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There's nothing more boring than discussing the weather, but indulge me, won't you? I've got my sweats out, my Christian Girl Autumn boots ready, but Los Angeles keeps edging us with this delayed onset of fall. No matter how much I wanted to be a Gourd Girlie on October 1, this past weekend we were sweating through highs in the 90s. Clearly Mother Nature has other plans in store for me…
But we've got months of shivering ahead, so instead of lamenting this neverending August, I've decided to embrace it as a blessing. It's not a limbo we're stuck in, somewhere neither summer nor fall, it's Best of Both Worlds season — where that occasional brisk wind makes the sunshine strangely poignant. I'll be saving the braises and Soup Season offerings for my winter dinner parties, while serving up fall flavors this month that still have lightness to them.
I encourage you to do the same; to tune into actual seasonality instead of an idea of what fall "should" be. There are plenty of ways to break out your favorite spice blends, stock pots (and yes, winter squashes) without weighing your guests down with hibernation fare. So keep reading for the drinks and dishes that'll be on my October table… at least until the temps drop and I'm complaining that it's "brrrr."
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FIRST UP, COCKTAILS
I need no excuse to pour myself some whiskey, but the passing of Labor Day is as good a reason as any. My summers are usually dominated by gin and agave spirits, while rye and bourbon keep me company through the new year and beyond. That doesn't mean you need to go all fireside Old Fashioned (although by all means, do) — the Gold Rush is a bracing, citrusy bourbon drink that's a certified crowd-pleaser. I've been making mine with FEW, whose bourbon still has some bite and isn't an oak-y vanilla bomb, and I love serving it over a large ice sphere for minimum dilution.
Then there's the Fall Spritz, which was instantly an all-timer as soon as Bon Appétit published it. As a summer drink format with fall-friendly substitutions, it couldn't be more on theme here. Instead of mashing up Aperol and sparkling wine, this recipe calls for Amaro Averna and Basque-style dry hard cider. For some reason, I've had trouble finding Averna in the past, but can report that it's equally fab with Meletti or St. Agrestis. Any of the warming, spice-driven amari work well here, and similarly, most dry ciders will do the trick too. BA's recommended Isastegi Sagardo does have an awesome funk to it, but Golden State Cider comes in 6-packs and is perfect for making large batches.
And despite my whole thesis of saving Peak Fall for when it's… peak fall, sometimes you've got to give the people what they want. If a flannel-worthy night sneaks up on you, try turning to some apple brandy. By that I mean Laird's, which is definitely the industry standard. The flavor is pronounced but not saccharine, and goes beautifully with citrus and maple syrup in a drink like the Applejack Rabbit. Though the recipe calls for Grade B maple syrup, that's an outdated classification you might not spot in stores. Just look for something dark and robust; no sugar water here.
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DINNER'S READY
If you put a gun to my head and demanded to know my favorite vegetable (a scenario I'm 50% confident would never happen), my answer every day of the week would be sweet potato. It's the star ingredient of the Spinach Salad with Roasted Vegetables and Chickpeas that I cherish deeply, where spiced root veggies and Greek yogurt dressing make the coziest bowl of greens around. It's great as is, but I like to play around with the spices I add to the veggies: my current MVP is Rumi Spice's Persian Gulf Baharat. Nutmeg, cardamom and clove give a nod to pumpkin spice, but black pepper and cumin keep things earthy and grounded.
I'll be serving that with a big bowl of pasta, which doesn't have to be pumpkin ravioli to scratch an autumnal itch. Nigella Lawson's Tagliatelle With Chicken From The Venetian Ghetto (unhinged name, go off queen) feels like a warm blanket, tossing pasta and pine nuts in the drippings from a freshly roasted chicken. As always, it's best with a high-quality, textural pasta like Flour + Water, whose campanelle are also perfect for Ottolenghi's Smoky Pasta with Burnt Aubergine. This is a perfect main to serve to vegan guests, still delivering on creaminess thanks to drizzles of tahini sauce.
Lastly, I'll give up my agenda of being the Soup Grinch, since there are plenty of lighter options that fall short of heavy stews. My good friend Jack turned me onto The Kitchn's Absolute Best Lentil Soup, which lives up to its name with a spiced, tomato-ey broth that bridges summer and fall. Red lentils suit the cook time best, and they're the color you want too. Just one look at that fiery hue and I feel all bundled up.
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A SWEET NOTE TO END ON
Dessert feels like the best area to go ahead and lean in, since fall baking is one of the few pleasures this cruel world has to offer. My dear pal Alexis DeBoschnek makes the most killer Apple Pear Cardamom Crisp. Classic baking apples hold up great here, but it's also a great way to celebrate deeper cuts from your farmer's market (or from a CSA like Forage's Wild Apple Tasting Box.) Any apple feels like a stunner under that ginger-y brown sugar topping.
Either way, imagine topping it with maple ice cream and tell me that wouldn't be religious. I can't stop thinking about the cone I had at Wilcox's ice cream stand in rural Manchester, VT, a sweet, salty celebration of the state's beloved export. Luckily there's no easier way to impress guests than making your own at home: from-scratch ice cream is a breeze, but you'll get jaw-dropped responses like you milked the cows yourself. The KitchenAid ice cream maker attachment is the best $100 you'll ever spend, and churning a maple custard base is the perfect way to inaugurate it.
But I haven't forgotten my focus here: fall recipes that celebrate the last vestiges of summer. The New York Times' cult-favorite Plum Torte is the perfect capstone, enveloping the summery stone fruit in a warm cake perfumed with cinnamon. It's so good that readers protested when the paper stopped running the recipe annually; the NYT now pledges that "every year, as summer gives way to fall, we will make sure the recipe is easily available to one and all." NB: it's worth getting your hands on a leakproof springform pan before making it. I bought one for this recipe and now it's in heavy rotation.
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'TIL THE LEAVES TURN
As I write to you, it's hot and sunny out, but climate change leaves us no recourse but to make apple cider from those apples. This in-between season is your chance to combine the breeziness of summer cooking with the heady comforts of fall; take it from a Gemini Rising who finds being one thing painfully boring. As my favorite Sondheim lyrics goes, "Is it always 'or', is it never 'and'?"
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