We are so excited for Autumn to arrive, and with only a few days away, we decided to start the Fall recipes early! There is just something so warm and cozy about Fall food. Soup is one of the most popular foods during the Fall and Winter months. It’s hard to get away with it in the Summer months because of the high temperatures, but once that first frost arrives, all I can think about is soup. With some leftover veggies from the farmer’s market, we decided to throw everything in a pot and make a warm, hearty carrot and turnip soup! Soup just wasn’t enough though, we also decided to make a panini with homemade focaccia and yummy fall flavors like turkey, brie, and a homemade fig spread! We also have an AMAZING beer pairing with this recipe so read on to learn more =).
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For the Carrot and Turnip Soup recipe we start by creating a rich caramelization by combining the carrots with butter. We then add some onion, garlic, turnips, chicken broth, and some freshly grated ginger for that added little kick of flavor. The ginger really makes this dish. Boil, simmer, and puree and you have yourself a little bit of Autumn in a bowl! The panini was so delicious and so easy to make! You can obviously use a store bought Focaccia, but we decided to make our own because it is so easy to make! If you aren’t used to making bread, Focaccia would be the easiest one to start with. It doesn’t take much kneading and it’s quick too! We used Tyler Florence’s recipe for the bread. You can find his recipe here. For this panini, I layered turkey, brie, and some homemade fig spread (recipe to follow) and cooked just enough in the panini maker to get those perfect grill marks. This combination of soup and sandwich starts the season off right!
Zach actually found our beer pairing for this dish on a whim. He chose Crystal Springs’ Black Saddle PBA Stout. He was in the liquor store and thought it looked interesting and tasty so decided to pick up a bottle. Now, you more than likely have never heard of this brewery. They pride themselves on being the smallest brewery in the country, if not the smallest brewery in the world. Don’t let their smallness scare you away though, their brews are phenomenal, and this stout completely exceeded our expectations.
It would be an understatement to say that this beer was absolutely delicious. It went beyond that. They aged the brew in Port wine barrels and with every sip you really get that Port wine taste, and who doesn’t love a good Port!? I wasn’t completely sold at first with the pairing. I didn’t know if the flavors would really go with one another, but once I had a sip of the Stout with the fig spread on the panini, I was sold. The subtle sweetness of the beer with the sweetness of the fig spread act as if they were made for one another! Crystal Spring’s may be difficult for many of our readers to find, so any sweeter Imperial Stout will do the trick, but if you can get your hands on this beer, we certainly recommend it!
We welcome you to a taste of Autumn! Enjoy!
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