A few years ago, our globe-trotting gourmet friends, Laurel and Harry, returned from Florence raving about a particular meal. The primi and secondi piatti were outstanding in their own right, but the dessert was an epiphany—an incredible, edible forest.

As they explained it, they were served a plate that looked like a ceramic sculpture of an enchanted forest. But every tree, blade of grass, flora and fauna were made of cake, cookies, bread pudding or other dessert.

The pastry chef subsequently left to achieve fame on Italian food TV, but we have always dreamed of that dessert.

While it would take amazing technique to reproduce it, we did come across this sylvan yet approachable steak tartare from the gifted chefs at David Burke Fromagerie.

 
Then, enjoy your edible art.

One of the nice things about fall is that food producers launch limited-edition pumpkin flavors, from yogurt to tortilla chips.

Every morning, we’ve been enjoying this pumpkin yogurt from Siggi’s. If you can’t find pumpkin yogurt in the store, just make your own:

 
After you’ve mixed the pumpkin yogurt, there are quite a few things to do with the rest of the canned pumpkin.

Seasonal treat: pumpkin yogurt. Photo by
Elvira Kalviste | THE NIBBLE.

*Botanically, squash group members are fruits—the seeds are carried inside. There’s the difference between fruits and vegetables.

If you only think of canned pumpkin as filling for a pie, you’ve got much to discover. If you like it enough for pie, you’ll like pumpkin in other recipes as well.

Transfer leftover canned pumpkin to an airtight container and keep it in the fridge to use in everyday dishes—or buy a can just for this purpose. Add two tablespoons to 1/2 cup to everyday recipes.

Be sure to use pure pumpkin, not pumpkin pie filling, which has added sugar and spices.

You can make the recipes sweet with some brown sugar or maple syrup, or savory with thyme and/or sage. Add pumpkin pie spices—allspice, clove, cinnamon and/or nutmeg—as you wish to sweet or savory recipes.

 
Let us know your favorite pumpkin recipe.
 
*Mix 1/2 cup of pumpkin into softened cream cheese, with 2 tablespoons brown sugar or maple syrup, 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract and a pinch of salt. You can substantially reduce or omit the sugar or use a noncaloric sugar substitute.
 
†Combine in a sauce pan: 1/2 cup pumpkin with 1 cup heavy cream, 1/4 cup quality Parmesan and a chiffonade of fresh sage (about 16 leaves, cut into thin strips). Season with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon fresh-ground pepper. Simmer until thickened, stir in 1 tablespoon unsalted butter and serve.

Sure, cupcakes are the rage; but what happens when you buy a dozen or two for entertaining?

You pay a lot of money!

The first time you bake a batch instead of buying them, you’ll save enough money to pay for two cupcake/muffin tins to make 24 cupcakes. This nonstick cupcake/muffin pan from Wilton has a snap-on cover, so you can store or transport the cupcakes without messing up the frosting.*

You can also pick up sports-themed cupcake liners, in football or baseball.

This recipe, from Kraft, can be adapted for football or baseball season. I takes just 20 minutes of prep time and the decorating is easy (the toughest part is keeping your hand steady to pike the stitching).

Take me out to the ball game, or at least to in front of the TV. Change the decorating colors for football season. Photo courtesy Kraft.

RECIPE: FOOTBALL OR BASEBALL CUPCAKES

Ingredients For 24 Cupcakes

1. HEAT oven to 350°F.

2. PREPARE cake batter and bake as directed on package to make 24 cupcakes. Cool cupcakes in their for pans 10 minutes; remove to wire racks and cool completely.

3. PLACE nonpareils in small bowl. Spread frosting onto cupcakes; dip tops, 1 at a time, in nonpareils.

4. USE decorating gel to decorate cupcakes to resemble baseballs (two rows of red stitching, as shown in photo) or footballs (one row of white stitching).

The normal size (spice jar) of nonpareils is four ounces and can cost $4.00 or more. But go to a baking supply store, and you can buy them in bulk for much less.

If you don’t have a local retail source, just buy them on Amazon.com:

A pound is just $4.95. Choose your color via the drop down menu on the page.

In addition to all the basic colors, you can choose fall mix (orange, red, yellow); Christmas mix (red, white, green); Valentine mix (pink, red, white); St. Patrick’s mix (green and white); spring mix (pink, purple, white, yellow); summer mix (yellow and orange); and July 4th mix (red, white blue mix).

Gallo Family Vineyards has launched a fun and interactive microsite offers that lets you create, share and download personalized family crests—or crests for other groups, from your foodie friends to book club.

At CrestCreator.com, you’ll find 17 different family crest templates that be customized with 300 icons in fashion, food and drink, hobbies, nature, sports and other categories.

Add your group name and motto, and you’re set! There is no charge.

The designs can be shared digitally via Facebook and Twitter from CrestCreator.com, and downloaded for family events.

You can also head immediately to Zazzle.com, to print your crest on objects from mugs and tee shirts to postage and iPhone cases. (You pay for what you buy. Gallo is generous, but not that generous.)

Then, surprise the family with family crest place cards for Thanksgiving.

And check out the Gallo Family wines. With turkey, we like the Pinot Noir.

Try a pumpkin chocolate chip cookie for harvest season, and make it a healthier one.

This recipe uses whole grain spelt flour instead of refined white flour; and if you want a lactose-free cookie, you can substitute coconut oil for the butter.

You can also use the pumpkin and pumpkin pie spices in your own chocolate chip cookie recipe, and fall back on refined white sugar instead of the better-for-you maple sugar.

(You can’t simply substitute white flour for the spelt flour in a recipe. The proportions of all base ingredients—eggs, sugar, etc.—can change when spelt flour is used.)

If you do purchase maple sugar, it’s also delicious on hot and cold cereal.

The recipe from the Shiloh Farms blog was created by health coach Stephanie Torres.

RECIPE: PUMPKIN CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

Ingredients For About 3 Dozen Cookies

Preparation

1. PREHEAT oven to 350°F. Lightly grease baking sheets or line with baking parchment paper.

2. COMBINE combine flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl.

3. BEAT together sugar and butter in a large mixing bowl until well blended. Beat in pumpkin, egg, spices and vanilla until smooth. Gradually beat in flour mixture until well blended. Fold in chocolate chips and optional nuts.

4. DROP large tablespoons of dough onto prepared cookie sheets and bake for 15-18 minutes, until edges are firm and beginning to brown. Remove from oven, allow to set for 2 minutes and transfer to a cooling rack.

Spelt is an ancient grain that fell out of favor in the U.S. because it is more difficult to process. It is a non-hybrid, distant relative of modern wheat. While spelt contains gluten, many people with wheat allergies can tolerate spelt.*

If you passed a field of it, you’d think it was wheat. But spelt’s genetic makeup and nutrition profile are different from wheat. It is a whole grain, and has high water solubility, making it easy to digest (the nutrients are easily absorbed by the body). “It digests like a vegetable,” says Shiloh Farms, a producer of fine grains.

Spelt Nutrition

Spelt is an excellent fiber source, and is significantly higher than wheat in B vitamins, simple and complex carbohydrates. The complex carbohydrates are an important factor in blood clotting and they stimulate the body’s immune system. The nutrients contribute to lower risk of cardiovascular disease and type II diabetes.

Like whole wheat, spelt has a slight nutty flavor. We prefer the richer, more complex flavor of spelt in bread and crackers.

 
*Over the years, modern wheat has been continuously hybridized to make it easier to grow and harvest, and to increase yields. The need for commercial bakeries for high gluten flour producers to maintain a high gluten content in white flour. Today’s spelt, however, retains many of its original traits, including high nutrition and flavor. It is equally easy for home bakers to use in breads and pastries.