There is no better time of year to kick back and enjoy a cozy comforting fall meal. Whether that be baking a sweet treat or getting festive with a warm comfort dish, the Wire staff has got you covered with their selection of favorite fall dishes. 

So grab your apron and get ready to make the perfect line-up to secure a spot at the ‘adult’s table’ this holiday season.

Kabocha Squash Soup – Written by Joey Schamber, submitted by Sofia Córtes

Time: About an hour  

Servings: 4 

Special Equipment: Large pot or Dutch oven, immersion blender, and sieve. 

For the Soup: 

1 large kabocha squash (about 3 pounds) 

1 yellow onion, diced 

2 carrots, diced 

3 stalks of celery, diced 

3 cloves garlic, grated 

½ cup white wine 

2 cups mushroom stock (1 oz dried porcini and chanterelle mushrooms in 2 cups hot water) 

2 stalks sage 

2 stalks rosemary 

4 stalks thyme 

1 cinnamon stick 

2 tbsp miso paste 

1-pint heavy cream

½ tsp grated nutmeg 

6 tbsp cold butter 

1 tbsp apple cider vinegar 

About 2 tbsp olive oil or neutral oil 

Roasted pepitas, optionally, for garnish 

Salt, pepper 

For the Mushrooms:  

1 oz of dried mushrooms (rehydrated) 

1 tbsp olive oil 

1 tbsp maple syrup 

¼ cup white wine 

2 cloves grated garlic 

3 tbsp cold butter, cubed 

1 stalk rosemary, finely chopped 

Salt, pepper

1.Set the oven to 375 degrees. Prepare mushroom stock by putting dried mushrooms into 2 cups hot water, (not boiling).

2. Cut kabocha squash into thick halfmoons, one kabocha squash should yield about 8-10 pieces. Rub with olive oil, salt and pepper and place on a large sheet tray, skin side down. Allow to bake for 30 minutes or until very soft and fork tender but not falling apart. Allow to cool until safe enough to handle and skins can be removed, and the squash can be cut into chunks.

3. On medium-high heat, heat a large pot or Dutch oven with a tbsp of olive oil. When oil shimmers, add onions, carrots and celery and cook, stirring occasionally for 5 minutes. Once the vegetables begin to soften, add garlic and cook until fragrant. Pour in white wine and bring heat to high, stirring often until almost all the wine is reduced.

4. Put cinnamon, sage, rosemary, and thyme into a sachet and place sachet into a pot. Add mushroom stock and squash into the pot and cook on medium heat for 15 minutes, until the liquid in the pot has reduced by about a third.

5. While the soup cooks, sear mushrooms in a pan with olive oil on medium heat. Once browned add grated garlic, maple syrup and white wine and reduce until syrupy. Turn off the heat and stir in cubes of cold butter. Add salt and pepper to taste and finish with chopped rosemary. Set it aside.

6. Turn off the heat and remove the sachet. Stir in miso paste, heavy cream, and nutmeg until evenly distributed.

7. Blend soup with an immersion blender until very smooth. Optionally, for an even smoother texture, transfer the soup to a separate bowl, clean out the pot, and strain the soup through a sieve and back into the pot. Finish by quickly stirring in cold butter and apple cider vinegar and adding plenty of salt and pepper to taste.

8. Ladle soup into bowls and place mushrooms on top. Optionally garnish with roasted pepitas.

Notes:  

Other squash varieties would work for this recipe, notably butternut or honey nut squashes, but I find kabocha, when roasted, provides the nicest flavor. Just be sure to have around 3 pounds of squash for this recipe. 

Most grocery stores sell mushrooms in ½ ounce containers, so any two packs of your favorite dried mushrooms would work. 

This recipe can be made without an immersion blender if needed, but an immersion blender is the most convenient option. If using a standard blender or food processor, you must cool the soup down before blending in shifts depending on the size of your blender cup. Using a sieve or chinois is optional, but it produces a very silky-smooth texture.

Mia Thurow’s Family Autumn Apple Crisp 

This apple crisp recipe is really special to me because my mom has been making it every fall since I can remember. It’s so warm and cozy and reminds me of my favorite holiday, Halloween. I also love the addition of Heath in the apple crisp, because that’s my favorite candy, and I love topping the dessert with a scoop of ice cream. 

For the apple crisp:  

5 medium apples (macintosh are great) cored and sliced, about 5 cups 

14 oz. Can sweetened condensed milk 

1 tsp. Ground cinnamon 

½ cup of cold butter (one stick) and 2 more tablespoons 

½ cup firmly packaged brown sugar 

1.5 cups Bisquick  

½ cup heath bits 

 1. Preheat your oven to 325 degrees. In a bowl combine apples, sweetened condensed milk, and cinnamon.  

2. In a large bowl, cut ½ cup butter into 1 cup of Bisquick until crumbly. Stir in the apple mixture.  

3. Pour into a 9×13 glass pan and in a small bowl combine the remaining ½ cup of Bisquick and brown sugar.  

4. Cut in the remaining 2 tablespoons until crumbly and add nuts or bits of heath candy. Bake 40-50 minutes or until golden and serve warm with ice cream if desired.  

Annie Goode’s Frosted Pumpkin Squares

This recipe is from one of my grandma’s cookbooks (The Junior League of Milwaukee Cookbook). My mom always made these around this time of year, so they will always remind me of fall. These pumpkin squares are the perfect fall treat with a cup of tea/coffee.   

For the pumpkin squares:  

2 cups sugar 

4 eggs 

1 cup vegetable oil 

1 can (16 ounces) pumpkin 

2 cups flour 

2 teaspoons baking powder 

1 teaspoon baking soda 

1 teaspoon cinnamon 

½2 teaspoon salt 

For the icing:

1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened 

6 tablespoons butter, softened 

4 cups powdered sugar 

1 teaspoon vanilla 

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. 

2. Combine all ingredients except icing. 

3. Blend well. Pour into an unbuttered 15×10-inch jelly roll pan. Bake 25-35 minutes until the toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  

4. Cool. For the icing, cream the cheese & butter. 

5. Gradually add sugar and beat until well blended. Stir in vanilla. Frost-cooled pumpkin bars with icing. 

Trinity Zapotocky’s Green Bean Casserole

It’s not technically “ours” but I LOVE whenever my mom makes this.

2 (15-ounce) cans cut green Beas, drained

1 (10.5 ounces) can condensed cream of mushroom soup

3/4 cup milk

1 (2.8 ounce) can French fried onions

Salt and pepper to taste

1. Mix the green beans, condensed cream of mushroom, milk, and 1/2 of the fried onions in a medium casserole dish.

2. Bake in the preheated oven at 350°F until heated through and bubbly, about 25 minutes.

3. Sprinkle remaining onions on top, and return to the oven for 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve hot.

 This story was written by Mimi Sinotte. She can be reached at [email protected].