Unique Fall Recipes to Try

To celebrate her move to Warner, New Hampshire, author and photographer Sarah Kenney threw a fall feast for the ages last year during the town’s annual Fall Foliage Festival. Here, she presents three of the recipes used for her dinner party so that you too can celebrate the season using the state’s abundant autumn harvest.

Pumpkin Orange Poppy Seed Cake

1 package (18.25 oz.) yellow cake mix
1 can (15 oz.) pumpkin
3 large eggs
2/3 cup orange juice
1/4 cup poppy seeds

Preheat oven to 350° F. Grease and flour 12-cup Bundt pan.

Combine cake mix, pumpkin, eggs and orange juice in large mixer bowl. Beat on low speed until moistened. Beat on medium speed for 2 minutes. Add poppy seeds; mix until blended. Pour into prepared Bundt pan.

Bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in cake comes out clean. Cool in pan on wire rack for 10 minutes; remove to wire rack to cool completely. Drizzle with glaze.

For Glaze:

Combine 1 1/2 cups sifted powdered sugar and 2 to 3 tablespoons orange juice in small bowl; stir until smooth.

Or use one can of cream cheese frosting, gently warmed and drizzled on top of cake.

New England Clam Chowder

1/2 pound salt pork or bacon, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
2 tablespoons butter
1 medium onion, finely chopped (about 1 cup)
2 stalks celery, finely chopped (about 1 cup)
1 cup clam juice
2 1/2 pounds live cherrystone or littleneck clams
1 quart whole milk
1 1/2 pounds russet or Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
2 bay leaves
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 cup heavy cream
Oyster crackers, for serving

Combine salt pork and 1/4 cup water in a heavy-bottomed stockpot or Dutch oven. Heat on medium, stirring occasionally, until water has evaporated and pork has begun to brown and crisp in spots, about 8 minutes. Add butter, onion and celery. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are softened but not browned, about 4 minutes longer. Add clam juice and stir to combine.

Add clams and increase heat to high. Cover and cook, until clams begin to open, about 3 minutes. As clams open, remove them with tongs and transfer to a large bowl, keeping as many juices in the pot as possible and keeping the lid shut as much as possible. After 8 minutes, discard any clams that have not yet begun to open.

Add milk, potatoes, bay leaves, and a pinch of salt and pepper to the pot. Bring to a boil, reduce to a bare simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until potatoes are tender and starting to break down, about 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, remove meat from inside the clams and roughly chop it. Discard empty shells. Transfer chopped clams and as much juice as possible to a fine mesh strainer set over a large bowl. Let clams drain, then transfer chopped clams to a separate bowl. Set both bowls aside.

Once the potatoes are tender, pour the entire mixture through the fine mesh strainer into the bowl with the clam juice. Transfer strained solids to the bowl with the chopped clams. You should end up with a white, semi-broken broth in the bowl underneath and the chopped clams, potatoes, salt pork and aromatics in the separate bowl.

Transfer liquid to a blender and blend on high speed until smooth and emulsified, about 2 minutes. Return liquid and solids back to Dutch oven. Add heavy cream and stir to combine. Reheat until simmering. Season well with salt and pepper. Serve immediately with oyster crackers.

Mushroom and Leek Galette with Gorgonzola

For the dough

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup whole-wheat flour
1 tablespoon sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
10 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch pieces and chilled
7 tablespoons ice water
1 teaspoon white vinegar

For the filling

1 1/4 pounds shiitake mushrooms, stemmed and sliced thin
5 teaspoons olive oil
1 pound (3 cups) leeks, white and light green parts only, sliced ½ inch thick and washed thoroughly
1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme
2 tablespoons crème fraîche
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
Salt and pepper
3 ounces (3/4 cup) Gorgonzola cheese, crumbled
1 large egg, lightly beaten
Kosher salt
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley

First, make the dough.

Process flours, sugar, and salt in food processor until combined, 2 to 3 pulses. Add butter and pulse until it forms pea-sized pieces, about 10 pulses. Transfer mixture to medium bowl.

Sprinkle water and vinegar over mixture. With rubber spatula, use folding motion to mix until a loose, shaggy mass forms with some dry flour remaining (do not overwork). Transfer mixture to the center of a large sheet of plastic wrap, press gently into rough 4-inch square, and wrap tightly. Refrigerate for at least 45 minutes.

Transfer dough to lightly floured work surface. Roll into 11-by-8-inch rectangle with short side of rectangle parallel to edge of work surface. Using bench scraper, fold bottom third of dough up, then fold upper third down over it, folding like business letter into 8-by-4-inch rectangle. Turn dough 90 degrees counterclockwise. Roll out dough again into 11 by 8-inch rectangle and fold into thirds again. Turn dough 90 degrees counterclockwise and repeat rolling and folding into thirds. After last fold, fold dough in half to create 4-inch square. Press top of dough gently to seal. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 45 minutes or up to 2 days.

Then, prepare the filling, combine and bake.

Cover mushrooms in bowl and microwave until just tender, 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer to colander to drain and return to bowl. Meanwhile, heat 1 tablespoon oil in 12-inch skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Add leeks and thyme, cover, and cook, stirring occasionally, until leeks are tender and beginning to brown, 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer to bowl with mushrooms. Stir in crème fraîche and mustard. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.

Adjust oven rack to lower middle position, place pizza stone on oven rack, and heat oven to 400 degrees. Remove dough from refrigerator and let stand at room temperature for 15 to 20 minutes. Roll out on generously floured (up to ¼ cup) work surface to 14-inch circle about 1/8 inch thick. (Trim edges as needed to form rough circle.) Transfer dough to parchment paper-lined rimmed baking sheet. With tip of paring knife, cut five ¼-inch circles in dough (one at center and four evenly spaced midway from center to edge of dough). Brush top of dough with 1 teaspoon oil.

Spread half of filling evenly over dough, leaving 2-inch border around edge. Sprinkle with half of Gorgonzola, cover with remaining filling, and top with remaining Gorgonzola. Drizzle remaining teaspoon oil over filling. Grasp 1 edge of dough and fold up outer 2 inches over filling. Repeat around circumference of tart, overlapping dough every 2 to 3 inches; gently pinch pleated dough to secure but do not press dough into filling. Brush dough with egg and sprinkle evenly with kosher salt.

Lower oven temperature to 375° F. Bake until crust is deep golden brown and filling is beginning to brown, 35 to 45 minutes. Cool tart on baking sheet on wire rack for 10 minutes.

Roasted Brussels Sprout, Bacon and Apple Galette

For the crust

1⅓ cup all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon dried sage
4 tablespoons shortening
4 tablespoons cold, unsalted butter
¼ cup ice water (more if needed)

For the filling

16 small Brussels sprouts, cut in half
3 slices bacon, cut into ½-inch pieces
1 Honeycrisp apple, cut into 1-inch chunks
1 tablespoon yellow mustard seeds, ground

To put it together

1 egg
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
3 ounces Asiago cheese, grated

Instructions

For the crust

1. Whisk flour, salt and sage together in a bowl.
2. Add the shortening and the butter and cut them in with a pastry cutter until you have the consistency of a meal.
3. Sprinkle the water over the fat/flour mix and bring the dough together with your hands. (If the dough doesn’t come together, add a little more water, 1 teaspoon at a time).
4. Form the dough into a disc, wrap tightly in plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for 1 hour.

For the filling

1. Heat the oven to 400° F.
2. Add Brussels sprouts, bacon, apple and mustard seeds to a baking pan.
3. Roast, mixing everything around a few times, until the Brussels sprouts are tender but not browned (40 – 45 minutes).

To put it together

1. Keep the oven running at 400° F.
2. Lightly beat the egg with 1 tablespoon cold water. Set aside.
3. Roll the dough into a 13-inch round about ⅛ inch in thickness. The thickness is important — if the dough is too thick, it will open up away from the filling like a flower during baking.
4. Spread the Dijon mustard on the dough.
5. Mix the cheese into the roasted vegetable mix and spoon it onto the dough round, leaving a 2-inch border around the edge. Try to spread the filling out evenly, rather than making a steep tower.
6. Fold the edge over onto the filling and pinch together every few inches.
7. Brush the egg/water mix onto the outside of the crust, then bake the galette until the crust turns golden-brown (30 – 40 minutes).