It’s Fancy Fall Dinner time! Or FFD as I have coined it. What is FFD you say? Well, it is a time every year that my friends and I get together to have a formal fancy fall dinner. The way it works is, we each alternate on who hosts the event. Whoever is hosting is in charge of the main course and everyone else brings the accoutrement. For example,”Hors d’oeuvres”, because it sounds fancier than apps, sides, salad and dessert. Of course, we also all bring wine! Another key point is the main must be seasonal and elevated. So not your typical week night dinner.
This year it was my turn to host. I wanted to provide the main, but I also had to make the dessert, and I have this great fall dip I just had to make. When thinking about what dish I wanted to make for the main course, I was thinking of the fall flavors and something we haven’t done in the years past. I also wanted to go with a bit of a lighter dish since we somehow always tend to over indulge in the pre-game. After much thought, I decided to go with a stuffed acorn squash. Perfect! Not only is squash the quintessential fall vegetable but it doubles as the serving vessel and helps to dress my dinner table! Done and Done.
Now that we have the general idea, next came what to stuff it with. Some of my friends have some dietary restrictions and I am known to have a few of my own. I wanted to accommodate everyone’s palate and diets. I did a take on my Thanksgiving stuffing. I used ground turkey sausage, maple, apples, celery and sage. Yum! As a creamy component and binder, I used my love: cashew cheese! Cashews are my favorite and the wonder nut! It’s creaminess and fat content lend very well for dairy replacements in so many recipes. You can make a more béchamel consistency, a thicker cream cheese like texture and I have used it many times as the “ricotta” in my eggplant lasagna.
I prepared the stuffing and then combined with my cashew cheese, reserving some for piping on top. I split the acorn squash in half and removed the seeds. Sprayed with olive and oil and sprinkled with salt and pepper. I then scooped even amounts using an ice-cream scoop into each of the acorn halves. Once stuffed, I took the remaining cashew “cheese” and put it in a large piping bag with a Wilton star tip and piped on top of each of the stuffed squash. Kind of like a twice baked potato style. Then they just go into a 400 degree oven for about 35 to 45 minutes and they’re done! So simple, yet very elegant.
Now, when you are hosting a dinner party, or any party, you also have to think about the presentation and ambiance. I wanted a warm, cozy feel for the space. These plates from Williams Sonoma are perfect for your fall feasts and the colors were just what I was going for. I opted for gold accents here with the gold rimmed wine glasses from Crate and Barrel, gold chargers and my gold flatware. I wanted a bit of contrast with the place mats and went with a lighter weaved round to contrast against the dark wood of the table.
For the centerpiece, I found this cute wooden pumpkin and the color takes it up a notch in elegance, and again a nice contrast against the dark table. Of course I needed the pumpkin spice candles going, I wanted to entice my guests’ every sense. I went with a rustic burlap runner for texture and balance. I added some votives as well to add to the glow. I also love to use these battery operated mini light strings. They are perfect for table tops, inside hurricanes, over wine racks. You name it. All this together gave me that homey, warm, fuzzy feeling.
When hosting, I always provide a favor for my guests. The event and time of year will usually dictate what I do. Most times it is some sort of treat or goodie. I made these adorable cardamom spiced shortbread cookies in the shapes of fall leaves and acorns. I decorated in the beautiful orange and red of fall. Next, I packaged in a clear favor bag tied with a burlap ribbon to bring everything together.
It certainly would not be a dinner party without a dessert. For this, I chose to do a triple layer apple cider cake with a salted caramel buttercream. For the decorations I wanted to keep it rustic-chic, so I opted for the “naked” look with a drip effect of the salted caramel. For the cake topper I used some of those delicious candied apples I showcased last week on my blog.
Last but not least, the most important part of the dinner party. The signature cocktail! I went with my Apple Cider Martini that I shared with you all last week. Perfect for the event. Remember, when hosting, you should always have a signature cocktail to go along with all the other libations. Helps to take the evening to the next level.
That’s it! Another FFD in the books, I love this time of year and spending it with family and friends. What traditions or parties do you have planned to celebrate the season? You are more than welcome to borrow some of mine! Check out the main recipe below!
- Stuffed Acorn Squash
- 3 medium acorn squash halved, sprayed with olive oil and seasoned with salt and pepper
- 1 ½ cup peeled and chopped green apples.
- 1-pound bulk ground turkey
- ¼ cup maple syrup
- 1 ½ cups chopped onions
- 1 cup chopped celery
- 2 tbsp. chopped parsley
- 1 tbsp. chopped sage
- 2 tbsp. butter or olive oil divided
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp ground black pepper.
- 2 cups cashew cheese
- For the cashew cheese:
- 2 cups raw whole cashews (soaked for 2 hours or overnight, or boiled for 10 minutes)
- ⅔ cup water (more if needed 1 tbsp. at a time until desired consistency is reached)
- Half of lemon (more if desired)
- 1 Tbsp. nutritional yeast
- 1 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar
- 1 Tbsp. arrowroot starch or tapioca starch
- Salt and pepper to taste
- ½ tsp Onion powder
- 2 garlic cloves grated or chopped
- ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
- For the cashew cheese:
- Soak the cashews overnight in water or you can boil for 10 minutes.
- Place the cashews in food processor (blender if you don’t have) with the ⅔ cup water.
- Blend the cashews and water together until smooth.
- Add the lemon and remaining ingredients and blend until combined. Taste and adjust seasoning to your liking.
- For the stuffing:
- Pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees and line a baking sheet with tinfoil and place prepared squash halves on baking sheet and set aside while you prepare the stuffing.
- Heat a tablespoon of olive oil or butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the sausage and break up. Cook until no more pink is visible.
- Add the maple syrup and cook until incorporated into the meat. Remove the meat from the pan and place on paper towel lined plate.
- If needed, add a little more oil or butter to the pan. Add onions, apples and celery. Cook 15 minutes stirring occasionally until tender. Remove from heat.
- In a medium bowl add the sausage, apple mixture, parsley, sage, salt and pepper. Stir to combine.
- Stir in one cup of the cashew cheese stir to incorporate.
- Spoon evenly into the prepared squash halves. I used two scoops of an ice cream scooper.
- Place the remaining cup of cashew cheese in pastry bag fitted with a large star tip and pipe each of the stuffed squash with remaining cashew cheese.
- Bake 35 to 45 minutes until the squash is tender and the cashew cheese is slightly browned.
- Carefully transfer squash to serving platter and allow to cool slightly.
- Enjoy!
[…] is what gives the buffalo dip its creamy consistency. You can pull my recipe from an earlier post here. This too is quick and easy and can be made a few days in advance and stored covered in the […]