Autumn is officially here and cool mornings are giving way to warm afternoons. By evening, sweaters go back on and I crave a warm dinner. Produce at the farmer’s market straddles Summer and Fall with tomatoes and eggplant still plentiful, and winter squashes and hardy greens also on display.

Aaron and I recently helped with judging  The Good Food Awards Charcuterie products and as a thank you gift, we received Taylor Boetticher and Toponia Miller’s new book In The Charcuterie.  I have been enjoying looking through the book and decided to try out the Ginger Braised Duck Legs recipe.  Delicious!! The crispy duck skin and the unctuous duck meat served over buckwheat noodles and tasty broth…mmmmm…  Perfect for a chilly Fall evening.  Find the recipe here.

Ginger Braised Duck Leg and the book

The other winning dish I made last week was a Vietnamese Pork Belly Salad from Katie Quinn Davies’ What Kate Ate Cookbook.  While this was not a warm dish, roasting the pork belly in the oven made the whole house smell pleasingly of bacon…mmmm….  I didn’t have a green papaya, so I used a ripe one, but I think a mango would be a perfect substitute.  This dish accompanied by a cold beer was a great dinner after a long day.

Vietnamese Pork Belly Salad