Fall Recipes at Whisk

Looking to spice things up this fall? Whisk has you covered with seasonal dishes sure to please any tastes, including:

Roasted Harvest Vegetables

Turkey Roulade with a Bacon & Mushroom Filling and Marsala Gravy

Pan-seared Apples with Sausage and Fennel

Saffron & Butternut Squash Risotto with Crispy Sage and Pine Nuts.

Roasted Harvest Vegetables
Serves 6-8

Wonderful vegetable flavors combine in this colorful dish that will be a beautiful and delicious addition to the Thanksgiving table. Whisk has taken a few classic autumn vegetables and roasted them to perfect. Choose your favorite squash – Whisk used butternut squash, Brussels sprouts AND piquant cranberries. Once roasted, Whisk tossed them with an apple cider vinaigrette and served them hot. This dish just may outshine the turkey!

Ingredients:
1 butternut squash, 3/4-inch dice
1/2 lb. Brussels sprouts, halved
5 oz. cranberries, fresh (or frozen and thawed)
1 shallot, diced
3 tablespoons olive oil for roasting
Kosher salt and pepper
1/4 cup walnut pieces 

Dressing:
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
Pinch of Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon honey 

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 425°.

2. Prepare the butternut squash. First remove both ends. Cut squash in half at the waist, remove the peel and scoop out the seeds and fibers. Dice by cutting the squash pieces into 3/4-inch slices, then cross-cut into cubes. 

3. Wash and prepare Brussels sprouts. Peel off loose leaves, chop off stalk end and slice in half. 

4. On a large baking sheet pan, spread butternut squash in a single layer and drizzle with the olive oil, Kosher salt and pepper. Roast in the oven, (stirring every 10 minutes or so) until the cubes begin to caramelize and brown, about 25 minutes. Roast in batches if necessary. If the sheet pan is too full, the vegetables will steam instead of roast. Set the roasted squash aside in a large bowl. 

5. Next, roast the Brussels sprouts, cranberries and shallots. Similarly spread out on the sheet pan, drizzle with olive oil, Kosher salt and pepper. Roast for 30-40 minutes until browned. Also add these roasted veggies to the bowl with the squash. 

6. Whisk the dressing together, and carefully toss with roasted vegetables.

7. Top with the walnut pieces and serve hot.

Turkey Roulade with a Bacon & Mushroom Filling and Marsala Gravy
Serves 8

A turkey roulade is an attractive alternative to roasting a whole turkey at Thanksgiving time (or any time!). While still great for serving a crowd, this recipe requires a fraction of the time to roast and is filled with deliciousness! Make life easier by having your butcher debone and butterfly a turkey breast. Assembling the roulade takes a bit of patience, but is easier then one might think. Get ready to wow your family and friends with moist, flavorful turkey this year!

Turkey Roulade:
(1) 3-4 lb or (2) 1-1/2 pound boneless, turkey breasts, skin on
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 cups chicken broth
kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper

Bacon and Mushroom Filling:
6 slices bacon
8 ounces cremini mushrooms, minced
1/4 cup shallots, minced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1-1/2 teaspoons fresh rosemary, minced
1-1/2 teaspoons fresh sage, minced
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup dry Marsala
1/2 cup plain bread crumbs

Marsala Gravy:
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons flour
1 shallot, minced
1-1/2 teaspoons fresh rosemary, minced
1-1/2 teaspoons fresh sage, minced
1/4 cup dry Marsala
1-2 cups additional chicken broth (to add to roasting pan juices)

Prepare the Filling:
1. Fry the bacon in a large skillet until crispy. Once cooked, place on a paper towel-lined plate to cool, then crumble.

2. Remove any excess bacon grease, then add the finely chopped mushrooms, shallot and garlic to the pan and sauté until softened. Add the rosemary, sage, salt and pepper. Add the Marsala, and cook until reduced by half. Mix in the bread crumbs. Set aside and allow to cool.

Prepare the Turkey:
1. Butterfly each breast, taking care to leave the skin on.

2. Place plastic wrap over the breast with the skin side down, then use a meat mallet or even a rolling pin to flatten out the meat until it becomes rectangular in shape and an even thickness.

Roll it up:
1. Spread the filling over the butterflied breast in a single layer.

2. Roll the turkey and filling leaving the skin on the outside of the roll. Tie the roll with baking twine about every 2 inches to keep the roll intact during roasting.

Roast:
1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.

2. Rub 2 tablespoons of butter over the rolled up breast and sprinkle with kosher salt and pepper. Place the roulade in a roasting pan (no rack required), and add the broth to the bottom of the pan. Bake until the center of the breasts reads 165°F, about 40-50 minutes depending on the size of the turkey breast roll. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving. (Reserve the roasting juices for the Marsala gravy.) Remove the baking string, slice, and serve with the Marsala gravy.

Prepare Marsala Gravy:
1. Pour the roasting juices from the roasting pan into a gravy separator or large bowl. Skim away most of the fatty layer leaving the rich roasting pan juices. Add additional chicken broth, if needed, to reach 2 cups of liquid. Set aside.

2. Meanwhile, melt the butter in a large skillet. Add the shallot, and sauté until translucent. Add the flour, and whisk until the roux just begins to turn a light brown. Add the fresh herbs and Marsala, and simmer until wine reduces by half. Add one cup of the roasting juices, whisk and simmer until the sauce starts to thicken. Continue to add a quarter cup of liquid at a time (up to an additional one cup) while continual whisking until the desired consistency is reached. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Pan-seared Apples with Sausage and Fennel
Serves 4

This dish tastes just like autumn! An easy to prepare dinner, simply sauté a few aromatics, soften some apple halves, brown the sausages, and sneak in a few greens for a complete and hearty meal. You’ll love how the savory spices of the sausages paired with the warm, soft apples – very satisfying indeed!

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 Pink Lady apples, halved
1/2 large fennel bulb, sliced into thin slices
10-12 stalks of Swiss chard, leaves cut into ribbons and stalks diced
4 links of sweet Italian sausage
1/2 cup dry white wine
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup cold water
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Directions:
1. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet or braiser over medium-high heat. Add the apple halves, fennel, and diced chard stalks and sauté, turning occasionally, until golden brown, roughly 8-10 minutes.

2. Pierce the sausages with a fork a few times, and add them to the pan. Sear the sausages, turning occasionally, until browned on all sides. After a few minutes of searing, add the wine and vinegar. Continue to cook the sausages until they are done, continue to cook and brown the sausages, as needed until all sides are golden brown.

3. Add 1/2 cup of water and the chard leaves to the skillet, and quickly wilt the chard. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and serve immediately.

Saffron & Butternut Squash Risotto with Crispy Sage and Pine Nuts
Serves 6

Creamy, and satisfying, this saffron and butternut squash risotto is topped off with crispy sage leaves and pine nuts creating a bowl that captures the essence of autumn flavors! The key to the extra richness found in this is in pureeing half of the roasted butternut squash. The garnishes of crispy sage leaves and pine nuts punctuate the earthy flavors of the butternut squash and are best not left out.

Ingredients:
1 butternut squash, diced into 3/8″ cubes
1 onion, finely diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
4 tablespoons butter, divided
4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
2 cups arborio rice
1 cup dry white wine
4-5 cups chicken broth
1/2 teaspoon of saffron, or about 8 threads
1/2 cup parmesan cheese, grated
Kosher salt and pepper to taste

Garnish:
1-2 tablespoons pine nuts, toasted
1 bunch sage leaves, crisped in 2 tablespoons of butter

To toast the pine nuts: Using a dry skillet, heat over medium heat. Add the pine nuts. Tossing frequently, allow the pine nuts to roast until they begin to turn a golden brown.

To make the crispy sage leaves: Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a small sauté pan; add whole sage leaves. Allow the leaves to become crisp by frying for about 2 minutes on each side, delicately turning the leaves with tongs once during the process. Remove the crispy sage from the butter and set aside until time to garnish the finished risotto.

Risotto Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 400° F. Place the diced butternut squash in a single layer on a large roasting pan. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Sprinkle the squash with salt and pepper and roast for about 20-25 minutes or until tender to a knife tip. Stir and toss the squash halfway through the roasting process. Remove half of the squash and puree. Reserve the other half as cubes to be added to the finished risotto.

2. In a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat, sauté the onions and garlic in a blend of 2 tablespoons of butter and 2 tablespoons of olive oil until translucent. Add the rice and stir until coated. Then, add the wine and continue to stir until it is absorbed.

3. Meanwhile, in a separate soup pot, bring the broth to a simmer and separate one cup of broth into a separate bowl. Add the saffron to the reserved broth to infuse. Set aside.

4. Once the wine is absorbed into the rice, slowly add 1-2 ladles of broth to the pot of rice, starting with the saffron-infused broth; bring to a low simmer. Keep simmering and slowly add ladles of broth (one ladle at a time). Stir continuously, until the broth becomes absorbed.

5. Add the salt and pepper while stirring and adding the broth. Taste test the risotto often to ensure adequate salt and pepper according to your taste. When the risotto is al dente, add 1 more ladle of the stock, stir, and turn the heat to low.

6. Add the roasted, pureed squash and stir., Then, add the cubes of roasted squash. For a silky finish, stir in 2 tablespoons of butter and 1/2 cup of parmesan cheese.

7. Serve hot. Garnish with toasted pine nuts and crispy sage.