FALL GUIDE – Jonesboro Right Now – As things begin to cool off and the leaves start to fall, home chefs everywhere are looking to bring out their autumn recipes.

JRN has compiled some recipes to help you get a jump start on all things fall cooking.

Entrées and Side Dishes:

Roasted Pork Hock With Cider, Apples and Rosemary Potatoes

Serves 4 (Recipe courtesy of Lines+Angles)

• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 2 onions, roughly diced
• 2 carrots, roughly diced
• 3 and 1/2 ounces celeriac, roughly diced
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 teaspoon ground caraway
• 4 small ham hocks, approximately 500 grams each
• 10 ounces meat stock
• 1 pound waxy potatoes, peeled, halved or quartered
• 2 apples, peeled and cut into 8 wedges each
• 1 and 1/4 cups cider
• 1 to 2 sprigs rosemary, leaves picked

1. Heat the oven to 400°F and oil a roasting pan.

2. Add the onions, carrots and celeriac to the pan and brown lightly in the oven for around 30 minutes.

3. Crush the garlic and mix with the caraway, salt and ground black pepper. Rub this mixture into the hocks. Place the hocks on top of the vegetables and pour on a little stock. Bake in the oven for approximately one hour, turning the hocks regularly and adding more stock as required.

4. At the end of the cooking time, remove the root vegetables from the meat juices using a slotted spoon. Turn the oven up to 425°F. Add the potatoes and apples, stand the hocks upright, add the cider, and cook for a further hour.

5. Take the cooked hocks out of the roasting tin and place on a baking tray. Return to the oven to form crackling.

6. Meanwhile, pass the juices through a sieve. Put the apples and potatoes in a warm place. Reduce or thicken the sauce as required and season to taste with salt and ground black pepper.

7. Stir the rosemary through the potatoes and plate up. 

Sweet Potato Marshmallow Gratin

Makes 4 servings (Recipe courtesy of Lines+Angles)

• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup orange juice
• 5 sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/8-inch-thick slices
• 2 Russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/8-inch-thick slices
• 1 and 1/2 cups mini marshmallows, divided
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• Cooking spray

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Mix cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla extract, and orange juice in a small bowl. In a large bowl, combine potatoes. Pour orange juice mixture over the potatoes; toss to coat well.

2. Spritz an 8×8 baking dish with cooking spray. Place potatoes, a handful at a time, in the dish and spread them so that the orange and white slices are evenly distributed. Sprinkle 10 to 12 mini-marshmallows on top of this layer. Repeat the process, creating five layers, until you almost reach the top of the baking dish.

3. Cover dish with aluminum foil and seal tightly to hold in moisture; bake for one hour.

4. Top with remaining marshmallows and brown sugar.

5. Re-cover with foil and bake 30 more minutes. Let stand at least 15 minutes before serving.

Risotto With Sweet Potatoes, Peas and Green Beans

Makes 6 servings (Recipe courtesy of Lines+Angles)

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 onion, chopped
• 1 clove garlic, chopped
• 1 and 2/3 cups arborio rice
• 4 cups low sodium vegetable broth
• 1 tablespoon white wine
• 1 large sweet potato, peeled, chopped and par boiled
• 1 tablespoon packed brown sugar
• Kosher salt, to taste
• 1 cup blanched green peas
• 1 cup blanched green beans

1. Heat olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and saute until slightly translucent, about three minutes. Add the garlic and cook another minute, stirring.

2. Add the rice to the pan and stir well to coat with the oil. Cook until slightly toasted, about three minutes.

3. Stir in 3/4 of the broth and the wine. Bring to a boil and then cover. Reduce heat to low and cook for about five minutes.

4. Add the sweet potato, brown sugar and salt and simmer for about 15 minutes, until the rice is tender. Stir about every five minutes, adding more broth, if necessary.

5. Add the peas and green beans and the remaining broth and stir gently. Serve hot.

Fall Treats:

Pumpkin Pie:

Serves 8 for one 9-inch pie (Recipe courtesy of Lines+Angles)

For the crust:

• 1 cup butter, cold and cubed
• 2 and 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra as needed
• 1 and 1/2 tablespoons maple sugar
• 1 pinch salt
• 1 medium egg, lightly beaten
• 2 teaspoons white vinegar
• 2 to 3 tablespoons iced water

For the filling:

• 1 small pumpkin, halved, seeded and cored
• 2 large eggs
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1/3 cup maple sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 pinch ground nutmeg
• 1 pinch ground cloves
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 1 cup heavy cream

1. For the crust: Combine the butter, flour, maple sugar, and salt in a food processor. Pulse until the mixture resembles rough breadcrumbs.

2. Add the egg, vinegar and one tablespoon iced water. Pulse until the dough starts to form around the blades; add more water as needed if too dry, or a little more flour if too wet.

3. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and shape into a disc. Wrap in parchment paper and chill for at least one hour.

4. For the filling: Preheat the oven to 400°F. Place the pumpkin halves flesh-side down on a large baking sheet.

5. Roast for 30 to 40 minutes until the flesh is tender to the tip of a knife. Remove from the oven and let cool to one side.

6. Once the pumpkin is cool enough to handle, scoop out the flesh into a bowl and mash well until smooth.

7. Beat the eggs with the flour, maple sugar and ground spices in a large mixing bowl until pale and thick, about three minutes.

8. Gradually beat in one and a half cups of the pumpkin mash followed by the maple syrup and cream until fully incorporated.

9. Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured surface into a large round approximately 1/3-inch thick.

10. Drape into a 9-inch pie dish, pressing well into the base and sides. Cut away any excess pastry before crimping the edges with your fingers.

11. Gently prick the base all over with a fork before slowly pouring the filling into the lined pastry.

12. Bake for 20 minutes before reducing the oven to 350°F. Bake for a further 40 to 50 minutes until the filling is set and starting to come away from the edges of the pastry; a knife should come out clean from the center.

13. When ready, remove from the oven to a cooling rack. Let cool completely before serving.

Tip: If preparing in advance before serving, let the pie cool completely before wrapping in plastic wrap and chilling.

Baked Brie with Blackberry Compote and Spicy Candied Pecans

Makes 4 to 6 servings (Recipe courtesy of Lines+Angles)

For the compote:

• 3 cups blackberries
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons water
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• For the pecans:
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 pinch chilli powder
• 1 small egg white
• 1 tablespoon water
• 2 cups pecans

For the cheese:

• 2 Brie wheels
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 pomegranate, seeded
• Fresh thyme sprigs
• Multigrain crackers

1. For the compote: Combine blackberries, sugar, water, and vanilla extract in a heavy-based saucepan.

2. Cover and cook over a medium heat, stirring from time to time, until the blackberries are soft and jammy, about 12 to 15 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool to one side.

3. For the spicy candied pecans: Preheat the oven to 250°F. Stir together sugar and spices in a large mixing bowl.

4. Whisk egg white with water in a separate bowl until frothy. Toss pecans in egg white mixture before removing and tossing in the spiced sugar to coat.

5. Spread out on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake for one hour, turning over every 15 minutes, until dry and crisp.

6. Remove from the oven and let cool to one side. Increase oven temperature to 350°F.

7. For the cheese: Remove the tops of the rinds from the Brie wheels. Place the Brie on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

8. Drizzle with olive oil before baking for 25 to 30 minutes until melted and bubbling.

9. Remove from the oven and let cool briefly before topping with the blackberry compote, spiced pecans, pomegranate seeds, and thyme sprigs.

10. Serve with the multigrain crackers and any remaining compote and pecans on the side. 

Recipes for Getting Rid of Leftover Halloween Candy

S’mores cookie: Turn miniature chocolate bars into a campfire treat with a cookie twist. Press premade cookie dough into a round cast iron skillet and bake until cooked through. Add chopped up pieces of chocolate and marshmallows on top, and place under the broiler for a few minutes, until melted and gooey. Slice up to serve or dig in with spoons.

Confectionary pizza: Purchase premade pizza dough or make your own. Bake the dough on a pan with no toppings. Afterwards, spread a layer of peanut butter or hazelnut spread on top. Then set up a fixings bar with various candies that others can add to their pizza slices. Options include chocolate candies, miniature pretzels, marshmallows, or gummy candies.

Stained glass cookies: Turn hard candies (like Jolly Ranchers) into works of art. Fill sugar cookie cutouts with hard candies in the middle. When the cookies bake, the candies will melt and then turn soft after cooling.

Candy-topped brownies: Brownies are delicious on their own, but they’re even better with some embellishments. Mix chopped caramels into the batter, or add other candies for flavor and fun.

Candy bark: Melt down any chocolate you may have and spread it on a baking sheet. Sprinkle chopped up leftover candy on top and allow to cool. Break into pieces for homemade chocolate bark.

Drinks:

Pumpkin Martini Cocktail with Cinnamon

Serves 2 (Recipe courtesy of Lines+Angles)

• 2 tablespoons maple syrup
• 1/4 cup graham cracker crumbs
• 5 ounces pumpkin spice liqueur
• 2 ounces Baileys Irish Cream
• 2 ounces vodka
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 cinnamon sticks

1. Pour the maple syrup in a saucer and put the graham cracker crumbs in a separate saucer. Dip the rims of two chilled martini glasses first into the simple syrup, then into the graham cracker crumbs.

2. Fill a shaker with ice and add the pumpkin spice liqueur, Baileys, vodka, and vanilla extract. Shake for 15 seconds and strain between the prepared glasses. Garnish each with a cinnamon stick.