Our wedding anniversary was this week and to celebrate I made a special dinner. With the change in the weather I was feeling very fall-like and picked ingredients that are now coming into season.

A few weeks ago my sister and I were browsing the cookbook section at the English bookstore in town and I came across Bill Granger's newest cookbook "Feed Me Now". I first came across his cookbooks at the library and liked his fresh approach to cooking. So when I saw he had a new cookbook out, I had to take a look at it. I was particularly taken by his salad with pumpkin, grapes and goat cheese. So I took his recipe, made a few changes and served it at the first course.

Salad with Squash, Grapes and Goat Cheese (adapted from Bill Granger), serves 4

1 small acorn squash

1 tsp chopped fresh sage

1 small bunch red grapes

mixed salad leaves

2-3 Tbs roughly chopped walnuts

soft, mild goat cheese, crumbled, to taste

olive oil

salt and pepper

2 Tbs balsamic vinegar

1 tsp all natural raw suagr

Vinaigrette (from the rebar cookbook):

2 Tbs honey

80 ml balsamic vinegar

1 shallot, minced

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper

240 ml olive oil

Make vinaigrette: Stir all ingredients except for oil together. Slowly whisk in the oil.

Make salad: Preheat the oven to 200°C. Cut squash into wedges, place on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper (skin side down) and brush with olive oil. Scatter the chopped sage over the pumpkin slices, season to taste. Roast in oven for 30 min. or until squash is soft.

Cut the grapes in half, place a little oil in a skillet and cook until the grapes start to blister and release their juices. Add the balsamic vinegar and sugar and simmer.

Place the salad leaves on the serving plates. Drizzle with vinaigrette. Place slices on squash on the leaves along with the warm grapes, crumbled goat cheese and chopped walnuts.

I had half a bag of dried morels left from the last special dinner I had used them for and since mushrooms are fall-like, I decided to use the rest of them.

Pasta with Morels (serves 2)

dried Morels 

butter

1 shallot, chopped

chopped thyme

heavy cream

dried pasta, preferably fettuccine (I used pasta made of barley since I liked the darker color and the taste.)

Pour warm water over the morels and let sit for 15 min. Heat butter in heavy skillet and add shallot and thyme. Sautée until onion is golden. Add morels and cream. Simmer.

Bring water in a large pot to a boil and cook pasta until al dente. 

And what about dessert? That took the longest to decide about. I knew I wanted something with apples or pears since my husband doesn't like chocolate, and I wanted to stay with the fall theme. Once again I turned to Aran Goyoaga's beautiful blog "Cannelle et Vanille". Of course she had just what I was looking for: little apple cakes, if you can call these beautiful things that. I took her recipe, made some changes and served it. My husband's verdict: This is one of the better desserts. You can make it again. Sigh, men... I guess that means he really liked it.

Cakes with Poached Apples and Spiced Mascarpone Cream (adapted from Aran Goyoaga, serves 4)

Poached apples

1-2 apples, diced

200 g water

50 g all natural raw sugar

1 star anice,

1/2 cinnamon stick

1 cardamom pod

2 cloves

1 Tbs cognac

Heat water and sugar and stir until dissolved. Add spiced and apple. Simmer until apples are soft. Drain and remove spices. Cool.

Almond Crumble (I had some in the freezer, placed it on the baking sheet and baked it until golden at 175° C.

Cake (adapted from Aran)

1 cup flour

1 Tbs baking powder

0.5 cup whole milk

4 egg whites

0.5 cup all natural raw sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

4 oz unsalted butter, at room temperature

Sift together the flour, baking powder. Whisk together the milk and egg whites in a medium bowl. Put the sugar and butter in a mixer and working with the paddle or whisk attachment, or with a hand mixer, beat at medium speed for a full 3 minutes, until the butter and sugar are very light.

Beat in the vanilla extract, then add one third of the flour mixture, still beating on medium speed. Beat in half of the milk-egg mixture, then beat in half of the remaining dry ingredients until incorporated, then the rest of the egg and milk mixture and then the rest of the flour mixture.

Place batter in a pan and bake at 175° C until a toothpick comes out clean, about 20 min.

Spiced Mascarpone Cream (from Aran)

60 g heavy cream

60 g mascarpone

15 g all natural raw sugar

1/2 tsp cinnamon

Whip all ingredients together to semi stiff peak, just like whipped cream.

Assemble:

Place a metal ring on top of the dessert plate. Press the crumble into the bottom of the metal ring, making an even and thin layer. Spoon the drained apples on top and apply some pressure on top with a small spoon. Keep even layers. Lift up the metal ring carefully.

Place a disk of buttermilk cake on top and place a quenelle of mascarpone cream on top.

P.S. This is the first time I've made quenelles and for a first try, I think they are ok. One day they will be as pretty as these.