Fall Food Memories
Fall leaves will soon be blowing and a crisp “chill” will be in the air. I don’t know about you, but there is something almost magical that happens as the last heat-filled days of summer come to an end and the cooler winds begin to blow. I’m transported back to the autumns of my youth, the leaves, the cool breezes and the aromas of fall take me back on a nostalgic trip through time.
What does this have to do with cooking? Everything! Some of the strongest, most powerful memory associations we have are connected with the sense of smell and the sharing of meals. Why is comfort food so popular at many restaurants nowadays? Because a big bowl of mac and cheese is more than just a way to fuel your body, it’s also a time machine that takes you back to your childhood. Certain aromas evoke an almost instantaneous memory of grandma’s house and the joys of families coming together for the holidays. Just think of what the smell of fresh homemade bread baking in the oven conjures in your mind.
With this in mind, I started quizzing my friends at work. I asked them to tell me the very first thing that popped into their minds when I asked them to think of “fall foods.” Overwhelmingly the answer I received was “pumpkins.”
Now most of you instantly thought of pumpkin pie at past holiday dinners. In my case though, my experiences as a chef come in to play and I think back to a fall wine dinner I did at “Nick’s Main St Grill” years ago. The soup course was a Thai inspired spicy pumpkin, coconut bisque. We served it in bowls made out of small pumpkins surrounded by fall leaf shapes cut out of red, yellow and orange bell peppers (much easier than it sounds). The soup and the dinner were a huge hit! I was especially excited that my favorite culinary instructor Chef Powers attended and gave the event a big thumbs up. Intertwined with my recollection of the great flavors of that soup are even more wonderful memories of my good friends Nick, Kathy and their son Jacob and the great times we had at their restaurant.
I’d like to invite you to come to the website (http://www.risingview.com/chef.aspx) and try out my pumpkin soup recipe (with a few new twists). My hope is that whether it becomes a family favorite at your Thanksgiving dinner or just a fun new recipe to try, you’ll discover that cooking with family and friends is a way to not only feed your physical body, but also a way to create lifelong memories to warm the soul.
