Farm at the Arb: Fall Dinner Recipes

Chef Beth Fisher has put together a fall menu inspired by Minnesota farmers and seasonal produce. Find recipes for select elements of the menu below.

Apple, Cheddar and Mint Crostini

Makes approximately 16

16 ½-inch slices of baguette

? cup olive oil

2–3 pinches of salt

4–5 cracks of black pepper

8 oz. cheddar cheese, shredded 

1 large apple (First Kiss, Honeycrisp or Sweet Tango), diced in ½-inch cubes

5 fresh mint leaves, roughly chopped

2 tsp. lemon juice

½ tsp.  ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a baking pan with parchment paper and drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle salt and fresh cracked pepper over oil. Place baguette slices on top of oil and swirl both sides around in seasoned oil to coat well.

In a bowl toss together the apple, mint, lemon and ½ tsp. black pepper. Top the baguette slices with a heaping tablespoon of the apple mint mixture and then a hefty pinch of shredded cheddar cheese on top. Bake for 7–9 minutes or until the cheese is nicely melted.

Serving suggestion: Warm apple and cheddar crostini are perfect starters for an autumn dinner party or gathering, especially when paired with a hard cider from a Minnesota cidery.

Hearty Green Salad with

Pumpkin Spiced Walnut Apple Cider Vinaigrette

? cup apple cider vinegar

2 Tbsp. maple syrup

1 Tbsp. grainy mustard

2 Tbsp. walnuts, toasted                                                                                

½ tsp. salt

1 tsp. pumpkin spice (recipe below)

¼ tsp. curry powder 

½ cup vegetable oil 

Add all ingredients through curry powder to a blender bowl and buzz until well combined and smooth. With the blender running, slowly drizzle in the oil and continue to blend until the vinaigrette looks creamy. (Or combine ingredients in a wide-mouth jar and use an immersion blender to combine.)

Pumpkin Pie Spice

¼ cup ground cinnamon

1 Tbsp. ground nutmeg

1 Tbsp. ground ginger

1 ½ tsp. ground cloves

1 ½ tsp. ground allspice

Combine ingredients. Store leftovers in an airtight glass jar.

Serving suggestion: Use as a dressing with a hearty green salad. Toss dressing and greens with sliced grapes, carrot half-moons, oven-roasted squash and roasted pumpkin seeds.

Angus T-bone Steak and Roasted Vegetables with

Hard Apple Cider Cheese Fondue

Serves 6–8

Chef Beth Fisher assembled a hearty entree of pan-seared Angus T-bone steak from a local farm with a mélange of roasted fall vegetables. A hard apple cider cheese fondue can either be drizzled over the top of the veggies and sliced steak once plated, or used as a dip on the side. 

2 Tbsp. butter

¼ cup onion, small dice

1–2 cloves garlic, roughly minced

2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour

1 cup dry hard cider, room temp (Chef Beth likes to use Keepsake Cidery’s Farmhouse Semi-Sweet Cider)

1 cup whole milk, warmed

1 tsp. Dijon seeded mustard

½ tsp. kosher salt

½ tsp. black pepper

12 oz. sharp cheddar cheese, grated

¾ cup apple (First Kiss, Honeycrisp or Sweet Tango), small dice

¼ cup scallions, sliced thinly

Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion, garlic and sprinkle flour over mixture. Whisk well and cook for 2 minutes. Slowly whisk in hard cider, milk, mustard, salt and pepper and cook over medium heat for 5–10 minutes, whisking occasionally, until sauce begins to thicken. Reduce heat to low and whisk in cheese, one cup at a time, whisking between each addition. Once cheese is fully incorporated, remove from heat, stir in ½ cup diced apple. Serve warm in a crock, topped with sliced scallion and remaining apple.

Serving suggestion: Drizzle the fondue over roasted fall vegetables and a pan-seared and sliced Angus T-bone steak, or use as a warm dip for good crusty bread.

Chai Spiced Apple Hand Pies 

Makes 8 hand pies

Chai spiced apple hand pies are a playful alternative to a classic apple pie, with the chai spice mix adding an extra dose of autumnal coziness to this dessert. Chef Fisher says these hand pies are best served with U of M ice cream—though any vanilla will do!

CRUST:

2 ½ cups all-purpose flour

2 Tbsp. granulated sugar

1 tsp. salt

1 cup unsalted butter, chilled and cut into cubes

½ cup + 2 Tbsp. cold water

To make the crust: In the bowl of a food processor, combine flour, sugar, salt and chilled/cubed butter. Pulse the mixture a couple of times and then, with the motor running, pour in the cup of water, allowing the motor to run until the mixture looks like it’s just coming together. Then, add the extra 2 Tbsp. of water to get the dough hydrated enough to form a dough ball. (You do not want to over-process this dough! It’s OK to bring it together by hand, too.) Divide dough in half, then into quarters and then divide each quarter into 4 equal pieces. Roll the 16 pieces into balls and place into a pie plate, cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour and even better refrigerated overnight. This dough freezes well if you want to do prep work ahead of time.

Filling

4 cups diced apples (First Kiss, Honeycrisp or Sweet Tango), cored and peeled

1 Tbsp. butter

2 tsp. fresh lemon juice

1 tsp. chai spice (recipe below)

¼ cup granulated sugar

1 egg                   

1 Tbsp. water 

½ cup sugar for sprinkling

Chai Spice

2 tsp. ground cardamom

2 tsp. ground allspice

2 tsp. ground nutmeg

4 tsp. ground cinnamon

2 tsp. ground cloves

2 Tbsp. ground ginger

2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

Make the chai spice: Pour everything into a jar and shake. Store in a dark, cool place. Use as needed.

To make the filling: Melt butter in a large pan/skillet over medium-high heat. Add diced apples, sugar and chai spice and gently cook while stirring for 3–5 minutes. Add the lemon juice. Set the filling mixture aside to cool completely before filling mini pies.

When ready to make the hand pies, preheat your oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat and set aside.

Working on a floured surface, roll out each ball evenly to a 4-inch round about ¼ inch thick. You now have 8 tops and 8 bottoms. Whisk together 1 egg and 1 Tbsp. water and brush the outer edges of your 8 bottom dough rounds. Place ¼ cup of your apple mixture in the middle of each bottom round and top with the remaining top round of dough. Pinch dough together around the apple mixture to seal well and then cut a couple decorative steam vent slits. Place on a lined baking pan, continuing until you have eight mini apple pies.

Bake for 20–25 minutes until golden brown and steaming hot. Allow to cool and enjoy.

Serving suggestion: Top with whipped cream, ice cream and/or caramel drizzle.