Autumn Apple Feast
by janna wardle

Bruléed Apple Salad—Seared Pork Medallions—Pumpkin Ice Cream

We’ve all had it: that giant bowl of mystery mush served to us by our hippie friend who shops exclusively at organic health food stores and farmers’ markets. And we suffer through it, we even pretend it tastes good because it’s socially conscious food and we have a vague sense of guilt that we should support local food. And we’re right, we should support local food. But it doesn’t have to taste like something out of Jerry’s refrigerator.

Actually, quite the opposite. The average distance traveled by the produce you buy at corporate grocery stores is 1,300 miles. That long, strange trip requires that the produce be picked before it is ripe, waxed and gassed to retain its color, and in many cases genetically engineered to withstand the journey. Obviously, this isn’t going to taste as good as something grown a few miles away and picked the day before you buy it.

Every place and every season has sights, smells, and feelings associated with it. Like fall in Asheville. Thousands of people come to see this place, Asheville, in this time, autumn. The sight of fall foliage on the Blue Ridge mountains is famous. But we can also use our sense of taste to experience the beauty of fall in Western North Carolina.

In this fall menu, I’m highlighting some of the flavors of this area in this season. We have wonderful apple orchards in Western North Carolina, and many are open to the public. My idea for this menu is that it would come at the end of a wonderful day spent picking apples.

Using tried and true cooking techniques is the perfect way to highlight local, seasonal ingredients, so that this healthy, socially conscious food will actually taste good. In this menu, I’ve used cooking techniques from diverse backgrounds that highlight the best food that Western North Carolina has to offer in the fall: a variation on a French salad dressing, a twist on a Mexican ice cream recipe, and the ubiquitous balsamic reduction sauce found in every chic bistro in America. Bon appetit!

Bruléed Apple Salad
2 fall apples
2 cups mixed greens
1 cup fall raspberries
½ cup walnuts
½ cup Gorgonzola
1 cup sugar
apple cider vinaigrette (see recipe below)

Poaching liquid:
1 ½ cups white wine
1 ½ cups water
1 cinnamon stick or 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 vanilla pod or 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2/3 cup sugar

Core the apples and cut in half so that they each have a hole in the center where the core was. Cut each end so it is flat and they will stand up. Do not peel. Bring poaching liquid to simmer and add the apples, simmering until tender. The time will vary greatly depending on apple variety and ripeness. Just cook until tender.

Remove apples from liquid with tongs or a slotted spoon. Reserve poaching liquid for dessert sauce. Set them on a cookie sheet, with the larger end up. Generously sprinkle with sugar. Place under the broiler until the sugar melts and forms a golden crust.
Place apples on 4 plates. Stand greens up in center hole of each apple. (Be sure that the greens have been washed thoroughly and then dried completely. The vinaigrette will just slide off damp greens.) You can arrange these to look like pretty little bouquets. Sprinkle raspberries, Gorgonzola and walnuts on salad and around plate. Drizzle with apple cider vinaigrette.

You can serve these with warm apples, or prepare the bruleed apples in advance and serve chilled.

Seared Pork Medallions with Herb-Roasted Potatoes and Balsamic Reduction
1 1/2 pounds pork tenderloin, cut into 1- inch- thick medallions
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon black peppercorns
2 pounds new potatoes
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh dill
salt and pepper to taste

Cut new potatoes into fourths. Toss in a medium-sized bowl with olive oil, herbs, and salt and pepper. Place in one layer in shallow baking dish. Bake, covered with foil, at 350 until nearly tender. When they start to get tender, remove the foil and allow to get slightly browned.

While potatoes are in the oven, season pork with salt. Crush peppercorns with mortar and pestle or with the side of a chef's knife. Press into pork medallions on both sides. Heat 1 tablespoon butter in large saucepan over medium heat. Sear pork until just cooked through, about 4 minutes per side. Each side should get a nice golden color. Deglaze pan with the balsamic, scraping the sides and bottom of pan. Boil until reduced by half. Remove from heat, allow to cool for 2 minutes, then whisk in remaining tablespoon butter. Season sauce with salt.

Place potatoes on 4 plates, divide pork medallions among plates, and drizzle pork with balsamic reduction.

Apple Cider Vinaigrette
1/4 cup coarsely chopped walnuts
1 teaspoon butter
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
2 large shallots, peeled and halved
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
2 teaspoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon white pepper
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 cup olive oil

Roast walnuts on a baking sheet until lightly browned, about 10 minutes. Remove from oven and stir in butter and a pinch of salt. In food processor, grind shallots one at a time. Add vinegar, sugar and 1 1/4 tablespoons salt, pepper, and mustard. Drizzle oil in very slowly. Add the walnuts and process for a few seconds.



Pumpkin Ice Cream with Apple Cinnamon Sauce
(Good news! you don't need an ice cream maker to make this ice cream!)
1 cup milk
4 egg yolks
1/2 cup sugar
pinch of salt
1 cup pumpkin puree (see recipe below)
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon cinnamon or pumpkin pie spiceconfectioner's sugar to taste

Scald milk in a heavy saucepan. Lightly beat the egg yolks with the sugar and salt until the mixture is pale using a wooden spoon or whisk. Gradually stir in the hot milk, then return to the saucepan and simmer over low heat, stirring until the custard thickens. Do not allow to boil.

Pour custard into bowl and cool. Stir in pumpkin puree and lemon juice. Whip the cream until thick and beat lightly into the mango mixture. Pour into a rigid container, cover, and freeze until just firm.

Pumpkin Puree
1 small pumpkin
vegetable or olive oil

Cut pumpkin in half. Remove seeds. Lightly oil cut surface and place, cut side down, on a baking sheet lined with foil or in a shallow glass baking dish. Bake at 325 until tender. Pierce with a fork to check tenderness. Baking time will vary from pumpkin to pumpkin.

Remove pumpkin flesh and puree in blender or food processor.

Apple Cinnamon Sauce
reserved poaching liquid
1 teaspoon cornstarch dissolved in 2 tablespoons water

Boil poaching liquid until reduced to 1 cup. Reduce heat. Stir in cornstarch mixture over low to medium heat until thickened, stirring or whisking constantly. Chill.

Janna Wardle is a culinary student at A-B Tech. She is an assistant manager at the Albemarle Inn, and lives in Asheville with her husband.