Fall Flavors

Today I cheated.

This blog is supposed to be dedicated to updates on my forays into the culinary world in which I am the chef. Today however, I have cheated because I have taken the time to write about someone elses cuisine. So for this I can only say, "forgive me father, for I have sinned."

This afternoon I was walking back towards the office, and from the break area I smelled an amazing scent wafting through the air, beckoning me with its ribbons of sweet and savory seasonings. Like a cartoon, my nostrils flared and I was floating toward the delightful aroma, curious as to who was enjoying such a delectable meal.

It was my associate, AnnMarie, nibbling on a piece of ravioli. "What are you eating?" I asked, another associate harmoniously agreeing with my inquiry. She replied quite simply, "Butternut squash ravioli."

I couldn't believe what I was seeing, a frozen meal so appetizing, it looked like it could have been served on china and in a Batalli establishment. Hmm, I might have to look into this.

Not usually a fan of mixing the sweet with the savory, I've been finding myself bending more and more on my old steadfast notions, accepting a change in palette with eagerness. I love ravioli, I am on friendly terms with squash, so why have I waited this long to try them together?

When I got out of work it was a later later than I was planning, and the air was cold and brisk. The first scent of fall tumbled around me as I was being whipped around by the blasts of cool air but it wasn't altogether unpleasant. I could smell cinnamon in the air, freshly fallen leaves were collecting into little piles for the night, and I sighed with contentment; I love fall.

Deciding that I wanted to capitolize off of autumn's emergence, I decided then and there that I would have myself some butternut squash too. Remembering that one of our local restaurants offered it on their seasonal menu, I asked Sean to call in the order and we went to pick up dinner together.

Taking the dinner home was a small treat. The flavors reminded me of a dinner that my best friend, Kristi and I had enjoyed last year when we were in New York. Around this time last year we went to the notorious "Butter" restaurant and treated ourselves to a scrumptious dinner. Kristi had herbed ravioli and butternut squash soup and I had mushroom soup and a lobster dish. I also enjoyed an apple cider martini. With those flavor profiles in mind, I compiled tonights' dinner.

A small caesar salad, butternut squash ravioli, with crispy sage leaves and a sprinkling of sugar and cinnamon, and lastly tiramisu. The topper was an apple cider hard liquor drink that Sean had picked up earlier that day. I was in heaven.

A waltz of flavors danced in my mouth, the creaminess of the ravioli curtsied to the sweetness of the sugar/cinnamon mix. They partnered together nicely in my mouth, begging to fill up my dance card once more. Bite after glorious bite I consummed my ravioli, savoring each herb, each crisp each seasoning. Fall had arrived in the form of my dinner.