As the crisp air of early autumn arrives, it’s the ideal season to savor meals highlighting sweet roasted vegetables, earthy greens, and comforting desserts. This culinary combination features a robust squash and cavolo nero salad, complemented by a decadent dark chocolate mousse, aromatic poached quince, and a crunchy brown-butter crumb.
The Roast Squash and Cavolo Nero Salad with Black Olive Tapenade is a standout dish. It takes just 15 minutes to prepare and 40 minutes to cook, serving 4 to 6 people. The ingredients include a medium butternut squash, olive oil, dried chili flakes, cavolo nero, lemon juice, and toasted pumpkin seeds or walnuts. For the tapenade, you’ll need black olives, a small garlic clove, capers, flat-leaf parsley, extra-virgin olive oil, red-wine vinegar, and black pepper. Start by preheating the oven to 425F. Coat the squash wedges with olive oil, chili flakes, salt, and pepper, and roast them until they turn golden. Meanwhile, prepare the cavolo nero by blanching it and tossing it with lemon juice. The tapenade involves chopping olives, garlic, capers, and parsley, then mixing with olive oil and vinegar. Serve the roasted squash over cavolo nero with a spoonful of tapenade, topped with seeds or nuts.
For dessert, the Dark Chocolate Mousse with Poached Quince and Brown Butter Crumb offers a luxurious treat. This recipe, serving six, requires 10 minutes of preparation and two hours of cooking, with at least four hours of chilling time. Ingredients for the mousse include dark chocolate, eggs, caster sugar, and double cream, with crème fraîche on the side. The poached quince needs honey, apple juice or kombucha, apple cider vinegar, a bay leaf, black peppercorns, a cinnamon stick, lemon, and quince. To make the crumb, you’ll need butter, milk powder, flour, sugar, and sea salt. Melt the chocolate, whisk egg whites with sugar, and fold into whipped cream and egg yolks. Chill the mousse. For the quince, caramelize honey, add the liquids and spices, then simmer the quince until tender. Prepare the crumb by baking a mixture of browned butter and dry ingredients until golden.
To present this autumnal feast, place a serving of cold chocolate mousse on each plate, add diced poached quince, and sprinkle the brown-butter crumb. Finish with a dollop of crème fraîche for a perfect balance of flavors.