A Taste Of Autumn

Chef Bill Telepan, executive chef of JUdson Grill in Manhattan, is known for his profound love of only the freshest of ingredients. With autumn comes a visit or two to the pumpkin patch, so get ready to wrap your lips around Buttercup Squash Gnocchi With Sage, Wild Mushrooms and Pine Nuts.

The following are his recipes:

Buttercup Squash Gnocchi with Sage, Wild Mushrooms and Pine Nuts
Serves 4

Buttercup Squash Gnocchi
1 large buttercup squash, 2 to 3 pounds
Salt
1 egg
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting work surfaces
1/4 cup finely grated parmesan cheese

1. Preheat the oven to 450°F.
2. Cut the squash in half length-wise and scoop out the seeds. Salt the flesh and place the squash halves skin-side down on a rimmed baking sheet. Pour 1/2 inch of water around the squash and cover the sheet with aluminum foil. Place the sheet in the oven and bake the squash until tender, about 45 minutes. (A sharp, thin-bladed knife should pierce easily to the center of a piece.) Remove the sheet from oven, set aside, and let cool.
3. When the squash is cool enough to handle, scoop the flesh out into a cheesecloth- or paper-towel-lined strainer in batches, squeezing out most of the excess moisture and gathering the flesh in a bowl. (You can also put it in a large, lined strainer and weight it down for 20 minutes with a heavy pan or a few cans of food wrapped in a clean plastic bag.) Measure out 2 cups of squeezed squash and pass it through a food mill or ricer into a large bowl. Discard any extra squash.
4. Break the egg into a small bowl and whisk it. Add the egg to the bowl with the squash; then stir in the flour, cheese, and 1 teaspoon salt with a wooden spoon until the dough just comes together. Form the dough into a ball, wrap it in plastic wrap, and place in the freezer for 30 minutes.
5. Put the dough on a well-floured surface, and divide it into 8 equal pieces. Roll out one segment into a rope-shaped length about 1/2-inch thick, working from the middle out, and applying even pressure. If the rope won't roll, wipe the excess flour from the workspace and roll using just enough flour to keep the dough from sticking. Cut into gnocchi about 3/4-inch long. Using the edge of a large, wide-bladed knife or a flat spatula, transfer the gnocchi to a well-floured baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining dough, then place the sheet in the freezer until the gnocchi harden, about 1 hour. These can be made in advance and frozen.

1. Preheat the oven to 450°F.
2. Remove the tops of the pumpkins by cutting a circle into the middle of the pumpkin at an angle with a paring knife. Scoop out the pulp and seeds with a spoon. Put the pumpkins and tops in a pan. Pour 1/2 inch of water around them, season them with salt and pepper, and cover with foil. Bake in the oven until tender, 20 to 25 minutes. Let cool enough to touch, then cut a little "door," about 3/4- inch square, into one side of the pumpkin.
3. Spread the pine nuts out on a cookie sheet, and toast in the oven until lightly browned, about 5 minutes.
4. Heat a large sauté pan over high heat, until very hot, then add 2 tablespoons of the butter. When the butter is melted and browning, add the squash. Sauté until golden and tender, about 6 minutes. Transfer the squash to a plate and set aside.
5. Set the same pan over high heat and add 2 tablespoons more of the butter. When the butter has melted and begins to brown, add the mushrooms and sauté until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Set aside.
6. Bring a 12-quart pot of lightly salted water to a vigorous boil over high heat. Add the gnocchi and cook until they all float to the top, then cook for 1 minute more. While the gnocchi are cooking, prepare to finish the dish (Step 7).
7. Put the remaining 4 tablespoons of butter in a large sauté pan. Add the cooked squash and mushrooms, the sage, and the pine nuts, and set aside. Put the pumpkins and tops on a cookie sheet and reheat briefly in the oven.
8. Use a heatproof measuring cup to scoop up 1/2 cup of the gnocchi's cooking liquid and add it to the pan with the squash and mushrooms. Raise the heat the high and bring the liquid to a boil, stirring to emulsify the liquids, until a creamy sauce has formed, 2 to 3 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the gnocchi from their pot to the pan with the squash and mushrooms. Add the parsley, toss, and season to taste with salt and pepper.
9. To serve, transfer 1 pumpkin to each of 4 warm dinner plates. Spoon the gnocchi into the pumpkins and out the "doors," place the tops on the pumpkins, and serve immediately.

I've served pancakes as part of savory dishes such as a pea pancakes in the spring and a corn napoleon in the summer. Here, they're made with pumpkin and adorned with sweet and sticky accompaniments like candied walnuts, spiced butter, and a brown-sugar sauce. This is a fun dessert to serve; the little pancakes are stacked atop each other so each serving looks a short-stack you might order at a pancake house.

Candied Walnuts
1 egg white
1/4 teaspoon finely grated orange zest
1 cup chopped walnuts
1/4 cup sugar

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk the egg white until foamy. Add the orange zest and toss the walnut pieces into the egg-white mixture. Sprinkle in the sugar, mixing as you go.
3. Turn the nuts out onto the lined baking sheet and spread them out into a single layer. Bake in the oven for 8 minutes, then stir the nuts around on the pan to ensure both an even toasting and an even sugar coating. Return the sheet to the oven and bake for another 5 to 6 minutes. The nuts should be toasted but the sugar should not be caramelized. Remove the sheet from the oven.
4. Lay a sheet of parchment on the counter. Remove the nuts from the lined sheet, scraping if necessary, and leave them on the fresh parchment to cool. Stir occasionally to separate them. These can be made up to 5 days in advance and stored in an airtight container at room temperature.

Put the syrup, butter, and juice in a small pot and heat over medium heat. Stir together and set aside.

Pumpkin Pancakes
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
Generous pinch salt
1 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
1 egg plus 1 yolk
1 cup milk
1 1/2 cups canned pumpkin
2 tablespoons maple syrup
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter
Vanilla ice cream, optional

1. Preheat the oven to 250°F.
2. In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking power, salt, and pumpkin pie spice. In another small bowl, whisk together the egg and yolk with the maple syrup, then whisk in the milk. Pour the liquid mixture over the dry, add the pumpkin, and stir to combine. Set an oven-proof plate or a parchment paper-lined baking sheet in the oven.
3. Heat a wide, Teflon pan over medium-low heat. Add 1 tablespoon of the butter. As soon as the butter melts and begins to foam, ladle in four 3-inch pancakes. For perfect circles, you can use pancake molds, but lightly swirling the batter with the underside of the ladle will work as well. Cook the pancakes for 4 minutes, flip them, and cook for another minute or 2. Gather the pancakes on the plate in the oven to keep them warm, staking the batch in a neat little pile. Repeat with the remaining butter and batter.
4. To serve, place 1 pancake stack in the center of each of 4 plates. Top with warm syrup and generously sprinkle with nuts. If you like, add a scoop of vanilla ice cream to each serving.

2 pounds acorn squash
4 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon maple syrup
1 teaspoon freshly ground coriander seed
1 tablespoon sherry vinegar
2 tablespoons hazelnut oil
2 cups parsley leaves, washed and dried
1/2 cup chopped, peeled hazelnuts
1/2 cup small-diced black forest ham

1. Preheat oven to 450ºF. Break off the stem of the squash and cut in half from top to bottom with a heavy knife. Remove the seeds and cut each half into 4 wedges.
2. In a large sauté pan melt the butter on high heat until bubbly, add the squash and move pan around to lightly brown. After 2 minutes, place in oven and cook for 5 minutes. Remove from oven, flip the squash and return to oven to finish cooking, about 8 to 12 minutes.
3. Remove from oven, drizzle with syrup, sprinkle with coriander, and return to oven for 1 minute. Transfer to a plate and set aside.
4. Place hazelnuts in a sauté pan, place in oven and toast until lightly browned, about 3 to 5 minutes.
5. Place vinegar in a bowl and whisk in oil, season. In another bowl, mix together the parsley, nuts, and ham, toss with the vinaigrette.
6. Arrange 2 wedges of the squash per plate, on their side, creating an oval. Place salad in the center and serve.