As the autumn season begins to unfold, it’s an ideal time to savor meals featuring sweet roasted vegetables, earthy greens, and comforting desserts. This culinary offering combines a robust salad of squash and cavolo nero with a luxurious dark chocolate mousse, enhanced by fragrant poached quince and a crunchy brown-butter crumb.
To create the Roast Squash and Cavolo Nero Salad with Black Olive Tapenade, start by preparing the squash. Peel, deseed, and slice a medium butternut squash into wedges. Coat the wedges with olive oil, a pinch of dried chili flakes, sea salt, and black pepper, then roast them in a preheated oven at 425F until they are golden and tender, approximately 30 to 35 minutes. Meanwhile, remove the tough stalks from about 250g of cavolo nero, tearing the leaves into large pieces. Blanch the leaves in salted boiling water for two minutes, then drain and rinse under cold water. After squeezing out excess water, toss the leaves with lemon juice and a bit of olive oil. For the tapenade, finely chop 100g of pitted black olives, a small garlic clove, a teaspoon of drained capers, and a small handful of flat-leaf parsley, then mix with extra-virgin olive oil and red-wine vinegar. Arrange the cavolo nero on a serving plate, top it with the roasted squash, and finish with the tapenade and toasted pumpkin seeds or walnuts.
The Dark Chocolate Mousse with Poached Quince and Brown Butter Crumb offers a decadent dessert choice. Begin by gently melting 200g of dark chocolate over a bain-marie. Once smooth, let it cool slightly. Whisk egg whites until soft peaks form, then add sugar gradually, whisking until glossy. In another bowl, lightly whip double cream to soft peaks. Beat the egg yolks and combine them with the cooled chocolate. Fold in the cream and then the whipped egg whites, maintaining as much air as possible. Refrigerate the mousse for at least four hours. For the poached quince, caramelize 55ml of honey in a saucepan, then add apple juice or kombucha, apple cider vinegar, a bay leaf, peppercorns, a cinnamon stick, and a lemon quarter. Simmer gently after adding peeled and quartered quince, cooking for about 90 minutes until tender. Let the quince cool in the liquid before cutting it into cubes.
To prepare the brown butter crumb, preheat the oven to 350F. Melt 60g of butter in a saucepan until it turns a golden brown with a nutty aroma. In a bowl, mix milk powder, flour, sugar, and a pinch of flaky sea salt. Combine with the brown butter to form small crumbs, then spread on a lined baking tray. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, stirring once, until golden, and let cool completely.
For serving, place a generous portion of chilled chocolate mousse on each plate. Add the diced poached quince and sprinkle with the brown-butter crumbs. Top with a dollop of crème fraîche and serve immediately, allowing each element to complement the others in a harmonious blend of flavors and textures.