Wall Street Journal's Ten Foods to Eat This Fall
Quince (left) and kabocha (right), two of this fall's "it" foods.
The Wall Street Journal’s list of top ten foods to eat this fall is ... surprising. Gone are the apples and pumpkins of posterity, replaced with such oddities as quince and kabocha. And yet, such "unseasonal" staples as pine nuts and thyme made the cut. My prediction? This guide will become the "how to look chic at the farmers market" manual. My advice? Sometimes chic comes less from the unexpected and more from the obvious: Shop around, but don’t forget where you came from. There's a reason it's apple- and pumpkin-pie season. After the jump, what the cool kids are eating this fall.
The Wall Street Journal's Top Ten Foods to Eat This Fall
1. Concord Grapes: for a fresher, milder, more (or less, depending on your point of view) refined version of Welch’s grape juice. Delicious.
2. Kabocha: If ye ol’ American orange variety of the pumpkin is starting to bore you, there’s always the Japanese version! It’s an election year; I say let’s try to reinvent the local varieties before looking abroad.
3. Pears: Perhaps they made the list because it took until autumn for them to ripen in the supermarket.
4. Pomegranate: Careful with this one! Greek myth claims that winter stems from the seeds of this fruit. The lobster of produce, it requires a lot of work. But they’re worth it.
5. Pine Nuts: The seeds of pine cones, there is something heralding of winter in these little kernels. With that in mind, put them in the freezer so you can have them (unspoiled) when the pine cone wreaths are up.
6. Quince: A trendy version of the apple, it is a good way to expand your culinary horizons. Quince paste or jelly goes brilliantly with the Sheep’s Milk Cheese later in the list. But with all the beautiful apple varieties available, don’t forget your apple a day.
7. Rutabaga: Commonly called Swede in Europe, rutabaga is very popular roasted or mashed, year round, in other countries.
8. Thyme: a bit of a cheat, since it’s available all year round; but it does pair brilliantly with squash or pine nuts, and other fall flavors. You could roast it with rutabaga, or put it in a pine nut brittle.
7. Tuscan Kale: It sure is healthy, but is it just a common good with a designer label?
10. Sheep’s Milk Cheeses: The ultimate foodies discourse on the seasons of cheese, but they’re lost on the average palate. Do you feel a bit fleeced by this final entry?
Will you be eating these foods or sticking to the tried-and-true?
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9 Comments:
This is the first post that has compelled me to sign up to comment. On my counter as I type are a bowl of quinces and a kabocha squash. I also have some pears ripening and pine nuts in my pantry. How many points do I get?
But I loathe Concord grapes.
moosechop at 9:49PM on 09/20/08
Welcome, moosechop! IMO kabocha squash is the most flavorful of the winter squashes--I love it, and as it turns out, they are really easy to grow (provided, of course, the squash doesn't have an End User License Agreement). A little too easy in fact as they tend to climb on and take over everything. Love pomegranates too, and lots of them are grown around here. My boss has several trees and supplies me with fresh pomegranates, homemade grenadine and jelly. Also, I've been wanting to try poaching pears in white wine and vanilla. Sounds like this fall is a good time to do it.
buffy at 11:40PM on 09/20/08
i agree with your overall assessment of the list, but want to offer another vote in favor of the kabocha. with lower moisture content than american sugar pumpkins, it's the only squash you can use as a custard mold without turning the custard into a slimy, watery mess. the combination of roasted pumpkin and a sweet, eggy coconut milk custard is one of the nicest fall desserts i know, and the presentation couldn't be prettier.
smargot at 1:03AM on 09/21/08
Smargot,
Do you have a recipe for the coconut custard/kabocha recipe?
We love all things pumpkin and squash come fall and would love to try this dessert....
As far as "the list" is concerned, I saw someone at our local farmer's market this past spring with garlic scapes, and not knowing much about them myself except for a New York Times article that I had just read the week before, asked her what she did with them. She actually turned red and said she didn't know what they were but they looked interesting and she might use them in a flower arrangement.
Maybe garlic scapes can be on next spring's list.
One the other hand, if a list turns people on to new foods and new recipes, why not?
Nonny at 9:43AM on 09/21/08
I find Concord grapes challenging to eat -- the skins are very tough and tend to stick in my throat, and the flesh really clings to the large seeds. They make wonderful juice, though -- I put them in the blender with cold water (1 cup stemmed grapes to 1 cup water), add a dash of simple syrup, honey or agave nectar, and buzz until blended. (Be careful not to blend too much or you'll break up the seeds, which are bitter.) Strain, and drink -- tastes like Welch's but fresher. I also like to add a handful of frozen strawberries to the strained grape juice and re-blend.
Rutabagas -- we make a mix of 1/2 mashed potato, 1/2 mashed rutabaga for Thanksgiving and always say "we should have this more often" and never do.
Gretchen VanEsselstyn at 12:23PM on 09/21/08
hmm... kabocha is the only one on this list i'd never heard of before. loved quince jelly as a kid and am a big fan of kale of all varieties. my only question is, and i know this is from WSJ, but where can your average american find these things? i mean, NY/SF farmers markets i guess, but even here in chicago i feel like finding some of these things can be a stretch.
anysuchname at 11:04AM on 09/22/08
I like the slight tinge of irony that goes along with the WSJ telling us what we should eat. I can almost hear Richard Fuld (Lehman Bros.) screaming, "Cake! Let them eat caaaaaaake!"
maered at 11:40AM on 09/22/08
i am from concord ma, land of the concord grape. the original welch's grape vine was in walking distance of my house growing up (it's all sickly and dead but there IS a commemorative plaque!).
yet i've NEVER eaten a concord grape. i've had the juice and the jam, but not the actual grape. oops.
megannesta at 7:34PM on 09/23/08
I just made grape jelly from Concord grapes and it is crazy delicious! But tasting the grapes beforehand made me a bit nervous - as everyone mentions, they are a bit blah to taste on their own.
producestories at 9:46AM on 09/24/08