Bittersweet

Good Morning.

I can become quite unsettled in the fall because I'm not in a place where the mountains covered in various shades of green for several months of the year gradually become peppered with yellow and orange and a crimson unlike any other red on earth. A maple in the front yard is a sight to behold, but it's not the same as driving through a valley tucked into a giant quilt of color. And no raking is necessary. The leaves are perfectly content to sit around until they provide a certain crunch underfoot. This is what leaves are supposed to do in this life.

The most memorable dinner I ever had in New England was at a Woodstock, Vermont inn with wide plank floors and stenciled walls. I can't remember what I ordered but I distinctly recall waiting for a table in a bar that wasn't a bar. It was a room with wing back chairs and braided rugs with a small serving area overseen by someone who mixed up whatever you wanted. There was background music but not anything you'd expect in such a setting. The music was a collection of hymns played on folksy-type instruments. I asked the bartender for the name of the tape and bought it at a little shop the next day. Here is a menu for similar inspiration:

We begin with an Apple Rum Fizz.

1/3 cup granulated sugar

1/3 cup water

8 sprigs fresh thyme

2 cups apple cider

1 1/2 cups dark rum

3/4 cup lime juice

Club soda

Bring the sugar and water to a boil in a small pan and stir the sugar until dissolved. Remove from heat, add thyme sprigs, and cover. Let stand for 10 minutes then strain into a jar. Let this liquid cool completely, then mix it with the cider, rum, and lime juice in a pitcher. Pour into glasses filled with lots of ice and top with club soda. This amount will serve 8 people.

Rum is an underrated and underused spirit. Most people associate it with Caribbean pirates, but New England fishermen have been known to rely on its ability to warm the flannel beneath a slicker, pronounced slickah. Here is little homage to

the folk of the sea:

A lobsterman out of Nantucket

Kept his rum in an old wooden bucket

But he drank 'til he thought

That a chicken he caught

And got pinched when he started to pluck it.

Moving along now that you're shaking your head in dismay, we have Bay Scallops in Orange Sauce.

1/2 cup flour

1 pound bay scallops

1 tsp. unsalted butter

1 tbsp. olive oil

1 shallot, finely chopped

1/2 cup sliced almonds

1/2 cup orange juice

2 tbsp. Grand Marnier

1/2 cup chicken broth

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Mix the scallops with the flour in a bowl. Heat the butter and olive oil in a skillet. Shake the flour from the scallops and saute for about three minutes, turning once. Remove to a plate. Add the shallots and almonds to the pan and saute until the almonds are just slightly browned. Add the orange juice and broth. Cook over medium heat until slightly thickened. Return the scallops to the pan, add the Grand Marnier, and toss everything to coat. Taste and add salt and pepper if desired. Serve in baking shells or ramekins for a nice appetizer.

The entree must be Yankee Pot Roast, of course.

1/4 cup olive oil

3 medium white onions, sliced

1 4 pound top or bottom round beef roast

Flour

2 1/2 cups beef broth

1 1/2 cups hearty red wine, like a Cabernet

1 tbsp. thyme

1 tsp. freshly ground pepper

Kosher salt

2 tbsp. unsalted butter at room temperature

2 tbsp. flour

In a Dutch oven, heat the olive oil and saute the onions until golden. Dredge the roast in flour and add to the pot. Brown on all sides. Add the broth, wine, thyme, pepper, and just a pinch of salt. Reduce the heat, cover the pot, and simmer for 3 1/2 hours. Turn the roast occasionally. When fork tender, remove the meat. In a small bowl, mix the room temp butter and flour together, then add to the broth and whisk until you have a gravy. Slice the meat and arrange on a platter. Cover with some of the gravy and put the rest in a gravy boat for 6 people. Serve the roast with the following vegetables:

Maple Roasted Sweet Potatoes and Carrots

1 pound sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into one-inch cubes

2 large carrots, peeled and cut into half-inch chunks

Olive oil

Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

1 tsp. thyme

3 tbsp. maple syrup, the real stuff

Place sweet potatoes and carrots in a single layer on a cookie sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast in a 375 degree oven for half an hour. Remove, sprinkle with thyme and drizzle with maple syrup. Return to oven and bake another 15 minutes. Place in a serving dish and toss. Serves 4. Multiply recipe for more people.

This is a fall dish without the little marshmallows. Save those widgets for hot chocolate after a walk in the woods.

And for dessert, we suggest Cranberry Slump.

2 1/2 cups fresh cranberries

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 cup melted unsalted butter, cooled

1 cup sugar

2 beaten eggs

1 cup flour

1/2 tsp. almond extract

Mix the cranberries, nuts, and sugar in a bowl. Place in an ungreased 9 inch springform pan. Mix the butter, sugar, eggs, flour, and almond in another bowl and pour this mixture over the cranberries and nuts. Bake at 375 degrees for 35 to 40 minutes. Serve with whipped cream.

Best regahds,

Elisabeth