A Second Course

It’s that time of year again…. the leaves are changing colors, the air has become crisp and bowls of candy are everywhere. Fall has arrived!

And what’s a more fun Fall activity than carving pumpkins and baking some delicious pumpkin seeds?

The secret to making perfect pumpkin seeds: Boiling them in salted water before you bake. This helps infuse the seeds with flavor.

And for a new twist on an old classic, how about some nacho cheese pumpkin seeds using the very delicious Kernel Seasons. Its not just for popcorn anymore!   A tasty treat for kids and adults of all ages:

Kernel Seasons Nacho Cheese Pumpkin Seeds

Ingredients:

One medium sized pumpkin

Kosher Salt

Non-stick cooking spray

Kernel Seasons Nacho Cheese

1 Preheat oven to 400°F. Cut open the pumpkin, fill the inside with water and use your hands to pull out the seeds. Separate the seeds from any stringy core and rinse.

2 In a medium pot, bring water and salt to a boil (4 quarts of water and 1 Tbs salt for every cup of seeds). Add the seeds to water and let simmer for 10 minutes. Drain.

3 Spray a sheet pan with non-stick coating. Spread the seeds out over the pan, all in one layer, being careful not to overlap. Bake on the top rack until the seeds begin to brown, approximately 12-15 minutes.

4   When browned to your liking, immediately place seeds in a bowl and generously spray with non-stick cooking spray.  Add KS Nacho Cheese seasoning (2 tsp for every cup of seeds) and mix until the seeds are well coated.  Cool and eat whole.

A beer and cheese tasting showcasing the wonderful cheeses I brought back from Wisconsin and paired with local craft beers:

5 cheeses – Upland’s Pleasant Ridge, Bleu Mont Dairy Alpine Renegade & Bandaged Cheddar, Hook’s Baby Boy Blue, Crave Brothers Petite Frères

Figs, grapes, apricots, walnuts, cherry spread

Strawberry, mint and mozzarella salad

Les Frères bake with mushrooms and port wine

Baked cavatelli with white truffle and Hook’s 10 year aged white cheddar

Beef sliders with 4 year aged Hook’s cheddar on brioche bun

Individual trifles with milk chocolate ganache, chocolate cake, and Crave Brother’s mascarpone whipped cream

8 Craft Beers, in order of drinking

#1 Fly Wheel was our first beer;  light, fresh and local. Offered nice balance to the rich Mac N Cheese.

#2 5 Lizard is a Belgian-style white American ale with passion fruit, lime and coriander notes. It was very refreshing and had an almost fruity quality. Extremely versatile and paired well with everything, a great complement to the strawberry salad.

#3 Tank saison farmhouse ale. This is an overall great food beer, as it complements spice and cleanses the palate.

#4 Golden Monkey. This tripel strong golden ale was my personal favorite.  Its a Belgian-style brew, similar to Delirium.  Medium bodied and goes well with big cheeses.

#5 Burning River is a pale ale that went really well with the cheese plate, yet is versatile enough to pair with a lot of other foods. Hoppy!

#6 Matilda is a great choice for both beer and wine lovers, as it has a fruity aroma and slightly spicy flavor. Another Belgian-style pale ale.

Can you tell I like the Belgian-style beers?

#7 Dragon’s Milk is an American strong brown ale, aged in bourbon barrels which really contributes to the caramel, sweet, oaky & vanilla flavors. Unreal with the blue cheese.

#8 New Glarus Belgian Red, brewed with cherries and hand carried back from my trip (this is only available for purchase in Wisconsin, sorry!) was a perfect way to end the tasting. And what could be better than cherries and chocolate?

While the consensus was clear: Wisconsin has some damn fine cheeses that pair beautifully with beer,  there was some disagreement over the favorites of the night. To each his own I suppose?  So I challenge all of you to write in with your personal favorites and encourage you to host a beer/cheese party (or hire me to do it for you)….a perfect Sunday Fall Football activity.

*Note: For the strawberry salad and Les Frères bake recipes, please visit the Crave Brothers website: http://cravecheese.com/recipes.php