Easy recipes for a tasty autumn menu

Autumn is the season our senses come alive. A magical spectacle and a kaleidoscope of colour. All sorts of sounds from the roar of the rutting stag to crisp leaves beneath our feet or rustling in the wind. And last but not least, the delicious flavours of fresh local produce to delight our taste buds.

Read on for a few ideas of delicious dishes that are both easy to prepare and really tasty. You’ll find lots of the seasonal produce at your local greengrocers, at your local market or simply when you’re out for a stroll in the woods.

To begin, let’s try pumpkin soup as a starter!

Kids need to understand that winter squashes and pumpkins aren’t only used to make Jack O’Lanterns to frighten off the monsters at Halloween! They of course also make delicious soups and as the French proverb says, eating soup will help them grow big and strong!

With its vibrant orange colour, pumpkin is by far the most popular variety of the curbita family of vegetables for autumn soups. There are also other squashes with a firm, orange flesh, including butternut squash or winter squash. For food-lovers who enjoy flavours with a kick, you could try adding a chunk of Auvergne blue cheese or Cantal cheese to the soup, and there’s certainly no lack of that around here!  The sweetness of the squash combined with the tasty cheese make an exquisite combination! If you’re looking for an even sweeter flavour, you could try adding a few chestnuts to make a luscious soup that everyone will love.

The seasonal star, mushrooms, are a great ingredient to use in the main course!

The dry summer months mean that they are a little scarce, but still, mushrooms are a perfect choice for our main course. Wild mushrooms like ceps can be found along woodland paths, so keep your eyes open while you’re out enjoying a walk!

There are lots of different ways to cook with ceps but here are some of our favourites. A classic dish that always goes down well is of course the mushroom omelette; beaten eggs poured onto some fried wild ceps picked that very day … and voilà, delicious! Or another idea could be to fry them up with some sliced potato, and then add a sprinkling of fresh parsley as a final touch. You could even add a few roasted chestnuts to make the dish extra special.

A great drink to go with this is the locally brewed Vicoise beer by Nicolas Valot at his brewery in Vic sur Cère, or the Bière d’Oc brewed and distributed by the Trois Caves beverages firm.

Then for dessert, spoil your guests with a choice of two!

Apple tart, a family favourite

A classic dessert and so easy to make at home in autumn. We all have fond memories of a delicious apple tart made by our Grandma. Here’s our really simple recipe with a homemade flaky pastry base, a layer of apple compote topped with thin slices of apple. That’s all there is to it! You could also pour over an egg custard mix made from eggs, cream, sugar and vanilla. And if you can’t decide which recipe you prefer, here’s the solution… just make both, and then everyone’s happy!

Walnut cake

For this delicious cake, you’ll need the following ingredients: chopped walnuts, creme fraiche, flour, sugar, eggs and baking powder. Simply mix all the ingredients together. Pour the mix into a baking tin and cook in the oven for 45 minutes. This recipe makes a lovely moist golden cake and the crack of the walnuts makes it irresistible. Give it a go and tell us what you think!

Simple recipes are often the best and there’s also the advantage that everyone can enjoy trying them out. However, if you want to have a rest from cooking, you can always head out for a lovely meal in one of Carladès’ local restaurants where the chefs have no lack of imagination offering you dishes that will get your taste buds tingling: Find out more about the local restaurants in the area.

“Bon Appétit”, as we say in France, and we hope that you enjoy our selection of seasonal recipes.

par Noémie
le 20 February 2019