Our Favorite Fall Recipes
Five of our favorite recipes for the fall season

From "Food, Fun and a Private Chef"
Recipes by Chef David Crews

Pumpkin Pie Martini
2 cups vanilla vodka
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 cup simple syrup
1 tablespoon pureed pumpkin
10 ice cubes
Cinnamon stick

Place pumpkin, spices and simple syrup in blender and blend well. Strain through cheese cloth so that no pulp gets through. Place vodka, syrup mixture and ice in a shaker and shake vigorously. Strain and serve in a chilled glass with a cinnamon stick as a garnish.

Slow Roasted Root Vegetable Soup
2 medium yellow onions, diced
3 large carrots, cut into 1/8-inch thick slices
4 yellow squash, cut into 1/4-inch slices
3 potatoes, peeled and medium-diced
5 whole cloves garlic
2 cups chicken stock
1/4 cup cream
Salt and pepper, to taste

Place onion, carrots, squash, potatoes and garlic on a roasting pan and place in the oven at 350 degress for about 30 to 45 minutes or until tender. Place roasted vegetables and stock in a blender and puree until smooth. Once smooth add salt, pepper and cream to taste. Serve warm.

Deconstructed Apple Pie
5 whole apples, peeled and sliced
2 cups brown sugar, separated
1/4 cup butter
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1 pound pate a choux, recipe follows
4 cups cream anglaise
1 cup bourbon

Place apples, brown sugar and butter in a baking dish and bake at 375 degrees for 20 to 30 minutes or until soft. Place bourbon and brown sugar in a sauté pan and slowly make a syrup. (Be careful, bourbon is extremely flammable.)

Remove half the cream anglaise and place in an ice cream maker. Take the other half and mix with the warm bourbon mixture. To make the beignet, drop a small amount of the pate a choux dough into hot oil and fry about 2 minutes or until crisp.

Pate a choux:
1 cup milk
1/4 cup butter
5 eggs
1 cup flour

Melt butter in sauce pan, add milk and bring to a boil. Once at a boil remove from heat and add flour, stirring vigorously. Add mix back to the heat and continue to stir until mixture “cleans” the side of the bowl. Remove and allow the mixture to cool before adding eggs (below 140F). Add the eggs one at a time until the mixture is smooth. Refrigerate until ready to use. You can bake or fry it.

S'more Martini
Courtesy of Prime Restaurant, Oxford

Chocolate Peanut Butter Mousse
4 cups heavy cream, divided
8 egg yolks
6 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 cup creamy peanut butter
14 ounces chocolate

Heat 1 1/2 cups heavy cream. In a separate bowl, wisk egg yolks, sugar and salt. Temper egg mixture with the hot cream and cook on low heat until thick. Strain through a fine mesh strainer. Add vanilla and peanut butter. Melt chocolate over a double boiler until all the chocolate is melted. Whip the remaining cream until stiff peaks form. Add melted chocolate to the whipped cream. Fold chocolate whipped cream into the egg and cream mixture. Let chill over night. 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Homemade Graham Crackers
1 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour
3 cups whole wheat flour
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/4 cup cocoa powder
2 1/4 cups butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup honey
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
3 eggs

With the paddle attachment for a stand up mixer, cream the sugars, vanilla, eggs and honey with the butter. In a separate bowl, sift all of the dry ingredients together. Slowly add the dry mix to the wet mix. Thoroughly butter a sheet pan and then dust with flour. Roll the mix out on the sheet pan, making sure it is evenly spread out on the pan. Score dough with a fork and slightly cut to make a triangle pattern. Brush with butter and top with coarse sugar. Bake at 350 degrees for five minutes. Rotate pan and bake for another 5 minutes. Watch the dough carefully, because every oven is different and this can burn very easily. Let cool and cut into the triangles. Cover tightly and do not refrigerate.

Homemade Marshmallows
10 sheets gelatin
4 cups sugar
1 1/3 cups light corn syrup
1/2 cup water
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon salt

Soak the gelatin sheets in water for about 5 minutes. Bring sugar, water and corn syrup to a boil. Let boil for 2 minutes and turn off the heat. Squeeze the water from the gelatin and add gelatin to the hot mixture. Pour the mixture into a stand up mixer and whisk on high for 5 minutes. Add vanilla and salt and mix on high for another 5 minutes. Line a sheet pan with plastic wrap and butter the plastic wrap. Pour the mixture on the plastic-wrapped sheet pan, and roll the mixture until it is 1/4-inch thick. Place another sheet pan on top of the marshmallow to create a press. Place in the refrigerator and let cool. After it is cooled cut into desired shape. Keep refrigerated.

Quick and Easy Caramel Apples
4 small apples, such as Fuji
11-ounce bag Kraft Premium Caramel Bits*
1 tablespoon half and half
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
Wooden craft sticks
Parchment paper

Wash apples and refrigerate until chilled. Make sure apples are dry (no condensation) before dipping in caramel. Remove stems and insert a craft stick into each center. Line a cookie sheet with buttered parchment paper to prevent sticking. Melt caramel bits in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Add half and half and vanilla extract, stirring constantly. Do not allow caramel to come to a boil. Dip each apple in caramel, using a butter knife to smooth the bottom and prevent puddling. If the caramel sauce hardens, return to heat until it softens again. Roll caramel apples in desired toppings and transfer to parchment-lined baking sheet. Chill until set, about 15 minutes.

Toppings:
Reese’s Pieces candy, chopped pecans, sliced almonds and sprinkles
* Find already-unwrapped caramels complete with craft sticks in the grocery aisle. If not available, purchase a 16-ounce bag of wrapped caramels and unwrap before melting.