By October, it is undeniably autumn in the Northern Hemisphere. Indeed, the frost is on the pumpkin (whether it is or not, it’s always fun to say). The light is different; the air is cooler. Appetites change. Summer produce is a memory, but there are myriad fall vegetables and fruits to enjoy now.
One joyous example is the arrival of persimmons.
Some trivia on this fall fruit: There two types of note. Round, plump Fuyus are the kind you can slice and eat raw. Perfect for cool season salads, they can stand in for pears or apples.
Bright orange, pointy Hachiya persimmons are far too astringent to eat when firm, but when fully ripe, they can be eaten with a spoon or baked into a dark sticky pudding. They are also used to make the classic Japanese dried persimmon called hoshigaki. There are other varieties, all native to Asia, such as the luminous, sweet bulbous type favored in Italy called Rojo Brillante, eaten for dessert. And foragers know that wild persimmons, no bigger than a walnut, grow throughout the American South.
But back to the Fuyu. In this menu, it is used in a most satisfying seasonal salad. Fairly easy to put together, it requires, in addition to peeled and sliced persimmons, a simple vinaigrette with a touch of sweetness from balsamic vinegar (a drop or two of honey wouldn’t be out of place). It’s all tossed with chicories, like radicchio, curly endive or escarole, and homemade glazed walnuts and really feels like and looks like fall. Similar salads sometimes add blue cheese, but feta suits it beautifully.
For a main course, roasted chicken is universally satisfying. Rather than cook a whole bird, I chose my favorite part, the reliably meaty, juicy thigh. I found hefty bone-in ones, large enough to serve one per person, that were perfect for roasting. What I wanted was a well-seasoned, quite lemony chicken dish, achieved in two ways.
A fair amount of lemon juice went into the marinade, and thin slices of lemon went into the roasting pan as well, along with garlic, leeks and rosemary to ensure robust flavor. An hour or so in a hot oven delivers a wonderfully crisp aromatic meal. Incidentally, I prefer to a use deep roasting dish for this — ceramic, glass or metal, or a wide Dutch oven — rather than a sheet pan. Savory juices descend in a beneficial way, and the skin browns nicely.
As an accompaniment, small striped torpedo-shaped delicata squash, which most grocers carry now, gets roasted, too (do use a sheet pan here). You just slice it crosswise into thick rings, drizzle it with olive oil and salt, and consign it to the oven. The sweet-savory rings get a bit caramelized, and the tender skin is deliciously edible.
Whether served from the cooking vessel or a large platter, the visual is undeniably autumnal.
Then, finally, late-season plums, especially the little purple Italian ones are the perfect finish. The choice for dessert was crumble or upside-down cake, and the cake won. Easy and easy to love, the cake has a bit of cardamom, which pairs well with plum, and fits the mood. When you turn it right-side up, it’s a rustic beauty that matches the general color scheme of this meal. Cue the autumn leaves. It keeps well and actually improves with a few days’ rest. Have a reasonable sliver at the table after dinner and save a nice fat slice for breakfast.
Persimmon Salad With Glazed Walnuts and Feta
Here, firm Fuyu persimmons are used in a most satisfying seasonal salad that’s fairly easy to put together. First, you mix up a simple vinaigrette that gets a touch of sweetness from balsamic vinegar (a drop or two of honey wouldn’t be out of place). Then, it’s all tossed with chicories, like radicchio, curly endive or escarole, and homemade glazed walnuts and the result really feels like and looks like fall. Similar salads sometimes add blue cheese, but feta suits this one beautifully. And, if you can’t get persimmons, use pears.
By David Tanis
Yield: 4 to 6 servings
Total time: 25 minutes
Ingredients:
For the Dressing:
- 1 small shallot, chopped
- 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- Salt and pepper
- 1 tablespoon walnut oil
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- For the Glazed Walnuts:
- 2 tablespoons salted butter
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1 1/2 cups walnut halves
- Salt
- Pinch of cayenne
For the Salad:
- 4 medium Fuyu persimmons, peeled and cut in 1/8-inch slices
- 1 medium head radicchio, leaves torn into 1-inch-wide strips
- 1 small head escarole or Castelfranco chicory, leaves torn into 1-inch-wide strips
- 2 ounces feta (about 1/2 cup)
Preparation:
1. Make the dressing: Put chopped shallot in a small bowl. Add red wine vinegar, balsamic vinegar and lemon juice. Let marinate for 10 minutes. Add a pinch of salt and pepper. Whisk in walnut oil and olive oil.
2. Make the glazed walnuts: Heat butter in a small skillet over medium-high. When butter sizzles, add sugar and walnuts. Cook, stirring, until sugar creates a caramelized coating and the walnuts smell toasty, about 5 minutes. Sprinkle lightly with salt and add the pinch of cayenne. Toss well and leave to cool.
3. Build the salad: Put persimmon slices in a salad bowl. Add dressing and toss. Add radicchio and chicory, and toss lightly. Top with crumbled feta and glazed walnuts.
Lemon Garlic Roast Chicken With Squash
This showstopping chicken isn’t weeknight fare, but it turns chicken thighs into something totally special. It features lemon two ways, with a fair amount of lemon juice in the marinade, and thin slices of lemon in the roasting pan as well. Garlic, leeks and rosemary also ensure robust flavor. Then, simply roasted rings of delicata squash, skin and all, lay on top, but if you can’t find it, substitute cubes of another hard squash, like butternut. And, if you’re short on time, you can always prepare it in advance — at least a few hours ahead of serving — and reheat for 15 to 12 minutes in a 400-degree oven.
By David Tanis
Yield: 6 servings
Total time: About 1 hour 45 minutes
Ingredients:
- 6 large bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs (about 3 1/2 to 4 pounds)
- Salt and pepper
- 1 teaspoon turmeric
- 1 teaspoon pimentón or smoked paprika
- 1/2 cup lemon juice (from 3 lemons)
- 3 lemons, 2 cut crosswise into 1/8-inch slices, 1 zested
- 2 heads garlic, separated into unpeeled cloves
- 3 small leeks, cut into 2-inch lengths
- 1/2 cup rosemary leaves, stripped from about 6 sprigs
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling.
- 2 delicata squash, seeds removed, sliced crosswise into 1/2-inch rings and seeded
- 1/4 cup chopped parsley
Preparation:
1. Set chicken thighs in a single layer in a roasting pan. Season generously on both sides with salt and pepper. Put a pinch of turmeric and a pinch of pimentón on each thigh and rub into the surface. Pour lemon juice over chicken and let marinate for 30 minutes, if time allows.
2. Heat oven to 400 degrees. Arrange lemon slices around and under chicken. Scatter garlic cloves and leeks over top. Sprinkle with rosemary and drizzle with about 2 tablespoons olive oil. Roast on the middle rack of the oven, uncovered, for about an hour, until meat is tender and the juices run clear when probed, and the chicken is nicely browned and lemon slices slightly charred.
3. Meanwhile, arrange the squash rings on a baking sheet. Drizzle lightly with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Add to the oven after the chicken has cooked for about 30 minutes. Roast uncovered on top rack of oven until lightly browned and fork-tender, about 30 minutes.
4. To serve, mix together parsley and lemon zest. Transfer chicken, garlic, leeks and lemon slices to a serving platter (or serve from an oven-to-table roasting pan). Top with squash rings and parsley-lemon mixture.
Plum-Cardamom Upside-Down Cake
Turn this easy to make (and easy to love) cake right-side up, and it’s a rustic beauty, generously made with any kind of plum. It keeps well and actually improves the longer it sits. So don’t give big servings. Have a reasonable sliver at the table after dinner and save a nice fat slice for breakfast.
By David Tanis
Yield: 8 to 10 servings
Total time: 1 hour 20 minutes, plus cooling
Ingredients:
For the Topping:
- Unsalted butter, for greasing pan
- 1 cup/220 grams packed light brown sugar
- 2 pounds plums, pitted and sliced into wedges (about 7 plums)
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
For the Cake:
- 1 1/3 cups/260 grams granulated sugar
- 4 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup/113 grams unsalted butter, melted
- 1 1/3 cup/170 grams all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
- Pinch of salt
Preparation:
1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Generously butter a 9-inch springform pan. Coat the bottom of the pan evenly with light brown sugar. Toss plum slices with lemon juice, then arrange in a single layer on the sugar, skin side down. Set aside.
2. Put granulated sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with whisk attachment (or in a sturdy mixing bowl if using a whisk). Add the eggs and vanilla, and beat on medium until the mixture begins to thicken, about 5 minutes. Add butter. Increase speed a bit and continue beating until mixture is fluffy, another 5 minutes.
3. Sift together flour, baking powder, cardamom and salt. On low speed, add flour mixture to egg-sugar mixture. Stir briefly to incorporate into a smooth batter.
4. Spread the batter over the plums in the prepared pan. Bake until a tester inserted in the center comes out clean, about 1 hour.
5. Let the cake rest in the pan for 10 to 15 minutes, then invert over a cake platter. Loosen and remove pan. Cool completely to room temperature.
This article originally appeared in The New York Times.
Originally Published:
