3 Ingredient-Taffy Apple Grapes

1 bunch of large grapes (washed and completely dry)

Store bought caramel sauce

1 cup finely chopped walnuts

Toothpicks

(optional for Halloween dip in Halloween sprinkles)

Skewer the grape, dip bottom of the grape in caramel sauce and then dip in finely chopped peanuts. Place on parchment lined sheet pan and refrigerate until serving. Allow about 3 per person.

Brown Butter Radish Crostini’s

1 stick of good butter

About 5 finely chopped radishes

Dash garlic powder

Chives for garnish

Baguette; sliced

On low heat melt butter until it becomes a light to medium brown color, refrigerate until it starts to solidify and then add the radishes and garlic powder. Spread on baguette slices.

Beef Short Rib Lasagna

4 lbs. short ribs, seasoned with s&p

2 Tbls. olive oil

1 cup onion, sliced

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 cup dry red wine

4 cups beef stock

2 sprigs of fresh rosemary

1 bay leaf

8 oz. tomato sauce

Heat olive oil in a pan (do not use a non stick) on medium high heat.  Sear ribs 5-7 minutes or until browned on all sides.  Remove and set aside.  Add onions and sauté then add garlic and sweat.  Add wine, stirring to deglaze the bottom of the pan, pour into crock pot with ribs, beef stock, bay leaf and rosemary sprigs. 

Cook meat 4-5 hours or until meat is falling off the bone.  Remove bones from liquid and allow to cool, remove all the meat from the bones and discard bones.  Strain liquid with a fine mesh strainer. Refrigerate liquid (or put in the freezer to speed this up) until fat solidifies and skim off the top.  Add meat back to stock(don’t break up meat too much), add tomato sauce and let simmer about 30-40 minutes, liquid will reduce slightly be careful not to reduce too much.

Béchamel

3 Tbls. butter

3 Tbls. flour

1/2 cups milk

Dash of white wine

Dash of granulated garlic

Dash of fresh nutmeg

Dash of white pepper

Melt butter, add flour to make a roux, add cream and whisk to thicken, add wine and remaining ingredients, do not add cheese to fast, add a little at a time and whisk after each incorporation.  Taste for seasoning.

1 small butternut squash; cut in half, remove seeds place in pan with a little water roast until soft about 40 minutes at 350, cool scoop out squash and season wth salt and pepper.

Gruyere cheese shredded

Mozzarella cheese shredded

Barilla no boil pasta sheets or if using fresh boil 2 minutes

Toasted pinenuts

In a 9×13 pan spoon a little of the sauce on the bottom, layer pasta and top with short rib sauce, then mozzarella cheese, pasta, butternut squash, Gruyere, béchamel, pasta, short rib sauce, mozzarella, sprinkle top with chopped Italian Flat Leaf parsley and toasted pinenuts.  Can make a day ahead and bake at 350 for about 45 minutes (covered with foil) , last 7-10 minutes remove foil and let cool a bit before cutting.

Pumpkin Tiramisu

1 cup espresso coffee, cooled

2 Tbls. Kahlua

1 package lady fingers (you’ll need about 30)

3 eggs separated

½ cup brown sugar

8 oz. mascarpone

¾ cup pure pumpkin

½ tsp. cinnamon

1/8 tsp. each; ground ginger, nutmeg and allspice

½ teaspoon pure vanilla

¾ cup heavy cream; whipped with 11/2 Tbls. powdered sugar

4-5 ginger snap cookies; crushed

¼ cup chopped pecans

Place yolks in a bowl and mix in ½ cup brown sugar, vanilla, mascarpone, pumpkin and spices until well blended.

In another bowl, whip the egg whites until stif, fold whites into egg-mascarpone/pumpkin mixture.

Pour the coffee into a shallow bowl and dip the biscuits on both sides, you may have to break a row of biscuits to fit dish.  Cover the bottom of the dish (9 x9) with the soaked biscuits, set aside coffee mixture.

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Pour half of the mascarpone/pumpkin mixture over the soaked biscuits.  Dip remaining biscuits in coffee/Kahlua mixture and place remaining biscuits on top, spread remaining mascarpone/pumpkin mixture on top.

Top with whip cream, sprinkle with crushed cookies and pecans.  Cover and refrigerate for 8 hours.  Serves 8.

*Note: Raw eggs should not be used in food prepared for pregnant women, young children, or anyone whose health is compromised.