Four Fall Recipes That Have Absolutely Nothing to Do With Pumpkin

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Photo: Ali Lengyelova/Stocksy

With the exception of changing foliage, nothing harkens the beginning of autumn like people losing their damned minds over pumpkin and its affiliated spices. Nothing against the gourd (or its latte), but there is so much more to fall than pumpkin-flavored foods. There are other flavors to be enjoyed and celebrated and it’s time that these just as worthy seasonal ingredients got their due.

The following four recipes highlight some of my favorite fall flavors (think toasty pecans, sweet apples and pears, and hearty vegetables like Brussels sprouts) to help usher in the sweater season, no pumpkins required.

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Photo: Claire Lower

Truth be told, the Pumpkin Spice Latte has never been my fall drink of choice; you’re much more likely to find me sipping on a mug of apple cider or a couple fingers of bourbon. This recipe takes those two flavors and combines them for a rustic, not-too-sweet tart with just a hint of a bourbon-y bite.

Easy Bourbon Apple Galette

Your favorite pie crust recipe (I like this one from Ken Haedrich, but you can even use store-bought: we won’t tell)
2 tablespoons of bourbon
2 tablespoons of granulated sugar
1 tablespoon of maple syrup
½ teaspoon of ground cinnamon
The zest of one small lemon
½-1 inch piece of ginger (dependant on your love of ginger) finely grated
2-3 Gala apples, depending on their size
1 egg plus 1 teaspoon of water for an egg wash
Granulated sugar for dusting

Make pie dough, flattened into ¾ inch-thick disks. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate at least an hour (most dough can be left in the fridge for up to two days; allow to soften slightly at room temperature before rolling out.) Once dough is chilled, roll it out between two pieces of parchment paper until it is about ⅛ of an inch thick (this will give you a round about 14 inches in diameter). Place pastry, still on the bottom sheet of parchment, on a baking sheet. Chill in the fridge for half an hour.

Preheat the oven to 375℉. Combine bourbon, sugar, maple syrup, cinnamon, lemon zest, and ginger together in a small bowl. Set aside.

Peel apples and cut them into quarters. Core each quarter and slice into ⅛-inch slices. Toss slices with bourbon mixture. Once your pastry is done chilling, remove from the fridge and arrange apple slices on top in concentric circles, overlapping slightly and leaving about an inch and a half of plain pastry around the edges.

Fold excess pastry over the toward the apple slices, pinching the edges as needed to help the dough keep its shape. Don’t worry if it’s not completely even; this will only add to the galette’s rustic appeal!

Brush the crust with egg wash and sprinkle on a couple of healthy pinches of sugar. Bake for 45-50 minutes, until the crust is golden brown and the apples are soft. Remove from oven and let stand for 10 minutes. Cut into slices and serve warm or at room temperature.

MORE: 8 Ways to Enjoy Fall’s Most Popular Superfood

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Photo: Claire Lower

Sauteéd Brussels Sprouts with Purple Carrots

Brussels sprouts may be available year round, but they hit their peak starting in September. This mix of hearty Brussels sprouts and sweet purple carrots (check your farmer’s market!) is made even heartier by the addition of salty bacon and funky blue cheese. This savory side is perfectly at-home on the Thanksgiving table, but would make a great weekday lunch when topped with a perfectly poached egg.

6 strips of bacon, finely diced
Half a pound of Brussels sprouts (about 10), shredded using a food processor or by hand
2 cups of shredded purple carrots
2 teaspoons of apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon of fish sauce
3 tablespoons of crumbled blue cheese
Fresh nutmeg to garnish

Over medium heat, fry bacon pieces until crisp in a large, non-stick pan. Remove with a slotted spoon, leaving the bacon grease in the pan, and drain on paper towels.

Add shredded Brussels sprouts and carrots to the pan, cooking until the sprouts are a vivid, bright green and just starting to brown on the edges.

Transfer to a large bowl and toss with half of the cooked bacon, apple cider vinegar, and fish sauce. Transfer to a serving plate and top with remaining bacon and blue cheese. Garnish with freshly-grated nutmeg if desired.

MORE: Step Up Your Tailgating Game With These Recipes

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Photo: Claire Lower

White Wine and Campari-Poached Pears

Apples get a lot of attention around autumn, but I like to think of pears as fall’s most refined fruit. In this recipe, they get even further elevated by a nice wine and Campari bath, with the spicy herbaceousness of the latter balancing out some of the fruit’s sweetness. The pears are the real star, however, and this dish is a great dessert option for those who want to focus on the fruit of the season, unencumbered by pastry.

1 bottle of white wine, such as Gewürztraminer or Viognier
½ cup of Campari
¼ cup of granulated sugar
1 one-inch piece of ginger, peeled and sliced thin
3 whole cloves
The zest of one orange, peeled from fruit with a vegetable peeler
4 ripe, firm pears (Bosc and red Bartlett both work well)
Whipped chevre or mascarpone for serving

Combine all ingredients except pears in a medium sauce pan. Bring mixture to boil and let cook for 10 minutes.

While mixture is cooking, carefully peel pears, leaving stems intact. Slice a ¼-inch piece off of the bottom of each fruit so they can stand up straight on the plate.

Reduce heat and add pears to poaching liquid. Cook until pears are soft, approximately 30 minutes. You may have to move them around a bit (gently) to ensure even cooking.

Remove pears from poaching liquid and place in a bowl. Increase heat and rapidly boil remaining liquid to reduce to a syrup. (It should decrease in volume by half.) Pour syrup over pears and refrigerate overnight.

Serve pears in a shallow dish with extra syrup and whipped cheese of choice. Garnish with a cinnamon stick if you are so inclined.

MORE: Six cocktails for September entertaining

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Photo: Claire Lower

Baked French Toast with Pecan Crumble

I’m a firm believer that cold mornings should be spent in bed, preferably with a cup of coffee and a simple, comforting breakfast. This baked French toast lets you streamline your morning meal by baking the whole dish in the oven, relieving you of bread-flipping duty. Toasty pecans make this a decidedly fall affair, and turning on the oven means your home is that much cozier.

For the French toast:
1 pound of soft white bread, such a challah or King’s Hawaiian Bread
6 eggs, beaten
3 tablespoons of granulated sugar
1 tablespoon of vanilla extract
1 teaspoon of molasses
A pinch of salt
2 cups of whole milk
½ cup half & half
Ground cinnamon

For the pecan topping:
1 cup of pecan halves
¼ cup of butter
¼ cup of granulated sugar
¼ cup of flour

Tear bread into bite-size pieces and place in a large, buttered baking dish.

In a large bowl, beat together eggs, sugar, vanilla, molasses, and salt. Add milk and half & half and beat until completely combined.

Pour mixture over bread pieces and cover baking dish with plastic wrap. Refrigerate four hours or overnight.

Preheat your oven to 350℉. Add pecans, butter, sugar, and flour to a large bowl and cut with a pastry cutter to combine. (This will also chop up the pecans a bit.) Continue to combine (you can also use your fingers) until the mixture begins to clump together in large crumbs.

Remove French toast from fridge and sprinkle a light layer of cinnamon on top. Distribute the crumb topping evenly over the top of that and bake for 45-60 minutes, until the top is golden brown and the the whole thing is bubbling around the edges.

More fall ideas from Yahoo Food:

5 Pumpkin-Spiced Cocktail Ideas

5 Wines Perfect for Autumn

5 Gorgeous Riffs on Apple Pie