It’s baking season!

Zion lodge and the afternoon light

Yes, it’s officially autumn as of 2:50 am today, September 23! My absolute fave time of year, and baking is on the agenda. Even though It’s time to polish up my recipes and game plans for a number of classes and demo presentations on the fall calendar, there are other things I can’t ignore. Every now and then it’s fair game to veer off course a bit, eh?

If you’ve followed this blog for awhile, you know my penchant for sharing the beauty of nature. I love baking, but I also love walking and seeing the flora changing from season to season, whether in someone’s garden I happen to pass or out along the paths where wildflowers grow.

Roadside asters near the grand canyon

Back in 2020 Steve and I were planning a trip to Zion, Bryce and the Grand Canyon but had to postpone due to COVID. Well guess what - we just returned from that SW trip as a prelude to launching into fall activities. What grandeur and spectacular beauty. Pictures can certainly give you a hint, but you really have to see it in person to soak it all in.

OK - I admit this post isn’t really about autumn baking (although I’ll mention a couple favorites toward the end) but about experiencing just some of the different trees and flora of the SW. Prickly pear, juniper, scrub oak, desert holly, all of which tolerate dry conditions and are much more rugged and tough than plants in the midwest.

Prickly pear cactus

Juniper Berries

Desert Holly I think

Another oft seen bloom, particularly in Zion, was datura, a large white trumpet flower. Turns out this one is highly poisonous, belonging to the nightshade family, also referred to as jimsonweed, moonflower and thornapple. Whoa!

Datura - watch out!

Zion was my favorite - you gotta go!

So what are you thinking about baking this fall? Apples, pears and berries are all fair game.

Go as simple as a pâte brisée lined open tart ring, load in apple slices tossed in a squeeze of lemon juice and just a bit of sugar and flour, bake until golden then drizzle some cider caramel over the top. Add a scoop of vanilla ice cream and you’re good to go.

Don’t forget pumpkin, nuts, chocolate. How about a delish pumpkin financier?

Pumpkin financier

Or a buttery, crumbly pumpkin scone? And that’s just scratching the surface.

Pumpkin scone

Scroll through my blog for more ideas and have a blast with your own autumn baking. I know I will.

Lovely dahlia at nearby meijer gardens

Honeyed pear/Cashel blue/walnut puffs

Here’s a wonderful way to use puff pastry. Make vol au vent (puff pastry cases) in desired shapes and create your own sweet and/or savory fillings for your supper buffet or dessert table. While making your own puff pastry is a rewarding experience, the good news is you don’t have to! All butter puff pastry (Dufour is a well known brand) is available in the frozen food sections at many local supermarkets, allowing you to take one task off your holiday prep to-do list.

Before you know it, Thanksgiving and Christmas will be upon us, so start planning now.

This version of vol au vent (also referred to as feuilletée) marries sweet and savory tastes and, since I’m still on the trail of baking with cheese projects, I chose Irish Cashel blue cheese from The Cheese Lady as a lovely accompaniment to pears, walnuts and honey.

If you happen to have a stash of different shaped cutters, choose your favorite shapes (I like ovals, squares, hearts and fluted rounds) and use cutters that are two sizes apart. For each puff you’ll cut two shapes with the larger of the two and then cut the center out of one of them with the smaller. Once you do it, you’ll know what I’m talking about.

Here’s a heart version which should help you visualize the process. Brush a little water along the edge of the solid shape then lay the cut out on top of it. Just press gently to stick them together.

The top layer serves as a border for the puffs. You can save the cut out shapes and bake them along side - they make cute “hats” on your finished creation or you can just eat them plain.

These bake at 400ºF for 15-20 minutes until golden brown. Let them cool a bit, push down the center layers that have puffed up to give yourself room for the chosen filling.

NOTE: Another plan-ahead perk is you can bake your puffs a week or so ahead and freeze them. When you’re ready to start your filling project, take them out of the freezer, place them on a parchment lined sheet pan and heat the oven to 325ºF. Pop them into the heated oven for 5-10 minutes to crisp them up then set on a cooling rack while you prepare your fillings.

I’ve created these delights with poached Bosc pears on hand in the fridge, but another approach is to roast pear slices drizzled with honey for the pear portion of the program.

Peel, core and slice the pears, drizzle them with honey and roast them in a 375ºF convection oven for 10-20 minutes. Stir them up a bit half way through. You want them turning golden but still holding their shape. Once the pears have cooled you can store them in a covered container in the fridge for several days.

When you’re ready to fill your puffs, cube the pears to allow them to fit in nicely. Have some toasted walnuts, crumbled up Cashel blue and honey at the ready. First put a bit of crumbled cheese in the bottom. (Note the twisted corner diamond shapes below - they’re great although difficult to explain on paper - maybe some day I’ll have a video to post to show how they’re done!)

Then tuck in the pears (don’t be afraid to mound them up!) and top with a sprinkle of walnuts, more cheese and a drizzle of honey.

Then pop them back into the oven to melt the cheese a bit and warm things up. They can be served warm or at room temp and are delicious as an appetizer or a dessert, particularly if you’re doing a broader cheese board for the end of your meal.

Use your imagination and fill your puffs with anything savory or sweet. Crab or chicken salad, roasted root veggies with caramelized onion, lemon curd and fresh berries, whipped chocolate ganache and candied nuts. The sky’s the limit.

Only you can decide!

Happy baking and here’s to the holidays!! More on that coming your way.