Three Fall Recipes

It is hard to believe that summer has left us and Thanksgiving is less than two weeks away! With fall in full swing and colder weather approaching, there is no better time to put on your cosiest sweater and spend time with friends and family in the kitchen and cook up some delicious fall food.

1. Chris Rivest's Butternut Bleu Squash Soup

At hutch one of our favourite fall appetizers is butternut squash soup. There’s nothing more comforting than a steaming bowl of soup on a crisp fall evening, and squash not only has a lovely colour and incredible flavour, but is also a great sources of vitamin A and C, not to mention its high potassium and fibre content. This recipe comes curtsey of local Calgary chef Chris Rivest, of Sup Culinary.

Ingredients:

•  Large Shallot or Small Yellow Onion
• 1-2 cloves of Garlic
• 1 Litre of Chicken or Vegetable stock.
• 1 bouquet garni of thyme sprig, parsley, sage leaves and bay leaf
• 1 butternut squash, peeled, seeded and chopped into cubes.
• 100 ml of Dry White Wine
• 2 TBLS butter

Directions: 

1. Finely chop shallot and garlic and over medium high heat, sauté in a pot using butter until translucent.
2. Tie bouquet garni together with some kitchen or butchers string, tying one of the string to the end to the pot handle to remove easily. Add bouquet garni to pot until aromatic.
3. Deglaze the pot with the wine and then add the stock.
4. Add the squash and simmer on low until it becomes mushy.
5. Remove the bouquet garni and zip with an immersion blender or add the contents to a blender and blend until smooth.
6. Ladle into soup bowls and enjoy.

2. Apple Butter Pork Loin

 Moving from the soup to the main course, this Apple Butter Pork recipe will warm your soul and your stomach. 

Ingredients:

• 2-pound boneless pork loin with 
• 2 cups apple juice 
• ½ cup apple butter
• ¼ cup brown sugar
• ¼ teaspoon cinnamon seasoning
• ¼ teaspoon ground cloves 
• ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
2. Season the pork with salt and pepper and place the loin in a small roasting pan. Cover the loin with apple juice and then cover the dish and place into the preheated oven and bake for 30 minutes.
3. While the pork is roasting, begin to prepare the marinade. Mix together the apple butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, cloves, and cayenne pepper.
4. After a half hour remove the pork from the oven, pour off half the apple juice, and carefully apply the marinade
5.  Cover, and return the pork into the oven for 45 minutes, or until it reaches an internal temperature between 145 and 160 degrees F.

3. Soft Ginger Cookies

These cookies have all the flavour of a ginger snap with a beautiful soft texture. They make for the perfect end to a fall day and are best enjoyed while sitting around a fireplace with loved ones. 

Ingredients:

• ¾ cup soft butter
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 large egg
• ¼ molasses
• 2 ¼ cup flour
• 2 teaspoons ground ginger 
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon ground cloves 
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• Approximately 2 tablespoons white sugar

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. In a large mixing bowl fold together the flour, baking soda, cloves, salt, and ginger.
3. Beat in the egg, then begin to mix in the molasses and water.
4. Shape the dough into balls and then roll them through white sugar. 
5. Back for approximately ten minutes in the preheated oven.