The Joy of Autumn

Posted: 7/04/2010 11:43:05 p.m.

To be totally honest, I wasn’t sure if summer was going to happen at all this year and then it turned up a few months late as if nothing was wrong, kind of like that cool kid at the school formal. The late summer has been a great boost for the last of the stone fruit crops but as I look outside I get the feeling we have jumped straight into winter. As we move into the cooler months it becomes one of my favourite times to be a cook. Firstly, in a restaurant kitchen at least, we are surrounded by multiple heating options that keep us warm and there is always something on the stove. Thing’s that has been slow cooking for a number of hours or something equally delicious coming out of the oven after a long and slow overnight roast. Autumn is a great season to be in the kitchen. Everything coming into the kitchen has a bit more strength to it. Things are more robust in their structure and flavour than the light and delicate tastes of summer.

I will have to admit I always feel like a bit of a nana at this time of year as I start our annual bottling and pickling campaign to preserve those last tastes of summer. We cram as much peach jam, apricot conserve, tomato passata and corn relish as we can into our limited amount of jars. I can tell you now the young guy who was on work experience last we does not want to see another cob of corn after dealing to 500 cobs last week. It is a real reminder of the cycle of the seasons we have living in Canterbury as we say a few sad farewells. The flavour of this years berries will become a distant memory to cherish over the next months, as will the stone fruit and my favourite heirloom tomatoes will be off the menu for the next nine months.

As we say goodbye to the flavours of summer we welcome in quince, Brussels sprouts, celeriac, Jerusalem artichokes, feijoa and another favourite; the delicious and short lived fig. Autumn signals the coming of winter and the time to forage and collect enough goodies to get you through the coming colder months. On its own it is also a season to celebrate and it is a time to enjoy the harvest and take time to spend with family around a table. My suggestions for an autumn treat is

Figs with Ricotta

15 fresh figs
1 cup of ricotta cheese.
¼ cup of honey.
2 tablespoons of ground almonds.
1 teaspoon of grated lemon rind.
1 teaspoon of grated orange rind.
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract, or quarter of a fresh vanilla pod
Chopped toasted pistachios.

Remove stems from the figs.
Cut each fig almost in half and open up ready to stuff.
In a food processor, mix together the ricotta, honey, ground almonds, lemon rind, orange rind and vanilla
Process to blend all the ingredients together.
Stuff each fig with the ricotta mixture.
Garnish with the toasted nuts.