Menu and Recipes from White Fall Luncheon

A few days ago, I posted about this luncheon that I had for my bridge buddies.  You can see the post if you click here. 

We dined at this pretty table with white paper mache fall vegetables.

I thought you might like the recipes on the menu:

It was such a beautiful day that we started the luncheon outside with the appetizers.

I served Double Cranberry Crostini.  It is the perfect fall dessert and can mostly be done ahead of time.  These recipes will all be printed at the end of the post.



The next course was this Grilled Fig and Arugula Salad.

The Fall Vegetable Risotto was such a hit.  I've made it many times, but I added roasted pumpkin and it was pretty and delish.

This easy recipe made the best and cutest pumpkin spice rolls.

This is what they looked like before they were baked.  I used a pretzle stick for the stem.

Right out of the oven, they were brushed with butter and honey.

Didn't they turn out cute?

This pumpkin roulade is a long-time favorite of our family.  My mother-in-law gave me this recipe years and years ago.  It is really a lot easier than it looks.  If I were a better photographer, you could identify that chocolate acorn garnish!

This is what it looks like when it first goes into the sheet pan.  Notice how it is lined with waxed paper.  You can use parchment, but I think waxed paper gets into the corner easier.

You need to cover a clean dish towel with confectioner's sugar.

Then when it comes out of the oven...

You immediately flip it out onto the towel and peel off the paper.

Flip over the edge of the towel.....

And roll it up tightly.  Cool very thoroughly, even overnight.

When you're ready to fill it, carefully unroll.  You can see how it wants to stay rolled up.  This is good!

 

Spread with the filling.  See....it still wants to be rolled up.  (This is turned around from the previous picture.)  Do not put filling all the way to the edges.

Here it is all rolled up.

Put it on a tray, sprinkle with more confectioner's sugar, and pipe with whipped cream.  These toothpicks will keep the saran wrap from sticking to the cake.  You can make this a day ahead if you like.  Just keep it refrigerated until you serve it.

It was beautiful day with lovely friends.  If you'd like to make the recipes, here they are.

Double Cranberry Crostini



1 recipe of Cranberry-Ginger Chutney               

1/2  t. very finely chopped peeled fresh ginger

1/3 c. dried cranberries (plumped in hot              

1 t. lime juice

2 3-oz. pkg. cream cheese, softened                  

2 T. chopped, toasted pecans

1 16 oz. loaf of French bread, baguette style                           

 (opt: 4 oz. sliced turkey)

Prepare chutney and cool.  Mix cranberries, cream cheese, pecans, ginger and lime juice.  Slice bread diagonally into 1/2"" slices and bake on baking sheet 6-8 min. or until edges just start to brown.  Cool slightly.  Spread with the cream cheese mixture and add turkey on slices. (optional) Then spread with a dollop of chutney.  Makes about 25 appetizers.

 Cranberry-Ginger Chutney

1 1/2 c. fresh cranberries                            

1 1/2 T. peeled, finely chopped fresh ginger

3/4 c. packed brown sugar                                

2 T. cranberry juice

1/3 c. dried apricots, chopped                           

 3/4 t. ground cardamom

1/3 c. raisins                                                     

1/4 t. cayenne pepper

In a med. saucepan, combine all ingredients.  Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until sugar is

disolved.  Cook, uncovered, 3-4 minutes more or until cranberries pop, stirring occassionally.  Transfer

to a medium bowl and cool ast least one hour.  Cover and chill up to one week.

                                                                        Pumpkin Yeast Rolls

1 t. pumpkin pie spice                                          1 whole egg

2/3 c. apple cider                                                 1 egg white

1/3 c. warm water                                                2 T. cold water

2 T. soft butter                                                     8 pretzle sticks

Combine hot roll mix, yeast packet from mix and spice in a large bowl.  Stir to mix well.  Combine cider and warm water in a small saucepan.  Heat over medium heat until cider mixture is hot (120 - 130 degrees).  Pour over dry ingredients.  Add butter and whole egg.  Stir until dough pulls away from side of bowl.  Place dough on lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic.  Let rest 5 min.  Cut into 16 equal pieces and roll each piece into a ball.  Comibine egg white and cold water in a small bowl.  Beat lightly with fork until well blended.  Brush egg white mixture evenly onto rolls, covering completely.  With a sharp knife, lightly score surface of each roll to resemble a pumpkin.  Insert a half of a pretzle stick.  Lightly grease a baking sheet and place rolls 2 " apart on sheet.  Cover loosely with a towel.  Let rise in warm place 20-30 min or until doubled in size.  Remove towel.  Preheat oven to 375 and bake 15-20 min or until golden brown.  Brush warm rolls with butter and honey mixture if you wish.

                                                       Grilled Figs and Arugula Salad

The salad is the same as the roasted pear salad that I posted  here.  For this meal, I just substitued the roasted pear with grilled fresh figs.  I used a mixture of romaine, arugula, and spinach for the greens.

                                                               Pumpkin Risotto 

This is a basic risotto recipe with, roasted corn, roasted wild mushrooms, fresh spinach and roasted, cubed pumpkin stirred in. Top with freshly grated Parmesean cheese and chives.  Yum!

                                                                Pumpkin Roulade

                                                               (See photos above)

Cake:

3 eggs                                                        1/2 t. baking powder

3/4 c. sugar                                                1/2 t. soda

1/2 c. canned pumpkin                             1/2 t. cinnamon                                   

1 c. flour                                                     1/4 t. cloves

powdered confectioner's sugar

Beat eggs for 5 min.  Gradually add sugar.  Mix in pumpkin.  Fold in dry ingredients.  Pour into a greased and wax paper lined jelly roll pan.  Bake at 350 for 14-18 min.  Immediately put on a clean linen towel sprinkled with powdered sugar.  Remove paper carefully.  Roll in the towel starting with the long side.  Cool completely.

Filling:

2 c. whipping cream                             1 T. molassas

1 c. sugar                                               1/2 c. coconut

1/2 c. canned pumpkin

Whip cream, adding sugar gradually.  Whip until cream holds its peaks well.  Save half of the cream in another bowl for garnishing.  Gently whip in pumpkin and molassas to remaining cream.  Fold in coconut.,  Unroll cake.  Spread with the pumpkin filling.  Reroll and place on a nice platter.  Pipe sweetened whipped cream to decorate.  Chill thouroughly and slice to serve.

White Fall Bridge Buddies Luncheon

I always look forward to having my bridge buddies here for lunch. They have become such sweet friends and they make the best guests. 

Here's what greeted them at the gates.

The front door decor has a lot more color than last year. 

But I set the table in a much more subtle palate of green and white and brown.

We first went to the bar for drinks.  Here's what it looked like before the food was put out.  Cider and iced tea and wine were offered.

I lined these pumpkins filled with mums up in a row as a backdrop.  These were take-home favors for the guests.  These will last about four or five days and then the pumpkin gets a bit soft, but the mums can be planted outside.

It was such a beautiful day that we started outside with appetizers.  I served Double Cranberry Crostinis.  I'll do another post about the food in a day or two.

Every beautiful day at this time of year is such a gift.

When we went in for lunch, this was the centerpiece.

Our last home had red silk walls in the dining room, so when fall came around, orange did not work at all.  So I collected these white paper mache gourds to use in place of orange pumpkins. I add nuts and grapes and some bleached wheat and placed them on an olive linen runner.

I used natural colored flat woven place mats on a bare table and then cream plates bordered with embossed acorns from Crate and Barrel.

These bowls with figs on them held pumpkin risotto...........

And these plates were for Fig/Arugula salad.  One of my bridge group gave them to me, since she knows how I love acorns.Can you imagine how thrilled I was.  And another friend gifted me with the matching platter that I used for appetizers.  How lucky am I?  Both the bowls and the salad plates are from Sur la Table.

This flatware from Kmart is made for Martha Stewart.  I like the way the cream color matches the place mats and the gourds.

I used two types of napkin rings with these olive linen napkins.  This one is antique carved bone, and I also used a cream color celluloid style.

The apple green wine glass is from Swoosie's and the etched brown water glass is from Bobby Flay's line at Kohl's.

I tied a cream tag embossed with an acorn onto bleached wheat for a name tag.  Mary Janet would have sat here, but she had to cancel due to illness.  I am so sorry that she didn't make it, especially since she was the one who gave me the salad plates that inspired the whole table!!!!

I like to add a menu card with an appropriate quote.  This one by George Elliot says "Delicous Autumn!  My very soul is wedded to it, and if I were a bird, I would fly about the earth seeking successive autumns."

These sweet acorn salt and pepper shakers came from Michaels last year.

I didn't choose this wine entirely for it's pretty label, but it did play a part!

 Here's the wooden box lid that I used as a coffee tray.  I used the coffee cups that match the dinner plates.

This pretty tea pot was a gift, too.  I guess I am one lucky girl.

My favorite thing on this tray is this black forest bear that holds sugar.  Isn't he cute?

More acorns on the water pitcher!

This all makes a serene fall table. 

I also use these colors because they look good in my dining room, and I use them a lot all year around.  These fruits and gourds and grapes used as a centerpiece just seem to represent the bounty of fall.

And then we played bridge.  We didn't do so well, did we Kay?

I'll do another post on the menu and recipes and house decor in the next couple of days.

Join me at:

Let's Dish

Cuisine Kathleen