Menu Suggestions For The Autumnal Months

KEY INSIGHTS

• Autumn is a transitional time for menus and it’s important to embrace this change in seasons
• Slow-cooked meals are ideal for this time of year, although it’s best to stick to light braises
• Lamb shoulder, pork belly, brisket and duck are all appealing Autumn menu options
• Autumn is also the perfect time of year for Italian cuisine choices, with many staple ingredients freshly available in season

Autumn is a transitional time on the menu, as we gradually move from the extended daylight hours of the Aussie summer through to the colder winter months. 

He recommends treating autumn as a “crossover period” for menu items – providing customers with an assortment which range from more delicate, lighter meals and cold salads to braised meats and slow-cooked options, but not going as far as the heavy, red-wine based casseroles and ragouts of winter. “If you offer customers a good selection across this spectrum, they’ll have plenty of choice, and you’re also covered for all weather eventualities, from those snap-cold days to the milder and even summery periods we still get in the Australian autumn,” Mark recommends.

Mark suggests slow-cooked meats are ideal for this time of year, although “it’s best to stick to light braises. Slow roasted meats like brisket in particular are ideal because they are extremely flavoursome and great for consistency. They can be pre-cooked, then quickly flash-fried to bring them up to temperature. For example, you can slow-cook duck in its own fat to make a confit, and will present as a warming meal while still presenting as a lighter choice.”

He also recommends slow roasting lamb shoulder or pork belly. “Lamb shoulder seasoned with a little salt and rosemary can be left to roast overnight and the next day you’ll have beautiful meat which you can pull and use for a range of dishes, from casseroles to pizza topping. The flavour is lovely and the texture is delicate enough to enhance any meal.

“Pork belly is also a terrific choice as a pizza topping – again it’s important to salt and season it first, then slow-cook overnight. A pork belly garnished with applesauce makes a delicious seasonal addition to the menu.”

Autumn is also the perfect time of year for Italian cuisine choices, with many of the staple ingredients such as mushrooms, capsicum, broccoli, brussels sprouts, figs and quince freshly available in season – which means they’re cheaper to buy than at other times of the year.

“Seasonal produce is always your best choice because it will be at peak quality and also affordable due to its widespread availability,” Mark advises. “Figs are great for garnishing on salad and they’ll also the perfect pizza topping to complement Italian style smallgoods such as prosciutto or pancetta. You can also make up a fresh quince paste which has a terrific sharp tartness and that is also an ideal choice to impart an authentic flavour profile to your pizzas, pastas and Italian style salads.”

Rhubarb is another choice autumnal addition to the menu, and it’s versatile enough to be used across both savoury and sweet applications. “Pickled rhubarb is the ideal complement to asparagus, spinach, goat’s cheese or raspberry and all these choices are trending on pizza,” Mark says. “And stewed rhubarb makes a great dessert ingredient paired with apple in a crumble or served with ginger and yoghurt.”

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