Mini Mint-Fauxtmeal-Chocolate Meatballs and Ditalini

Serves 2
2 teaspoons white crème de menthe
5 teaspoons butterscotch schnapps
8 teaspoons white crème de cacao
4 teaspoons Baileys Irish Cream
2 cups chicken broth
2 teaspoons coconut-flavored rum
8 teaspoons heavy cream
1 teaspoon Goldschläger cinnamon schnapps
Salt
¼ pound ground beef, pork, and veal
1 medium egg
5½ teaspoons chopped shredded carrots
5½ teaspoons grated parmiggiano-reggiano cheese, plus more for sprinkling
5½ teaspoons bread crumbs
4 teaspoons finely chopped parsley
1 clove garlic, mashed into a paste with a little salt
Pepper
        2²/₃ ounces ditalini pasta
        ²/₃ cup ice cubes
Oatmeal and Pepperidge Farm Mint Milano cookies, crushed, for garnish
Fresh mint, for garnish
1. In a large, deep skillet or saucepan, bring crème de menthe, butterscotch schnapps, crème de cacao, Baileys, broth, rum, heavy cream, and Goldschläger to a boil, then salt it and lower to a simmer.
2. Meanwhile, in a bowl, combine the ground meat, eggs, carrots, cheese, bread crumbs, parsley, and garlic paste; season with pepper.  Form into 1-inch balls.
3. Drop meatballs into broth mixture and simmer until cooked through, about 5 minutes.  Stir in pasta and cook until al dente, 6 to 7 minutes.  Do not drain; add ice cubes immediately before serving.  Sprinkle with crushed cookies and extra cheese; garnish with mint sprigs.

Chard with Red Pumpkin Pie-Cocoa Sauce

Serves 5

3 slices bacon, chopped

½ onion, sliced

3 cloves garlic, minced

18 tablespoons low-fat milk

¾ cup chicken broth

¼ cup hot cocoa mix

1½ tablespoons canned pure pumpkin puree

½ 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes

¾ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

1 bunch swiss hard, shredded

¼ cup whipped cream

1. In large saucepan, crisp bacon; drain. In 2 tablespoons bacon fat, cook onion and garlic. Whisk in milk, broth, cocoa mix, pumpkin puree, tomatoes, and pumpkin pie spice; add chard and cook 25 minutes. Top with whipped cream and sprinkle with bacon.

October menu

Course #2:

1. Cider’n’Cream-Roasted Olives

Course #2.5:

1. Mini Mint-Fauxtmeal-Chocolate Meatballs and Ditalini

Course #3:

1. Chard with Red Pumpkin Pie-Cocoa Sauce 

Course #5:

1. Red-and-White Spicy Hummus-Roasted Chicken Legs

Course #5.5:

1. Lemony Sweet Clouds of Fire
2. Brazilian Meat, Pumpkin, and Black Bean Biscuits

Course #6:

1. Jicama, Butternut Squash, and Pomegranate Au Gratin with Wild Mushrooms and Crispy Bacon 

Course #7:

1. Grilled Cheese, Salmon, and Pear Sandwiches 
2. Indian/New Orleans Chana and Red Bean Masala with Rice Roti 

Course #7.5:

1. Chocolate-Dipped Steak Pizza-Layered Cannoli with Pistachios 

Lemony Sweet Clouds of Fire

Serves 12

2 medium eggs

6 tablespoons chicken broth

¼ cup bread crumbs

One 3-ounce package lemon-flavor gelatin mix, such as Jell-O

¼ cup grated parmesan cheese

2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley

¾ teaspoon salt

¹/₈ teaspoon pepper

1 pound lean ground beef

½ prepared vanilla angel food cake, cut into ½-inch cubes

¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil

¼ cup chili sauce

2 cups heavy cream

¼ cup peach preserves

1 teaspoon grated lemon peel

½ teaspoon hot pepper sauce

1. Preheat oven to 200^o. In a large bowl, combine eggs, chicken broth, bread crumbs, gelatin mix, parmesan, parsley, salt, and pepper. Mix in the ground beef and form around cake pieces into 1-inch meatballs (with cake in center).
2. In a large, heavy skillet, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium-low heat. Add one-third of the meatballs and fry, stirring occasionally, until browned and cooked through, about 8 minutes. Drain on a paper-towel-lined plate; keep warm in the oven. Repeat with remaining meatballs, adding a tablespoon of oil for each batch.
3. Using an electric mixer, beat chili sauce, cream, peach preserves, lemon peel, and hot pepper sauce just until soft peaks form. Put a heaping half-tablespoon of cream in each of 12 juice glasses or tumblers. Top with 2 meatballs. Spoon another heaping half-teaspoon of cream over the meatballs and top with 2 more meatballs. Repeat the layering until all meatballs have been plated. Spoon remaining cream atop each glass or tumbler evenly; serve.

Big, Beefy Fry-Grilled Mushroom-Lemon-Cheddar Melts

                Serves 2

                ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil

                8 teaspoons floor

                8 teaspoons sherry

                2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

                ¼ teaspoon salt

                Coarse black pepper to taste

                1 small lemon, thinly sliced

                2 large, firm Portobello mushroom caps (at least 1 inch thick), gills scraped and caps sliced horizontally into 2 disks

                Sea salt to taste

                1 cup vegetable oil

                2 slices extra-sharp yellow cheddar cheese

                2 brioche rolls, lightly toasted

                2 thick slices heirloom tomato

                A handful watercress or other spicy greens

                Dijon mustard or other mustard of choice

                Salt-and-vinegar potato chips

1.       Combine olive oil, flour, sherry, Worcestershire sauce, salt, and pepper into a dish and mix with your fingers or a whisk.  Dredge lemon slices and mushroom disks in the sauce as you add them to the dish; season with sea salt.  Let marinate for 30 to 45 minutes, turning occasionally.

2.       Preheat a grill or grill pan over medium-high heat.  Heat vegetable oil separately, in large skillet, until hot but not smoking.  Fry lemon slices and mushroom disks, turning once, 1 to 1½ minutes.  Transfer lemon slices and mushroom disks to grill and grill, turning once, until well marked, 2 to 3 minutes.

3.       Make 2 stacks in this way: mushroom disk, cheese slice, several lemon slices, mushroom, and cheese.  Place on the grill until cheese melts, about 1 minute.  Transfer the stacks to the roll bottoms and top with tomato slices; season with salt and pepper.  Add the greens.  Slather the bun tops with mustard and set in place.  Serve with chips.

Pineapple-Pumpkin-Mojito Chiffon Cake

            Serves 10

            ½ cup flour

            14 tablespoons granulated sugar, divided

            ½ bunch fresh mint, stems discarded

            ½ tablespoon pumpkin pie spice

            ½ teaspoon baking powder

            1 lime, chopped

            ¼ teaspoon salt

            ½ cup pineapple juice

            2 eggs, separated, plus 3 egg whites, at room temperature

            ½ cup canned crushed pineapple

            ½ cup canned pure pumpkin puree

            ½ cup light rum

            2 cups ice cubes, divided

            ½ cup club soda, divided

1.      Preheat the oven to 325°.  In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, 10 tablespoons granulated sugar, mint leaves, pumpkin pie spice, baking powder, lime, and salt, making sure to crush the mint leaves.  In a medium bowl, combine the pineapple juice, egg yolks, crushed pineapple, pumpkin puree, and rum.  Stir the pumpkin mixture into the flour mixture until smooth.

2.      Using an electric mixer with the whisk attachment, whip the 5 egg whites at medium speed until foamy, about 2 minutes.  With the machine on, gradually whisk in the remaining sugar; increase the speed to high and beat until stiff but still moist, 1 to 2 minutes.

3.      Add one-quarter of the egg white mixture, ½ cup ice cubes, and 2 tablespoons club soda to the pumpkin batter, folding with a rubber spatula just until no streaks remain.  Repeat with remaining egg white mixture, ice cubes, and club soda.  Pour the batter into a 10-inch tube pan with a removable bottom.  Bake until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out mostly clean, 55 minutes.

4.      Let cool for 5 minutes, then invert the pan onto a narrow-necked bottle; let hang upside down until completely cool, about 1½ hours.  Place the cake right side up and remove the pan.  To serve, dust with confectioners’ sugar.

Quick Asian-Jellied Grape Cole Slaw

                Makes about 6 cups

                2 tablespoons soy sauce

                2 cups 100% grape juice

                1½ tablespoons rice vinegar

                3½ cups shredded red cabbage

                8 teaspoons freshly chopped mint

                ½ tbsp. powdered pectin

                2 tablespoons chunky peanut butter

                ¼ cup finely chopped mango

1.       Bring soy, juice, vinegar, cabbage, and mint to simmer over medium-high heat in large saucepan.  Whisk in pectin and peanut butter and cook, whisking occasionally, 3 minutes.  Lower heat to medium low; add sugar and mango, whisking until sugar is dissolved, about 5 minutes.

Baked Eggplant, Banana, and Zucchini Enchiladas Falsas

                Serves 5 (serve family-style)

                1 cup tomato sauce, divided

                4 egg roll wrappers

                ½ small eggplant, cut into long slabs, divided

                1½ bananas, sliced into ½–inch rounds, divided

                1 small zucchini, cut into long slabs, divided

                ½ cup shredded fontina, divided

                ½ cup shredded parmesan, divided

                1½ tablespoons Nutella, divided

                8 teaspoons torn basil, divided

                1 tablespoon melted butter

                ½ tablespoon confectioner’s sugar

1.       Spread ¼ cup sauce in 9-by-13-inch baking dish.

2.       With point of wrapper facing you, spread with 1½ tablespoons sauce; top (in center) with 1 layer eggplant, 1 banana slice, 1 layer zucchini, 1 tablespoon of each cheese, ½ teaspoon Nutella, and 1 teaspoon basil.  Repeat layering once.  Brush edges with butter, roll up like a burrito.  Brush with butter. 

3.       Cook enchiladas falsas in nonstick skillet over medium heat, 4 minutes.  Transfer to baking dish.  Bake for 12½ minutes at 400°.  Dust with sugar