"Life starts all over again when it gets crisp in the fall."
F. Scott Fitzgerald
This fall we wanted to host a pop-up dinner that celebrated all flavors and sights that are crisp and lovely.
We originally selected an outdoor location, but days of rain led us searching for an indoor venue Thursday afternoon. A recent Facebook thread on a friend's page, asking where to host a meeting for free or no cost, led me to a localwiki page that was a tremendous help in finding a last minute spot. I booked the room sight unseen and kept my fingers crossed that it lived up to the pictures on the website.
Luckily, the room looked even better in person and was a perfect blank slate for our autumn meal. Generous French doors opened onto a patio, and we enjoyed drinks and appetizers alongside the river before coming inside for dinner.
We started with butternut squash soup topped with a cider-infused whipped cream, a finishing touch that brought two great fall flavors together. The next course was bib lettuce salad with orange segments, creamy avocado, and toasted hazelnuts dressed in champagne vinaigrette.
The third course was pork ragu with pappardelle. This hearty meal is one of my favorite cool weather meals to make for a dinner party because of the ease of preparation and crowd-pleasing taste. Topped with lots of parmesan cheese and paired with a hearty slice of baguette, it did not disappoint.
We ended the meal with apple hand pies made with fruit picked up the same morning at Farmer's Market; they were a great compliment to the apple cider we enjoyed from the same orchard.
As the meal ended, guests lingered on the patio for the final sips from their glasses, and it started to drizzle; the light rain danced on the surface of the river that was already reflecting light beautifully from a nearby bridge. It was a lovely, crisp fall evening only enhanced by the lively banter of good friends.
Inspiring!
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