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Ingredients: 3 ounces vegetable broth 2 ounces fresh spinach, chopped 2 ounces artichoke hearts, chopped 2 ounces roasted red peppers, chopped 2 clove garlic, chopped 2 1/2 ounces cream cheese, cubed 2 1/2 ounces Fontina cheese, shredded 1 tablespoon parmesan, shredded 1-2 teaspoons flour Method: Heat vegetable broth in fondue pot or saucepan on the stove over medium heat. When hot add spinach, artichoke hearts, peppers and garlic. In a bowl, toss cream cheese and fontina in a light coating of flour. Add a little bit at a time to spinach/artichoke mixture, stirring constantly until you reach your desired consistency. Top with Parmesan cheese. Serve with french bread pieces, tortilla chips and vegetables.

Ingredients: · 3 tablespoons cornstarch · 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice · 2 cups dry white wine · 1 garlic clove, halved · 1 pound Gruyere, shredded · 1 pound Emmenthaler swiss, shredded · 1 tablespoon kirsch · 1 teaspoon dry mustard · 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg Method: 1. In a bowl, toss the shredded cheese with the cornstarch to coat. 2. Rub the inside of the fondue pot with the cut garlic clove and discard the garlic. (make sure your fondue pot is stovetop safe. If not, do the next steps in a stovetop safe pot). Add the wine and lemon juice and bring to a gentle simmer. 3. Reduce the heat to low and add the cheese in handfuls, whisking constantly, until each addition is melted until adding more and the fondue is smooth, about 5 minutes. Stir in the kirsch or cognac, mustard and nutmeg. Place on heated fondue base. 4. Serve with pieces of crusty bread, veggies, endive, apple, apricots, dates, root veggie chips, sliced salumi, etc. 5. Enjoy!

Ingredients: • ½ cup sugar • 2 Tbsp. cornstarch • ¼ tsp. salt • 2 cups half-and-half cream • 2 egg yolks beaten • 1 Tbsp. butter • 1 ¼ tsp. almond extract • Cubed brownies, cake, miniature waffles and/or cream filled chocolate sandwich cookies Method: 1. In a large, heavy saucepan, combine sugar, cornstarch and salt. Stir in cream until smooth. Cook and stir over medium-high heat until thickened and bubbly. Reduce heat; cook and stir 2 minutes longer. 2. Remove from the heat. Stir a small amount of hot mixture into egg yolks; return all to the pan, stirring constantly. Bring to a gentle boil; cook and stir 2 minutes longer. Remove from the heat; stir in the butter and extract. Keep warm. Serve with brownies, cake, miniature waffles and/or cream filled chocolate sandwich cookies.

Did you know that February is National Fondue Month? We're not sure why, but we sure are happy to celebrate it with a molten pot of cheese and some long forks! Back in December we taught a fondue class that was so much fun. If you put your fondue pot back in the closet after the holidays to gather dust for a year, here's your reason to pull it out and have a fondue party. With the chill in the air it's the perfect time! Fondue can also be a romantic dinner for Valentine's Day, with little prep and quick cooking times. And with Valentine's falling on a Thursday this year (it's on the 14th, for those who may need a reminder...) it's a great after work meal that you can throw together. Because really, who wants to go out for sub-par service, high prices and quick table turns on a night that you're supposed to be spending with your loved one! Cook up some fondue and stay in for the night. But there are a few things to remember. Not all fondue pots are created equal. If you're planning on using oil or broth and serving meats, make sure to purchase a metal or electric fondue pot. You'll need higher heat to get the oil and broth to the right temperatures and therefore need a metal pot. The electric ones are also great because you can set the temperature and it will hold it for you, no worries about the heat dropping. My personal favorite? The Cuisinart Electric Fondue Pot. (Again, no compensation has been provided for my recommendations. Just a little insider knowledge from someone who wants you to have the very best quality products at the best prices!) Now if we're talking cheese and chocolate, that's a whole different story. If you are using a non-electric pot you'll want a ceramic or cast iron base. These items need lower heat so that they don't do that whole "breaking" thing that we're always talking about. If you use an electric pot, they usually have a lower heat setting that can also handle chocolate or cheese. So, now you have the right fondue pot. Let's get cooking. But, first...Know Your: Fondues & Don'ts! Serve yourself to fondue like a pro! Did you know that there is an etiquette to eating this shared dish? Learn how to eat fondue with Swiss precision. Here are a few things to keep in mind: While there are usually a bounty of items, it is traditional to start off with the bread. AND it makes a great foundation if you’re enjoying wine with your fondue. Don’t eat off of your fondue fork.Use it to dip, then slide the food off onto your plate and eat it with your assigned table utensils.No one likes a double-dipper! Use the fondue fork or dipping utensil.Don’t dunk right into the fondue – no one wants that! Twirl, Twirl, Twirl!Once you pull your item out of the fondue pot, rotate your fork to remove drips and stringing cheese.It will help keep the table tidy.And more cheese in the fondue pot. Keep the top of your fondue from getting a skin by making a figure eight when you dip.That way it’ll stay looking nice and fresh.It’s also considered bad etiquette to swirl counter-clockwise. Think “Swiss clock” to avoid this un-couth swirl. Don’t be shy – scrape that burnt cheese off the bottom of the pot!Called "la religieuse," the shards of crisped cheese have a toasty crunch and are considered a delicacy. Don't drink anything but these 3 beverages: Sip only white wine, kirsch, or a tisane of herbal tea with your fondue meal. According to Swiss lore, any other drink—be it water, juice, or beer—will cause the melted cheese to coagulate and form a giant ball in your stomach, leaving you with debilitating indigestion. Yes, it sounds silly, but do you really want to risk it? Don't follow cheese fondue with chocolate fondue: A meal of Switzerland's two most famous food exports seems like an obvious progression, but the two together might send you directly into a cholesterol coma. Instead, end your meal with fresh pineapple: The fruit's acidity is a bright counterpoint to the creamy cheese, while its enzymes help you digest more quickly. And finally…THE PLEDGE! Did you commit the most sacrilegious of all fondue faux pas and drop something in the pot? Tradition says that if a lady loses her dipper she must kiss all the men at the table. Men – did you drop something? Now you have to buy the table a bottle of wine! Updated fondue lore now says that the dropper must now do something determined by the table – chicken dance, sing a little ditty, give your partner a kiss, it’s up to the table! So give those avocado green and shag orange fondue pots a dust off, they've been neglected long enough! Fondue is back!!

This month we'll kick off a new blog post on the last week of every month...Ask Cortney. We know you have questions about how we do things, why we do them we the way we do, etc. In this format we can take some time to fully explain the how's and why's, the science and art and the details that help you have those A-HA moments! That's what we are always looking for, that moment when it all clicks. So now we can take more time to explain than we can take in class. We can expound on the pieces that help make it all come together in one magical moment - A-HA!! So this month we're kicking off this new series with a question from Stacy, which came from my Salt blog last week: Cortney, I use kosher salt for almost everything now except baking. I’m still using iodized salt. ☹️ Your blog mentions that there’s a difference in salinity of certain salts and I think that must be true for me when I try to use kosher salt for baking, because if I use kosher or Diamond sea salt for baked goods, it comes out tasting too salty to me. I’m afraid to add less salt because I don’t want to mess up the whole process of the leavening reactions because it’s already hard enough to get that figured out for high altitude. What salt (and how course/fine etc.) do you recommend for baking? This was such a great question that I decided it needed an entire blog post. We never really talk about how salt is used in baking and why it's just as an essential ingredient in baking as in savory applications. And it is. In fact, I sit here writing this blog surrounded by baking books for reference. In the opening they always list essential ingredients, and you know what? Salt is rarely mentioned. And even if it is, it's buried back in pages 600-800. Flours & Starches, Sugars & Sweeteners, Dairy Products, Leaveners, Cocoa & Chocolate, Nuts & Nut Products, Dried & Candied Fruits...no mention of the critical ingredient - SALT! I found one mention of the yeast/salt relationship in my treasured Joy of Cooking, but it was just one sentence. The quick answer to Stacy's question is that I prefer to use fine kosher salt in baking. And my preference is Diamond Crystal. Why? So, remember that aluminum anti-caking agent that we talked about last week (If you missed it, CLICK HERE)? Morton's ALSO uses it on their Kosher salt. Diamond Crystal does not. Plus, Morton's is almost twice as salty as Diamond Crystal. Mainly because their salt crystals are formed in two very different processes and when you are measuring you end up with more Morton's by weight. By volume a cup of Diamond Crystal weighs about 5 ounces, while a cup of Morton's weighs about 8 ounces. And that iodized table salt? A whopping 10 ounces. I suggest the fine because it helps level the playing field when you are measuring. It's more comparable to table salt. And personal preference also comes into play. Sometimes our palates dictate whether to use more or less salt. Go ahead - make it your own! As for leavening, salt does help control the leavening agent. Which is very important at our altitude. It can help control slower rising, which helps make a good structured baked good here at 6,035 feet. But a little less or more isn't likely to throw off your whole recipe. I would suggest not adjusting more than 1/4 teaspoon less/more from your recipe and see how it does. This will mainly come into play when you're using yeast, which helps level out the rise. I hope that helps answer your question, Stacy! If you have a question that you would like to ask please email me at csmith@gatherfoodstudio.com. I look forward to seeing what you cook up for me! Happy Cooking!

There are a few topics that I can go on and on..and on about. Pressure cooking, preserved lemons, potato starches, vanilla and SALT! Salt. So simple, yet so complex. And confusing. I can't count the number of times that salt has come up in a class - and I need a whole 'nother class for that! Prepare yourselves, we're about to get a little salty. Not many topics get me all worked up like salt. Salt in it's natural form contains minerals that are good for us. Seawater (and consequently, salt) contains virtually every element in the earth’s crust. Nine of the top ten elements in our bodies are among the top eleven elements in the sea. Get ready for a mini rant. I'm already all worked up! So what do the major salt producers of iodized table salt do to it? They strip off the minerals and run it through a cleaning (read: bleaching) process to make it look more white. Therefore it must be more clean, right? NO! Then they add iodine and sometimes aluminum-based anti-caking agents as well as corn syrup to cut the bitterness of the iodine. WHAT???!!! They do WHAT??!! Seriously guys, this gets me MAD. To a pure element that was perfectly good to start with. In fact, it was BETTER to start with. Ok, I admit. At one point and time we needed the iodine. But at what price? Also, they make perfectly good iodine tablets available at any major grocery store or health food store. So please, for the love of all things holy, if you have processed, iodized table salt in your cupboard make it your last. Go ahead, use it up. You know I hate waste. But move into other better salts. You can get them in the spice isle of your local grocery. Ok, moving on from my rant. But I am really passionate about salt. Ridiculously so. Salt is born of the purest of parents: the sun and the sea.” - Pythagoras Let's dive into the history of salt. Historians disagree over when and where salt curing was discovered, but there is evidence that salt preservation has been practiced since before the last ice age – some 12,000 years ago by Neanderthals. Salt was often used as currency throughout history. The word “salary” comes from payment by salt as wages. And taxes from salt were even used to fund the Great Wall of China! Then comes along the Industrial Revolution. Anything machine processed was automatically considered "better" and it saved labor, money and increased production. So salt become a processed mineral. The industrial revolution almost destroyed family owned artisanal salt producers. The current trend in food awareness over the past 40 years is helping to revitalize these small salt producers. "There may be those who seek not gold, yet there never lived a man who desires not salt." -Secretary to the Ostrogothic King of Italy (528 CE) But what is salt and where does it come from? Did you know that ALL salt originates in the sea? Therefore ALL salt is sea salt? No matter what type. And out of all of those salts, there are two main types: rock and evaporative. Rock salts are mined from depositories in the earth while evaporative salts are crystallized from saltwater. Easily stated, sea salt come from the sea while rock salts like Himalayan Pink Salt and come from depositories deep in the earth. Here are two videos that I love that show how these two types of salt are harvested: How Sea Salt is Harvested How Himalayan Salt is Harvested “The cure for anything is salt water – sweat, tears or the sea.” – Isac Dinesen So, let's talk about salt and health for a minute. Salt has gotten a bad rep over the past 20ish years. And I will point out - I am NOT a doctor, nor do I claim to be suggesting that you do what I say for your health. However, your body cannot survive without salt. Ideally, we would get all the salt we need from natural, whole foods. There are only two ways to get enough salt in your diet to survive: eat animal flesh and eat some salt. At present, Americans consume between 4,000 and 5,000 milligrams of sodium per day, 77% of which come from processed foods and restaurants. If we stopped eating restaurant and processed food and doubled the amount of other foods we ate, we’d eat about half the amount of salt that we do today. So what I am suggesting is to get rid of the processed salts that have little benefit, switch over to natural salts which will provide you with minerals and DRAMATICALLY cut down on your processed food intake. I would also suggest that if your doctor is suggesting for you to cut down your salt intake that you do just that. But also be informed and ask them if they mean all salts or certain salts and exactly to what level. That way you will have a frame of reference of how to manage your salt intake. Remember, not all salts are made equal. No two salts are EVER the same. Salinity, minerality, humidity and more can change the profile of salt. Salt is unique, continually changing based on our world. There are seven classes of artisan salts: fleur de sel, sel gris, traditional, flake, shio, rock and unconventional. “Modified” salt is defined by the above classes after they are altered. For a quick reference, here are the salts broken up into categories as defined by Mark Bitterman in the book "Salted" : Fleur de Sel: Solar harvested from open saline water, using rakes to pull the fine crystals from the surface of the pans. Has highly irregular crystals that contain a considerable amount of moisture. Great for: Finishing salt, cooking salt for specialty dishes. Some make good all-purpose cooking salts. Sel Gris: Same process as Fleur de Sel, however, the brine of the sel gris is allowed to contact the clay in the bottoms of the pan, which is what makes it gray. This provides a deeper minerality. Great for: Finishing salt for meats or hearty plates. Pro tip: Because of the clay and moisture content, sel gris will not absorb moisture away from your food and it great for slow cooked dishes to help retain moisture. Traditional: Catch-all category for solar and fire evaporated salt made periodically or seasonally. Harvesting may include using large plows to drawn across a salt pan or simple scooping with on hand tools. Great for: Finishing salt and great all-purpose cooking salt. Flake: Solar or evaporated with pyramidal, flake or layered parchment like crystals. Great for: Fresh vegetables or salads. Shio: Seawater evaporated over a fire, in a greenhouse or other ways, then crystallized over fire to form exceptionally fine granular crystals. Great for: Any dish where the food is front and center – this salt will not add extra flavor or texture. Rock salt: Mined from the earth in any size. This type of salt is used for the popular cooking blocks of salt. Great for: Any use. If texture is desired, leave in larger crystals. If dissolving is desired, grind very fine and it will dissolve. Unconventional: Salt that falls out of the above criteria. May be made using high tech processes and/or include salt with unusual or artificially formed crystals. Modified Salt: A sub-classification for any class of salt that is altered in some way after it’s creation, such as smoking, infusing, blending or roasting. Let there be work, bread, water and, salt for all.” – Nelson Mandela I hope this blog helped answer some questions you may have about salt. Think of it as an important ingredient as you start using salt in new and inventive ways. Much of my information came from the book "Salted" by Mark Bitterman. If you loved this blog I would suggest checking out his book!

Ingredients: For the Ricotta (make ahead): · 2 quarts whole milk · 1 cup heavy cream · ½ teaspoon salt · 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice For the Flatbread: · ¾ cup shelled peas · 1 tablespoon olive oil · ¾ cup cup fresh mozzarella, drained well and sliced · ¾ cup cup whole milk ricotta · Quarter of a preserved lemon, seeded and sliced thin · ½ cup mint leaves, torn · flaky salt and freshly cracked black pepper · 3-4 ounces prosciutto · 1 pre-made flatbread crust Method: Read the recipe. Did you read it? Read it again…Season as you go – always tasting along the way and adding salt & pepper, as needed, to every layer. For the Ricotta: 1. Line a large sieve with a layer of cheesecloth and place it over a large bowl. 2. Slowly bring milk, cream, and salt to a rolling boil in a large pot over medium heat, stirring occasionally to prevent scorching. 3. Add lemon juice, then reduce heat to low and simmer, stirring constantly, until the mixture curdles, about 2 minutes. 4. Pour the mixture into the lined sieve and let it drain 1 hour. 5. After discarding the liquid, chill the ricotta, covered; it will keep in the refrigerator 2 days. For the Flatbread: 1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees, with pizza stone pre-heating if desired. 2. Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat until it shimmers. Add the peas and cook briefly, shuffling the pan a few times, until they’re bright green and crisp-tender, a minute or two. Remove to a bowl and let cool. 3. Place the flatbread on a piece of parchment paper and top with the mozzarella, ricotta, peas, prosciutto and lemon. (Press the peas into the cheese so they won’t roll off in the next step!) 4. Using a pizza peel or flat pan, transfer the flatbread to the oven. Cook for 20 minutes, or until done. 5. Sprinkle with finishing salt and freshly ground pepper. Enjoy!

Ingredients: For the Butterscotch: · 1 cups brown sugar · 1/3cup cornstarch · 3/4 teaspoon salt · 3 cups whole milk · 4 large egg yolks · 2 tablespoons butter For the tart crust: · 1 ½ cups Chocolate Graham Cracker Crumbs · 2 tablespoons light brown sugar · 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon · 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt · 1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted For the Coconut Porter Syrup: · 1 Bottle Coconut Porter · ¼ – ½ cup sugar (depending on sugar content in beer) · 1 cup unsweetened, flaked coconut For the Smoked Whipped Cream: · ½ cup heavy whipping cream · Wood chips Garnish: · Finishing Salt Method: 1. Make the smoked whipped cream. Soak wood chips for 30 minutes in water. Place the un-whipped cream in a metal bowl. Heat a pan on the grill. Add wood chips and a bit of oil until you see smoke. Add a layer of aluminum foil over the wood chips, prick medium sized holes for smoke to get through. When smoking, add bowl of cream on top of aluminum foil, wrap tightly with aluminum foil, turn off heat and let smoke for 10 minutes. Chill for 1-2 hours. 2. In a medium saucepan, gently whisk together the sugar, cornstarch and salt. Pour in the milk and egg yolks; whisk to combine and stir the together over medium heat. Continue to whisk... it will look like not much is happening for 3 to 4 minutes... but soon it will be bubbling away! Cook, stirring, while the mixture thickens. Once it seems like it has a nice, thick texture for pudding- pull it off the heat and stir in the butter. Let chill for 2 hours. 3. While the pudding is chilling, make tart shells. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. With a food processor pulse graham crackers until the texture of crumbs. Add the sugar, cinnamon, salt and butter and pulse until combined. Place into mini tart pans push down firmly with your fingers or a tamper so the crust is even and well-packed. Bake 10-12 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool and let set in the refrigerator. 4. While the tart shells are cooling, make your coconut porter syrup by placing beer, sugar and coconut flakes into a medium saucepan. Make sure your pan is large enough to accommodate the beer foam that will rise as it cooks. Bring to a boil, turn to medium and reduce until it becomes a syrup. Drain through a sieve and chill syrup until ready to use. Pour coconut onto a baking sheet and bake until brown (until it turns into a brittle like consistency). Reserve. Whip cream until peaks form. 5. To assemble tarts: Place butterscotch pudding into a pastry bag fitted with a large round tip. Pipe pudding into tart shells. Place the whipped cream into a pastry bag with a star tip. Pipe onto top of tart. Carefully drizzle syrup over the top of the tart, then lightly sprinkle with finishing salt and coconut brittle.

For the Dark Chocolate Panna Cotta: Ingredients * ½ C. whole milk * 1 ½ C. heavy cream * 1/3 C. sugar * 9 ounces dark chocolate, melted * 1 tsp. vanilla * 1.5 gelatin sheet, bloomed Method: 1. Bloom gelatin sheets in ice water. 2. Combine the cream, milk, sugar, melted chocolate, and vanilla in a saucepan and bring to 110 degrees (just over body temperature). 3. Squeeze out excess water out of gelatin sheets and stir into the cream mixture. Strain. Pour into serving containers and refrigerate until set, about 4 hours. For the Salted Caramel Panna Cotta: Ingredients * 1/3 C. whole milk * 1 ½ C. heavy cream * ½ C. sugar * 1 tsp. vanilla * 3 gelatin sheets, bloomed Method: 1. Bloom gelatin sheets in ice water. 2. Combine the cream, milk, and vanilla. Microwave for 30 seconds. 3. In a saucepan, combine the sugar with 2 T. water. Melt the sugar until it turns a dark amber color – do not stir! 4. Gently add the cream mixture to the sugar and stir well. Be careful for the steam release when you are adding the cream into the sugar. When the cream mixture is stirred in, squeeze all of the water out of the gelatin sheets and add to the mixture. Stir well. 5. Strain and pour into serving containers. Refrigerate until use. Before serving, top with smoked sea salt. For the Brandied Cherries: Ingredients * ½ C. sugar * 2 T. water * 1 C. cherry juice, reserved from jar * 1 ½ C. brandy * 1 jar morello cherries, drained Method 1. Combine the sugar the water in a saucepan and caramelize over medium heat to a dark amber color. Slowly add the cherry juice and stir well. Reduce until the cherry juice is syrupy. 2. Take off the heat, and add the brandy. Place the cherries in a sterilized jar and pour the hot brandy sugar mixture over it. Let macerate for 6 weeks. Will keep refrigerated for 1 year.

Ingredients: 1 1/3 c. warm milk 1 c. warm water 2 packages or (4.5 tsp or .5 oz) active dry yeast 2 T. barley malt syrup, or brown sugar 6.5 c. bread flour 1 stick (1/2 c.) cold salted butter 1T. salt 20 c. water 1 ¼ c. baking soda Method: In a large mixing bowl, dissolve the yeast with the syrup (or sugar) with the warm milk and water.  Let sit for 10-15 minutes before continuing. In the bowl of a mixer, add the flour, salt, and butter.  Break up the butter with your fingers until well combined.  Make a hole in the middle of the flour and pour the yeast mixture in when ready. Using a dough hook attachment, mix the dough together until a soft ball forms.  Knead on medium speed for 6 minutes or until smooth.  * If the dough seems too much for the mixer, move to a counter top and knead by hand for 6-8 minutes or until a smooth dough forms. When the dough is smooth and balled up, place it in a large bowl (large enough to cover the rise) and cover the top of the dough with a thin coating of olive oil.  Place a towel over the bowl and put it in a warm place in your kitchen for an hour so it can rise.  Let dough double in size. When the dough has risen, place it on a large work surface, and punch out the air.  Shape it into a rectangle and cut 12 equal pieces of dough.  Stretch and roll out each piece of dough to around 30 inches, tapering the dough toward the end.  Twist the dough around to form the pretzel shape and place the formed pretzels on a baking sheet sprayed with non stick spray.  Do not overcrowd the tray.  When all of your pretzels have been trayed up, place uncovered in the refrigerator for at least 15 minutes to rest. While the pretzels are resting in the refrigerator, prepare your baking soda bath.  Boil the 20 cups of water in a NON ALUMINUM POT.  Make sure the pot is large enough to leave 3 inches of water from the top of the pot.  When the water is boiling, slowly add the baking soda, in batches.  When the baking soda is added, it will bubble up quickly, so be sure not to add it all at once.  When all of the baking soda has been added and stirred in and dissolved, start adding your pretzels to boil, 1 at a time. *Make sure you add the pretzel in top side down first.  Set a 30 second timer, and drop a pretzel in the boiling water.  When the timer goes off, reset it for 30 more seconds and flip the pretzel over gently so it can boil on the other side.  When the pretzel is finished, gently remove it from the water and pat it on a dry towel to remove any water from the bottom.  Place the pretzel back on the baking tray and sprinkle with coarse or pretzel salt.  Repeat this process until the first tray of pretzels are finished. Place the pretzels in a preheated 450 degree oven.  Set a timer for 8 minutes.  When the timer goes off, rotate the tray 180 degrees and bake for 8 more minutes.  Remove the pretzels and enjoy while fresh out of the oven!

Ingredients: 1 kabocha squash (or sweet, tender fleshed squash) 2 cinnamon sticks 5 allspice berries 2 star anise pinch of salt pinch of freshly ground black pepper 6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) butter, melted 2 cups cashew milk 2 cups coconut milk 1 tablespoon chopped peeled fresh ginger ½ vanilla bean or ½ teaspoon ground vanilla ¼ cup orange juice grated zest of 1 orange Fig balsamic to serve (you can also use fig jam) Instructions Preheat the oven to 425°. In a large bowl, toss squash, whole spices, salt, and pepper with the melted butter until well coated. Pour onto a large baking sheet, arrange in a single layer, and bake until tender, about 45 minutes. Let cool. While the vegetables roast, combine the cashew milk, coconut milk and ginger in a small, heavy saucepan. Scrape the seeds of the vanilla bean into the mixture and add the vanilla bean as well. Bring to boil, then immediately remove from the heat, and let cool; remove the vanilla bean. Place the squash, spices and pan drippings into a food processor or blender. Process until smooth. Add the milk mixture, orange juice, and zest; pulse until the mixture is just smooth and uniform. To serve, pour the soup into soup bowls and drizzle with fig balsamic.

Ingredients: · ½ pound bacon, cut into 1” pieces · 1 yellow onion, diced · 2 stalks celery,diced · 1-2 jalapenos, diced · 2 cloves garlic, minced · 1 teaspoon thyme, chopped · 2 tablespoons butter · ¼ cup flour · 1 bottle beer (your choice) · 2 cups chicken stock · 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard · 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce · ½ cup heavy cream · 2 cups cheddar, shredded · Cayenne, salt & pepper to taste Directions: 1. Cook the bacon in a skillet over medium heat and drain on paper towels, reserving 2 tablespoons of bacon drippings. 2. Add the onion, celery and jalapeno to the skillet and cook until tender, approx. 10 minutes. 3. Add the garlic and thyme and cook until fragrant, approx. 1 minute. 4. Add the butter until melted, then add flour to create a blonde roux. 5. Add the ale and deglaze, then add chicken broth. Add bacon and cook for 10 minutes. 6. Add the mustard, Worcestershire sauce, cream and cream. Heat over low until warmed. 7. Add cheese in batches, until incorporated into the soup. 8. Season with cayenne, salt and pepper to taste and enjoy!