Ode to Autumn menu captures season’s magic
Dear Autumn,
You make me feel so wistful, but in a good way. You’re a cool breeze after a summer frenzy of heat and festivals and fairs and cookouts.
You’re a welcome sigh, a thoughtful pause, a lovely season. Some would say you’re much more.
My good friend Jan would say so. “I’m prone to October enchantment myself,” she says. “I’ve fallen in love in autumn three times. The first was my high school sweetheart.”
She didn’t marry that guy, but the second, her late husband Steve, she did marry. And the third, her new husband Joe, she met last October and married just two weeks ago, in early October. With leaves turning and returning to the earth, autumn is a reminder of the life cycle, a time to appreciate, well, time — its passing and the moments we have.
And so this Ode to Autumn gathering features a bit of that magic, including a recipe that my friend Jan loves for its simplicity and sweet-and-savory autumn
flavors. This laid-back autumn spread features lots aromas of the season: Apples, cranberries, nutmeg, cinnamon and pears.
Start things off with an easy appetizer: Cranberry Rosemary Cheese Spread. It can be prepared a day ahead, and you can use some fresh rosemary that you may have left from the garden. Serve it with crackers or crisp crostini.
Jan’s recipe, Chopped Autumn Salad with Apple Cider Dressing, is kind of a riotous celebration of the season, with sliced pears and Granny Smith apples, smoky bacon, feta cheese and a tangy apple cider dressing all mixed with chopped romaine lettuce. (Could this make an appearance at Thanksgiving? Hmm…)
And the main course: Crockpot Chicken and Apples couldn’t be easier or more comforting as the fall winds blow. There’s curry, naturally, plus ground nutmeg, onions, garlic and apple cider. The scent going through the house as it bubbles away for hours is a delectable side dish of its own. You can use a sweet curry, or just less curry, if you’re not a fan of hot dishes.
Keep things simple for dessert with thin, crisp gingersnap cookies. I happened to find some in the shape of a heart while on a trip to Door County. Add some vanilla ice cream and guests can make their own little ice cream sandwiches.
Serve it all with a selection of fall brews and apple cider. Ask guests to bring a favorite fall drink because you know they’ll ask, “What can I bring?” Then kick back and relish this enchanting pause we call autumn. Jan Uebelherr is a Milwaukee freelance writer. Email her at jan.uebelherr@gmail.com.