3 Great Recipes for Fall
Autumn is one of our favorite times of year for food. The flavors are bold and comforting as the bounty of amazing summer veggies into the warm spices of fall. Who doesn’t love going to their local pumpkin patch to eat fresh cider donuts? And the gorgeous color of the leaves as they turn yellow and red is the perfect photo-op!
We wanted to round up as many of these flavors as we could to put together 3 recipes for the perfect fall meal. You’ll start with a maple pecan latte that’s almost as good as dessert, followed by a light but flavorful butternut squash soup and a tart but sweet apple crisp to round everything out.
Maple Pecan Latte
Maple Pecan Syrup:
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup pecans
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1/2 tablespoon butter (sub vegan butter if desired)
1/3 cup heavy cream (sub coconut cream for vegan)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
To make the Latte:
1 shot of espresso
2 tablespoons maple pecan syrup
1/2 cup steamed milk of your choice
Whipped cream and pecans for garnish
In a small pot, combine maple syrup, pecans, brown sugar, and butter over medium-high heat. Stir until sugar has completely dissolved, about 2 minutes.
Remove the syrup from the heat and whisk in the heavy cream and vanilla extract. Set aside to cool completely.
Add 2 tablespoons of the maple pecan syrup to a mug and pull one shot of espresso. Whisk until well blended.
Meanwhile, steam milk using the wand on your espresso machine, or heat on the stove and use a frother to create some foam. Pour steamed milk over the espresso mixture. Top with whipped cream and chopped pecans, and serve.
Butternut Squash Soup
1 large butternut squash, halved and seeded
1 tbsp olive oil, plus more for drizzling
½ cup chopped shallot (about 1 large shallot bulb)
1 tsp salt
4 garlic cloves, pressed or minced
1 tsp maple syrup
⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
3 to 4 cups (24 to 32 ounces) vegetable broth, as needed
1 to 2 tablespoons butter, to taste
Preheat oven to 425° F. Place the butternut squash halves on a baking sheet, drizzling each with olive oil to lightly coat (about ½ tsp). Rub the oil over the inside of the squash and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Place the squash face down and roast until it’s tender and completely cooked through, about 40 to 50 minutes. Set the squash aside until it’s cool enough to handle.
Meanwhile, in a large soup pot, heat 1 tbsp olive oil over medium. Add the shallot and 1 tsp salt. Cook until the shallot has softened, about 3 to 4 minutes, making sure to stir so they don’t burn. Add the garlic and cook for about 30 seconds, stirring frequently. Transfer the cooked aromatics to your blender.
Then, scoop the flesh of the butternut squash into the blender. Add the maple syrup, nutmeg and pinch of black pepper. Add in 3 cups vegetable broth, being careful not to fill the blender past the maximum fill line (work in batches if necessary, and stir in any remaining broth later). Blend on high until the soup is smooth.
If you want to thin out your soup a bit more, stir in an extra cup of broth. Add 1 to 2 tablespoons butter or olive oil and blend once more. Taste for seasoning and add more salt and pepper if necessary.
If the soup is still hot from blending, serve immediately. If not, pour it back into the soup pot and warm over medium heat, stirring often, until it’s heated back through.
Apple Crisp
4 cups sliced tart apples
2/3 to ¾ cup packed brown sugar
½ cup all-purpose flour
½ cup oats
1/3 cup butter, softened
¾ tsp ground cinnamon
¾ tsp ground nutmeg
Heat oven to 375° F. Grease a square 8x8x2 inch pan. Arrange the apples in the pan. Mix the rest of the ingredients and sprinkle the crisp mixture over the apples. Bake for 30 minutes or until the topping is golden brown and apples are tender. Serve warm, and if you want to make it extra special, top with a scoop of vanilla ice cream!