cup parmesan reggiano
• 2 large eggs
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• fresh grated nutmeg to taste
• salt and pepper to taste
• 3-4 pounds fresh pasta sheets

assemblage

• combine the butternut squash, ricotta, mascarpone and parmensan cheeses, one egg, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt and pepper in a food processor and pulse until thoroughly mixed
• beat second egg in a bowl with a little water to thin it out
• spread out a pasta sheet and place 2 teaspoons of the squash mixture spaced about an inch to an inch and a half apart
• take the basting brush and lightly apply the egg wash to all edges and in between the little piles of the squash mixture
• lay a second pasta sheet of equal length on top of the first one and gently press to combine around the piles of the squash mixture, be sure to press out as much air as possible to avoid bursting while cooking
• take the ravioli stamp, fit around the pockets of the squash mixture and press down to seal and cut the pasta sheets (you can also do this with a sharp knife or pizza cutter, then use the tongs of a fork to press the edges closed)

presentation

These delicate raviolis are served with a brown butter sage sauce that is prepared by melting about 4 tablespoons of sweet cream butter with 6 to 8 fresh sage leaves. Melt the butter over a medium low heat and watch it closely as it starts to foam and turn a light brown.

The brown butter sage sauce will have a toasted, nutty taste to it, but it can also turn on you very fast if you aren’t watching it closely.

With the third installment of the fall flavors series I’m turning my attention to dessert by making a port wine cranberry creme brulee. It has taken me some practice to make a good creme brulee and I feel like I’m still learning, but this came out quite well.

hardware

• medium saucepan
• medium mixing bowl
• 6 ramekins (7 to 8 ounce in size)
• large cake or roasting pan
• measuring cups and spoons
• whisk, strainer (or sieve) and other assorted utensils

software

• 3 cups heavy cream
• 1 vanilla bean, split and scraped (or 1 teaspoon extract)
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 cup granulated sugar, divided evenly
• 6 large egg yolks
• 1 cup port wine cranberry sauce
• 2 quarts hot water

assemblage

• preheat oven to 325 degrees
• combine the vanilla bean and pulp, cardamom and heavy cream in a medium saucepan over medium high heat and scald (warm to the touch, but not to the point of boiling)
• mix the eggs yolks with a 1/2 cup of sugar and whisk until well blended and the yolks are a light, creamy yellow
• remove the vanilla bean from the scalded cream by straining it through a sieve into a large measuring cup and temper the creamed egg yolk mixture by adding just a little bit of the cream at a time (this brings the temperature of the egg yolks up so that they don’t curdle in the hot cream), then whisk vigorously until totally combined
• strain the cream base again this time to remove any bits of cranberry that didn’t get obliterated when it was blended, then divide the liquid between the ramekins
• place the cake or roasting pan on the oven rack and pour the hot water in the cake or roasting pan
• set the ramekins gently in the pan and make sure the hot water comes about half way up the sides of the ramekins
• bake for 40 to 50 minutes, or until the center of the creme brulee is set, but not firm
• remove the ramekins from the pan and cool in the refrigerator for at least two hours and up to three days

presentation

remove the creme brulee from the refrigerator about 30 minutes before you plan on caramelizing the sugar on top. divide the second 1/2 cup of sugar and spread out evenly. using a torch or the broiler, melt the sugar until it is a crispy and golden brown. give the creme brulee about five minutes to rest after browning the sugar before serving.

if you wanted to make it a little fancier, you could reserve a little of the port wine cranberry sauce before it was pureed smooth as a topping and finish it off with a mint leaf for effect.

* in the video you’ll note that I said 1/2 teaspoon of cardamom, but that was based on an earlier version of this recipe and I have instead substituted that with 1/4 teaspoon of nutmeg.

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• roasted butternut squash lasagna with port wine cranberries (peachesenrisotto.com)

For the second entry in my fall flavors series I’m offering up my roasted butternut squash lasagna with port wine cranberries. If you want to learn a little more about the story behind how I came up with this recipe, you can check out the post on my fatherhood blog, Real Men Drive Minivans.

As with the first recipe in this series I put together a quick video showing how I made the dish. I hope you enjoy it.

Fall Flavors: Roasted Butternut Squash Lasagna with Port Wine Cranberries from PJ Mullen on Vimeo.

hardware

• food processor and/or blender
• stock pot to cook pasta
• saucepan or saucier
• spatula, whisk, spoons
• measuring cups and spoons
• 13 X 9 buttered baking dish

software

• 4 cups roasted butternut squash (see link for recipe)
• 1 15 oz container ricotta cheese
• 2 large eggs
• 3 or 4 amaretti cookie, ground*
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• 1 package lasagna noodles or fresh pasta sheets
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1/4 cup flour
• 3 cups milk
• nutmeg, grated fresh or ground, to taste
• 1 cup port wine cranberry sauce (see link for recipe)
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1/4 cup Parmesan Reggiano, grated

assemblage

• preheat oven to 350 degree
• fill the stock pot with water and bring a boil
• pulverize the amaretti cookies in the food processor and set aside
• puree the butternut squash in the food processor, then add the eggs and ricotta cheese
• add the amaretti cookies and season with salt, pepper and nutmeg, refrigerate the filling until needed
• melt the butter in sauce pan or saucier, add the flour and whisk constantly until combine
• slowly add the milk to the butter and flour mixture, whisking constantly, then bring it to a boil
• reduce the heat and fold in the port wine cranberry sauce (you can transfer the bechemel to a blender to more thoroughly combine the cranberry sauce, if desired)
• spread a thin layer of the cranberry bechemel sauce in the butter baking dish and add your first layer of pasta noodle
• alternate layering the butternut squash puree filling, cranberry bechemel and pasta noodles until your baking dish is nearly ful
• cover with any remaining cranberry bechemel and then top with a generous layer of shredded mozzarella cheese
• cover with aluminum foil and bake for 35 minutes, then remove the foil and bake uncovered for 5 to 10 minutes or until the cheese is completely melted and crispy.

presentation

Whether you are serving this as an entree or a side item it is no different than any other lasagna you’ve had. I just divided it up into equal sided servings and since this was our main dish the night I made it I plated it up all by its lonesome.

Just a word of caution on the amaretti cookies, three is plenty for this recipe, but if you want it a touch sweeter you can use four. Any more than that and it can get really sweet fast. The tartness of the cranberries does help, but just be careful. They are small and the first time I made this I didn’t think it “looked” like enough.

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today over on my fatherhood blog, real men drive minivans, i posted the first recipe in my fall flavors series. i also created a quick video of me making the bisque and thought i’d share that over here.

hardware

• dutch oven or large stock pot
• blender or immersion blender
• measuring cups and spoons, wooden spoon

software

4 cups roasted butternut squash (see link for recipe)
2 granny smith apples, peeled and chopped
olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
2 medium carrots, peeled and chopped
2 tablespoons orange zest
1 tablespoon ginger, minced
Pinch freshly grated nutmeg
salt and pepper to taste
6 cups chicken stock (or cold water)
1 cinnamon stick
1 vanilla bean, split and scraped
1/2 cup heavy cream (or half and half)

assemblage

• heat olive oil in a large saucepan or dutch oven
• add onions and saute for three to five minutes, or until translucent
• add the onions and carrot and saute for another three to five minutes
• add apples, orange zest, pulp from vanilla bean, ginger, nutmeg, salt and pepper
• add chicken stock (or cold water) and bring to a boil
• add cinnamon stick, vanilla bean and roasted butternut squash
• reduce heat, cover and cook for approximately 35 to 40 minutes
• turn off the heat, remove cinnamon stick and vanilla bean, then transfer to a blender in batches or use an immersion blender and blend until smooth
• add the heavy cream and stir to combine
• taste the soup and adjust seasoning, if necessary

presentation

there isn’t too much you need to do to make a bowl of soup look appetizing, but sometimes I just want to twist things up a bit. with other bisques I’ve made I’ve used mascarpone cheese to replace half of the heavy cream to give it a different texture and creaminess. rather than repeat myself, I chose to make a cinnamon scented mascarpone sauce as a garnish to swirl on top of the soup before serving.

cinnamon scented mascarpone sauce

• 1/2 container mascarpone cheese
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1. soften the mascarpone
2. add the milk a little at a time until you achieve the consistency you desire (I shot for a slightly thick pancake batter consistency
3. stir in the cinnamon

yesterday on my fatherhood blog, real men drive minivans, i talked about the flavors that evoke memories of the season. as a tribute to fall, i’m doing a fall flavor series utilizing butternut squash and cranberries. in today’s video i make the two recipes that serve as the foundation for the different dishes in the series.

roasted butternut squash

• 1 butternut squash, peeled, seeded and chopped
• olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/4 cup brown sugar (or molasses)

1. preheat over to 350 degrees
2. coated the chopped butternut squash lightly with olive oil
3. add the cinnamon, nutmeg and brown sugar, then toss to combine
4. spread out onto a cookie sheet (lined with parchment paper helps)
5. roast in the oven for approximately 60 minutes or until fork tender

port wine cranberry sauce

• 1 12oz package of fresh cranberries
• 1 cup port wine
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• orange zest
• dash of salt

1. add the port wine, water and sugar in a medium sauce pan and bring to a boil
2. wash and pick over cranberries, then add them to the sauce pan
3. bring back to a boil, then reduce heat to medium and cook for 10 minutes, or until cranberries burst
4. stir in the cinnamon, nutmeg, orange zest and salt
5. using a blender or an immersion blender, blend until smooth
6. allow the sauce to cool before using in any other recipe

coming up on the fall flavors series:

• roasted butternut squash and apple bisque
• roasted butternut squash lasagna with port wine cranberries
• port wine cranberry creme brulee
• roasted butternut squash ravioli
• roasted butternut squash risotto

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