First of Fall

First of Fall

I almost couldn't contain my excitement of the arrival of fall this week. Well, lets be honest, I really didn't contain it what so ever! Just about every pumpkin recipe I came across this week that I haven't already made was either immediatly made or put on my to do list. Last night I came home with pumpkin spice pudding and my dad had to give me the "too much of a good thing" speech. Lucky for him, tonight we are having a collard green and parmesean soup baked inside a sugar pumpkin for dinner!

 

 While I talk a big game about pumpkins, the reality is that the special this week wasn't pumpkin at all. The pouch of heaven pictured about is a Apple Cranberry Galette topped with vanilla bean ice cream and garnished with cardamom caramel and candied pecans. For those of you who are asking what a galette is, its basically a neatly wrapped pie crust filled with whatever your heart desires. In this case it is a apple cranberry filling that has a touch of cinnamon sugar an a smidgen of orange zest to compliment the cranberries. I am very happy with how it came out and even more so with its popularity. I will chalk this up as a success and it might even make a second appearance in November or early December.

 

 

Though the main treat this week was sans pumpkin, the Sunday brunch muffin was full of the fall favorite. This pumpkin bread recipe is actually one of the best I have ever tried, I think it even beats out anything I have tasted at any restaurant. And I am not just saying that because it is my own! In fact, since the recipe got such a fantastic response, we are going to be making it into mini loaves of pumpkin bread to sell through the holidays. Come late November I hope to add a gingerbread loaf too (I'd better get started on that recipe!). I think this week was a great start to a tasty holiday season.

 

Keeping It Sweet,

 

Amber

So Long Sweet Summer

So Long Sweet Summer

As the summer is coming to a close it is a bitter sweet feeling that is stirring in me. On one hand I am so excited for the Pumpkin Cupcakes and Poached Pears that the fall holds, but on the other hand I am so reluctant to give up the berries and peaches the summer stands for. The cherry season was so short this year I had to make the most of the cherries while I had them. While Cherries Jubilee was a bit of a failure as far as popularity goes, the Cherry Berry Crisp made up for it. I must say my biggest victory this summer was the above pictured Peach Shortcake. Organic peaches soaked in vanilla bean bourbon are the high light of this plate, but I also loved how it was plated. Simple, but unique in a southern way. And nothing says southern like a mint leaf garnish. The full flavor of a peach is one of the sweetest parts of summer, but I am ready to give them up because I think I have made peaches just about every way possible on this earth!

 

While it is easy to fall into a rut of the same desserts and flavors, only using what is in season will keep you on your toes. I am looking forward so much to the warmth and spice that makes fall my favorite time of the year. I am ready to bring on all things pumpkin and spice! Not to leave fruits to the way side, there will be Apple Cranberry Crisps, Pear Tarts, and Figgy Puding in my future! I am excited for this chapter of the year to unfold and all the victories and failures that are to come.

 

 

Keeping It Sweet,

 

Amber