Fall has finally arrived! There’s no better way to celebrate the autumnal season than gathering with friends and family over a shared meal. We’ve curated a fall-inspired menu featuring recipes from our talented culinary team to help make your dinner parties and holiday hosting stress-free. From our kitchen, to yours, we hope you enjoy these fall favorites!
Start with a creamy Chestnut Soup that is easy to make and guaranteed to impress your guests. Not only is this warm appetizer delicious, but it also has some surprising health benefits. Chestnuts contain a high concentration of Vitamin C, Copper and Magnesium which can help stimulate the production of white blood cells, act as an antioxidant neutralizing free radicals in the body, help with digestive health, strengthen bones, boost the immune system and increase bone density.
Chestnut Soup
Ingredients:
8 cups vegetable stock 1 bay leaf
1 ½ lbs. chestnuts ½ cup milk
1 cup chopped onion 1 tbs. butter
3 sprigs fresh parsley 1 tbs. olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste 2 whole cloves
Directions:
In a large saucepan melt the butter and olive oil together while sautéing the onion and chestnuts t. Cook until you get a caramelized color.
Add the vegetable stock into the pan. While that is cooking, prepare a spice bag with the parsley sprigs, cloves and bay leaf. Add the spice bag and the milk to the vegetable stock and simmer over medium-low heat for 30 minutes.
After about 30 minutes, discard the spice bag. While the mixture is sitting in the saucepan, puree the chestnuts in a food processor (save some for the presentation). Add salt and pepper to taste and add this mixture to the saucepan, gently heating through.
Add a dollop of unsweetened whipped cream, chopped parsley and some chestnuts before serving and enjoy!
For the main course, prepare a Pumpkin Cranberry Risotto! Warm, comforting and incorporating so many seasonal ingredients, this dish is the ultimate savory entree to enjoy during the fall and winter months.
Pumpkin Cranberry Risotto
Ingredients:
1 tbsp. butter 3 ½ cup vegetable broth
½ cup onion, chopped 1 tbsp. olive oil
1 ½ cup Arborio rice ½ cup dry cranberries
½ cup dry white wine 1 tbsp. thyme, chopped
1 cup pumpkin, ¼ in. diced 1 tbsp. parsley, chopped
¼ cup parmesan cheese, grated 1 tbsp. oregano, chopped
Salt and white pepper to taste
Directions:
Bring vegetable broth to a boil in a medium saucepan. Reduce heat to low, keep warm.
Melt the butter and the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring frequently for 2 minutes. Add the rice and cook, stirring frequently for 2 minutes. Add the wine and simmer, stirring frequently until all the liquid is absorbed. Stir in the pumpkin.
Add ¾ cup vegetable broth to rice. Reduce heat and simmer stirring frequently until absorbed. Continue adding the broth ½ cup at a time, allowing each addition to be absorbed before adding more broth. Rice should be tender but still to the bite and the mixture should be creamy. This should take about 20 to 25 minutes. Stir in the sweetened dry cranberries and cheese. Add salt and pepper to taste
Garnish with thyme, parsley, oregano and enjoy!
Finish your meal with a festive take on the classic chocolate chip cookie – what better way to end dinner than with a warm pumpkin chocolate chip cookie? Whip up a batch of these cookies and close out your meal on a sweet note.
Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients:
2 ¼ cup all-purpose flour ¾ cup brown sugar
1 tsp. baking soda ½ cup sugar
1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice ¾ cup pumpkin puree
2 tsp. vanilla extract ½ tsp. salt
1 cup butter 1 egg
2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper. In a bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, pumpkin pie spice and salt.
In a large bowl, using a hand mixer, cream together the butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Beat in the pumpkin, egg and vanilla extract until combined. Mix in the flour mixture and mix until all ingredients are combined. Fold in the chocolate chips. Refrigerate the dough for 30 minutes to 1 hour.
Scoop 1 inch balls onto the prepared baking sheets 2 inches apart. Bake until golden around the edges (about 12-14 minutes).
