Foodie in the family

What would a cold snap in Autumn be without a pot of spicy chili simmering on the stove? I ventured from my ground beef chili recipe (which normally includes sweetcorn per my husband's request) to try my cousin Becky's veggie chili recipe.

I knew I had to try it when she said there was Guinness in it, but the fact that she's the Managing Editor at Cook's Illustrated AND on-screen test cook for America's Test Kitchen really swayed me. After talking to her yesterday evening, she's lucky if I don't show up on her doorstep in Massachusetts and beg her to take me to work with her.

Becky grew up watching Julia Child on TV after school with her twin sister, Valerie. After graduating from college, she worked on a securities trading floor in NYC, but when offered a big promotion, she turned it down and went to cooking school. If ever there was a poster child for following your dreams, Becky is it. She's been with Cook's Illustrated for 10 years and even met Julia when she visited the set of America's Test Kitchen, produced by the same people that did The French Chef.

Since trying this chili, I'm not sure if I'll ever go back to my boring old ground beef stand-by. It's superbly seasoned and the addition of cashews at the end makes it so toothsome, I swear you won't miss the meat. The Guinness makes the sauce rich and earthy. In the version I made, I used half light red kidney beans and half cannellini beans, only because that's what I had in the pantry. I've also thought of adding a little pumpkin to this the next time I make it. My mother in-law once served a chili with pumpkin and I think it would make a delicious twist.

One important note- I absolutely adore the smoked cheddar that goes on top of this. Don't be tempted to get a bag of tasteless shredded cheese - you will seriously miss out. I'm a huge believer in the right accompaniments, and this is one that I won't eat chili without again. Using a box grater, I shredded my applewood smoked cheddar from Wisconsin with the paprika rind coming out in flecks of cream with red tips.

Becky's Vegetable Chili with Guinness

Adapted from Grace and Grit by Ken Wilbur

2 tbsp olive oil

2 onions, chopped

2 green peppers, chopped

2 celery stalks, chopped

4 garlic cloves, minced

4 tbsp chili powder (Becky uses Penzeys mail order- it's worth it!)

2 tbsp ground cumin

1 bottle of Guinness

1 x 28 oz can of whole tomatoes

3 x 15 oz cans of red kidney beans (you can substitute light red kidney beans and/or cannellini beans as well)

1 tbsp freshly chopped oregano

3 tbsp freshly chopped parsley

1 cup of chopped cashews, unsalted

smoked cheddar for grating on top

salt to taste

In a dutch oven, saute the onion, celery and green peppers in the olive oil for about 10 minutes until they are softened and slightly browned. Add the garlic, chili powder and cumin and saute for another minute.

Add the Guinness, tomatoes and beans, breaking up the tomatoes as you stir them in. Salt to taste (using kosher salt if possible- about a tbsp to begin with.) Simmer for an hour at least- longer won't hurt.

This is where I think this recipe goes to extraordinary- about 30 minutes before you're ready to serve, add the cashews, oregano and parsley. Simmer away for the last half hour and you're ready to dish it up.

Sprinkle some of the grated smoked cheddar on top and serve with bread (I made mine with cornbread) and a pint of Guinness!

Becky suggests variations including adding some chipotle peppers which are readily available in cans at grocery stores. She also makes this in the slow cooker with dried beans on occasion.

Letting go

Autumn is finally here, introducing itself with a firm handshake this Monday as temperatures dropped and the winds picked up. I'm not sure what's wrong with me this year. Normally, I look forward to the change in seasons, welcoming the crisp air that cuts through the stickiness of summer. The problem is, I never felt very sticky over the past few months, never felt the heat was getting to be too much. I'm having a problem letting go of summer. Maybe it's the deep seeded fear I have of the impending cold, but I can't quite bring myself to pack away summer's cotton clothes in exchange for wool.

To pluck up a bit of cold courage, I've delved deep into my favorite autumn recipes and am planning some serious kitchen time this weekend. I've bought a big bushel of honeycrisp apples, only available this time of year, which in my opinion are the king among apples here in the mid-west. I also picked up a pumpkin from a local market to display proudly on the front step until it's time to carve. If I can't look autumn in the eye now, I never will.

First in the autumn line-up is this fig tart, inspired by one of my favorite places to eat in Islington, Ottolenghi.

The first time I walked in, I had mixed emotions. I've always had dreams of owning my own restaurant, and I thought this was the place I had in my mind. Through the glass doors on your left is a picturesque display of pastries, cakes and the biggest pile of meringues you've ever seen. On the right are platters of savory dishes including meats, vegetables and quiches which you can choose to combine any way you like. Sliced rare roast beef with home made dipping sauce or the roasted chicken were always delicious. Roasted squash with chilli and yogurt or cold, crunchy broccoli with sliced almonds were lovely accompaniments.

Down the center of the narrow restaurant was a long, smooth, never-ending corian table where people sat in bright orange chairs next to strangers. For breakfast, Dualit toasters plugged in from sockets up above in order to "toast-as-you-go."

Needless to say, I loved this place. What I most remember about Ottolenghi is taking my Mom, Pam, there on her very last visit to London. She came on her own, which was very special. I took her here for lunch on the first day and she made me go back twice for the fig tart. She was at a stage in her illness that made her pickier than usual and this tart really did it for her.

I used black mission figs here, which are perfectly in season at the moment and are lusciously ripe. Use them as soon as you buy them, or they will spoil. I say this is a tart, but it's more of a sponge cake with fruity caramel topping. You can use any type of fruits for this. In fact, I had planned on making a plum tart but turned them into jam several weeks ago.

I feel like I claim that many things that I make are simple, but this is quick and easy and the results is visually impressive. I must warn you about making the caramel sauce. It's such a straightforward thing, caramel sauce, yet if you don't watch it closely, you have a dangerous mess that is unusable. On my first attempt, I got a little distracted and didn't watch it- big mistake. It quickly turned black and burnt and if this happens, you have to wait for it to cool before pouring it out and starting over. Don't put cold water in or it could splatter and burn. I carefully poured mine into an empty tin can.

If you watch the caramel sauce, it will start to turn slightly golden, take it off the heat and it will be ready to accept the little halves of figs. This is literally a one pan process. You make the caramel in a shallow pan, arrange the figs in a design you'd like to see on the top- I normally start with an outer circle of figs and work my way in. Then you simply dollop the sponge cake mix on top and pop it into the oven to bake.

I adapted this recipe from a grocery delivery company I used in London called Ocado. They had a recipe section that I would often go to for week night inspiration. I found this and worked with it until I was happy with the outcome.

Pam's Fig Tart

For the caramel sauce:

1 1/3 cups of sugar

3/4 cup of water

For the sponge cake mix:

2/3 cup of butter at room temperature

3/4 cup sugar

1/5 cups self-raising flour

3 eggs

2 lbs figs, halved lengthwise

Preheat the oven to 325F. Halve your figs and place to one side. Combine the sugar and water in a shallow pan to make the caramel sauce. Over low heat, stir the sugar until it has dissolved and then bring the sugar water to a boil. Once it's boiling let it simmer without stirring until it starts to turn slightly golden.

Remove the pan from the heat- it will continue to bubble and become richer in color.

Let it cool slightly before placing the fruit in a nice formation (circular if you'd like.) This will be the top of your cake. In a food processor or mixer, combine the sugar, flour and butter until mixed. Add the eggs one by one until combined. Stop as soon as it comes together to form a nice sponge mixture.

Spread the mix on top of the fruit and bake for one hour. Remove from the oven and let it cool completely. Run a knife around the edges and turn it out onto a plate. Serve with creme fraiche or a dollop of greek yogurt.

Press the button

In my effort to impress friends during breakfast, I woke early, started the coffee machine (to the maximum 10 cups it would make) and started rolling out the puff pastry. All of this sounds seriously taxing for an early Saturday morning, but I'm a cheater. I was following Ina Garten's recipe for Easy Cheese Danish, I had already made the filling mix and it was waiting for me in the fridge, Martin had the coffee ready for me to press the button, and I was rolling out defrosted, store-bought puff pastry.

I'm not sure about you, but this is about all I can muster when it comes to serving breakfast for guests, especially if I've indulged in a few glasses of wine the night before. Don't get me wrong, I want it to be a warm and welcoming meal, but the fact that we're all out of bed WAY before 8am means that I'm moving slower than normal in the kitchen. Therefore, if I can do a few special items for guests, like make some homemade jam days before, or put together a basket of flaky danish at the last minute, it still feels special with minimal effort.

I don't normally start the day with a danish, so these feel like a special treat. I'm a huge advocate of eggs for breakfast on the weekends, but these really do feed a crowd. When you've got a group that will be up at slightly different times, running around grabbing a shower and feeding kids, these are great because you can pile them into a basket with a lovely napkin and everyone can help themselves. I've begun using my Mom's linens and so many of them seem to have been designed specifically for ladies luncheons on a sunny day. I guess that's exactly what you want at the bottom of a basket filled with creamy, lemony delicious danish.

Ina uses an electric mixer here which is one of my favorite kitchen electronics. My precious cherry-red kitchen aid mixer (that my Mother bought for me as a wedding present) was one of several electrical casualties in my move from England. Like an idiot, I stupidly thought I would be able to get a converter for all of my kitchen appliances and they would work. They did not. I use a hand mixer these days as I have not brought myself to part with a large portion of money for another mixer, but I know the day is imminent.

When I plugged in my beloved Dualit toaster and popped two pieces of bread in, it made all of the right sounds and felt warm on the outside. I thought, "eureka"! Sadly, it only warmed the bread and did not toast. After several attempts, Martin blamed the "damn American bread" before he realized his mistake.

Easy Cheese Danish

Adapted from Barefoot Contessa At Home by Ina Garten

Makes 8 Danish

8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature

1/3 cup sugar

2 extra large egg yolks, at room temperature

2 tbsp ricotta cheese

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

1/4 tsp kosher salt

grated lemon zest from 2 lemons

2 sheets (1 box) frozen puff pastry, defrosted

1 egg beaten with 1 tbsp of water for egg wash

Preheat the oven to 400F. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.

Put the cream cheese and sugar into a bowl of an electric mixer with a paddle and cream together on a low speed. When it's smooth, add the egg yolks, ricotta, vanilla, salt and lemon zest. Mix until just combined and don't whip.

Carefully unfold a sheet of the puff pastry and roll it out on a lightly floured surface until it's 10x10 inch square. Place a heaping tablespoon of the filling into the middle of each square, brush the borders with the egg wash and bring two opposite corners into the center. Brush the overlapping corners so they stick together and the brush the top of each pastry. Place them on the prepared sheet pan and repeat with the second sheet of pastry.

Pop them into the refrigerator for 15 minutes and then bake for 20 minutes until puffed and golden.

You'll notice that I opted to make little rectangles instead of overlapping the corners and keeping the filling exposed. Either way, these little guys are addictive and you'll wish you made more than one for everyone.