Eric Ripert | Avec Eric

This croustade is a sweet, salty and rich combination of flavors, and is a nice start to any dinner party. It is easy to pick up and eat, no utensils required.

Recipe: Caramelized Onion and Olive Croustade

Serves 8

¼ cup olive oil
1 small clove garlic, thinly sliced
2 large onions, thinly sliced
2 sprigs thyme
fine sea salt and freshly ground pepper
2 sheet frozen puff dough, defrosted and trimmed to 6-inch rounds
½ cup black olives, pitted and halved
freshly grated parmesan

1. Preheat oven to 450°F.
2. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add sliced onion, garlic and thyme. Cook the onion, stirring occasionally until the onions are soft. Reduce heat to medium low and continue cooking for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally until well caramelized. Season to taste with fine sea salt and freshly ground pepper.
3. Place the puff dough rounds on a parchment lined baking sheet. Spread the caramelized onion, leaving about ½ - inch around the edges. Top the onions with black olives and parmesan. Bake the croustades in the oven about for about 15-20 minutes until the crust is golden brown and puffed.
4. Cut into wedges and serve warm.

The duck prosciutto in this canapé is a great pairing with the blue cheese and bitter endive. But if you cannot find it anywhere, traditional prosciutto works just as well.

Recipe: Endive Spears with Blue Cheese and Duck Prosciutto

Serves 8

2 heads Belgian endive
4 ounces blue cheese, crumbled
4 ounces duck ham, sliced thin
1 pomegranate, cleaned and seeds separated
freshly cracked black pepper

1. Trim the end of the endive and peel apart the leaves, discarding any bruised or browned leaves.
2. Fill each endive spear with about ¾ tablespoon of blue cheese crumbles and top with a slice of duck prosciutto.
3. Garnish with pomegranate seeds and cracked black pepper.

This soup is the concentration of fall flavors and spices. The creamy pumpkin, the spiced seeds - sweet and savory. Serving the soup in a pumpkin is an easy way to complete the dish and impress guests.

Recipe: Fall Pumpkin Soup with Spiced Pumpkin Seeds

Serves 8

Soup:
5 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 cup sliced onion
2 cloves garlic, chopped
5 pounds Kabocha squash or Japanese pumpkin, peeled, seeded and diced
5 cups chicken stock
1 cup heavy cream
3 thyme sprigs
1 tablespoon black peppercorns
1 bay leaf
fine sea salt freshly ground white pepper

Garnish:
1 large pumpkin (about 12-inches in diameter)
2 tablespoons butter
fine sea salt and freshly ground pepper
spiced pumpkin seeds (see recipe below)
herbed crème fraiche (see recipe below)

1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Melt the butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onions and garlic; sweat until translucent, about 3 minutes. Add the squash dice and sauté until softened, about 10 minutes.
2. Cover with the chicken stock and bring to a simmer. Cook until tender, about 30 minutes.
3. While the soup is cooking, prepare the large pumpkin to serve the soup from. Remove the top of the pumping with a sharp knife in a zig-zag pattern. Scrape the seeds out and season the inside of the pumpkin with salt and pepper, add the butter and roast in the oven until tender and lightly caramelized, about 30 minutes.
4. Puree in batches in a blender until satiny smooth. Pass through a fine chinois to remove any remaining lumps. Return the soup to the pot and add the cream and bring the soup to a simmer.
5. Wrap the thyme sprigs, peppercorns and bay leaf in cheesecloth and close with kitchen string and add to the simmering soup. Infuse for 10 minutes. Remove the thyme bundle and season to taste with salt and pepper.
6. Serve the soup in the roasted pumpkin. Garnish with spiced pumpkin seeds and herbed crème fraiche.

Spiced pumpkin seeds:
1 tablespoon butter
½ cup raw pumpkin seeds
¼ teaspoon cayenne
¼ teaspoon toasted ground cumin
¼ teaspoon toasted ground coriander
fine sea salt and freshly ground pepper

1. Melt the butter in a sauté pan, add pumpkin seeds, cayenne, cumin and coriander.
2. Toast the pumpkin seeds over medium heat until golden brown, stirring frequently.

Herbed Crème Fraiche:
1 cup crème fraiche
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
1 tablespoon cut chives
1 teaspoon freshly crack black pepper
fine sea salt

1. Mix all of the ingredients together.

A whole leg of lamb is a beautiful thing. Roasted to perfection and paired with seasonal vegetables it will truly satisfy. Remember to baste frequently so that it will stay moist.

Recipe: Roasted Leg of Lamb with Fingerling Potatoes and Marinated Market Vegetables

Serves 8

Lamb:
4-5 pound leg of lamb
2 garlic cloves
2 springs rosemary
3 sprigs thyme
fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons canola oil
2 tablespoons butter

Fingerling Potatoes and Market Vegetables:
3 pounds fingerling potatoes, cleaned
2 pounds mixed baby root vegetables (turnips, carrots, beets)
10 shallots, peeled and cut in half
3 tablespoons olive oil
½ pound Brussels sprouts
½ pound green beans
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon whole grain mustard
2 tablespoons sherry vinegar
½ cup olive oil
fine sea salt and freshly ground pepper

1. Preheat oven to 450°F. Heat a large roasting pan in the oven. Meanwhile, slice the garlic cloves into ¼ - inch slices. Make incisions in the leg of lamb and insert the garlic slices with small sprigs of rosemary and thyme. Season the lamb thoroughly with salt and pepper.
2. Add the canola oil to the hot roasting pan and carefully sear the meat in the oven on all sides, 15-20 minutes. Reduce the temperature to 375° F, add the butter to the roasting pan and continue roasting, basting frequently for 35-45 minutes. A meat thermometer should read 140° F for medium.
3. While the lamb is cooking, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cut the large fingerling potatoes in half and arrange the potatoes in a single layer on a baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper; toss to coat evenly. Bake the potatoes 25-30 minutes until tender. Roast the baby root vegetables and shallots in the same manner.
4. Blanch the Brussels sprouts in boiling water until tender about 4-5 minutes. Drain and immediately plunge into an ice water bath to cool. Repeat with the green beans.
5. Combine Dijon mustard, grain mustard and sherry vinegar in a mixing bowl. Drizzle in the ½ cup of olive oil while whisking constantly until fully incorporated. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Toss the roasted root vegetables, Brussels sprouts and green beans with the mustard vinaigrette.
6. Serve the lamb with roasted fingerling potatoes and marinated vegetables.

Pears are a delicate fruit, but when they are roasted and caramelized their flavors become concentrated. The bourbon adds a bit of a peppery kick to the chocolate sauce, you can also use an Irish whiskey or scotch.

Recipe: Maple Roasted Pears with Bourbon Chocolate Sauce

Serves 8

4 pears
3 tablespoons butter, sliced
¼ cup maple syrup
¾ cup cream
6 ounces semisweet chocolate
¼ cup bourbon
Vanilla ice cream (or a flavor of your choice)

1. Preheat the oven to 400° F.
2. Peel the pears, cut in half and remove the core.
3. Melt butter in a large oven proof skillet (or two smaller pans) over medium heat.
4. Arrange the pear halves, cut side up in the in the skillet and pour the maple syrup over the pears. Cook the pears over medium heat, basting often, until lightly caramelized on one side, about 5 minutes. Turn the pears and place the skillet in the oven and continue cooking until tender about 10-12 minutes.
5. While the pears are cooking, bring the cream to a simmer in a heavy bottomed saucepan. Remove from the heat and add the chocolate and stir until fully incorporated. Add the bourbon and mix well.
6. To serve, place roasted pear half on the plate and top with a scoop of ice cream and bourbon chocolate sauce.