Seeing Summer Out: A Grown-Up Dinner

After a summer filled with lazy back-yard barbecues, it’s time to move indoors for grown-up food and good conversation.

Giving a small dinner party need not be complicated or difficult. This early-fall meal highlights the season in a particularly appealing way. The pasta dish is hearty but not at all rich, and it can be cooked ahead, except for the final reheating in the skillet.

A crisp salad of apple, fennel and toasted walnuts follows the pasta. Crusty bread, an appropriate selection of perfectly ripened cheeses and more wine transforms the salad course into a significant part of the meal. A full-flavored, mild-bodied red wine, slightly chilled (15 to 20 minutes in the refrigerator will do it), is a perfect accompaniment to the pasta, salad and cheese.

Dessert features double-baked caramel pears, served warm under a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Chocolate truffles, served with the coffee, would be the perfect conclusion to this intimate meal.

Bow-tie pasta, which holds up particularly well when it’s cooked in advance, makes a nice presentation on the plate. To cook ahead, remove pasta from the pot just before it is fully tender, drain, rinse under cold running water, drain again, toss with one-half teaspoon oil to keep pasta from sticking together and place in a plastic bag; it can be refrigerated up to two days or frozen. Here, bow ties are enhanced with seasonal fall produce, beef broth and ruby Port wine. It’s a do-ahead up to the final reheating, which takes just a few minutes on top of the stove.

BOW-TIE PASTA WITH PORK, SAVOY CABBAGE AND MUSHROOMS

1 pound pork cutlets

Salt

Freshly ground pepper

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

2 large cloves garlic, minced

1 medium onion, minced

18 large shiitake mushrooms or mix with cultivated mushrooms (about 9 ounces total), stems trimmed, thinly sliced

1/2 large head savoy cabbage, cored and thinly sliced

1 1/3 to 1 2/3 cups beef broth

1/3 cup ruby Port

1/8 teaspoon dried thyme

1/2 teaspoon sugar

8 ounces dried bow-tie pasta, cooked

3 green onions, thinly sliced

Grated Parmesan cheese

Cut pork julienne 1/4-inch thick. Season lightly with salt and pepper.

Heat 1 tablespoon butter in 12-inch non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Add pork and stir-fry until well seared but still rare inside (it will cook more when reheated with pasta), about 2 minutes. Remove with slotted spoon and set aside.

Heat remaining 1 tablespoon butter in pan over medium-high heat. Add garlic, onion and mushrooms. Cook until heated through, about 4 minutes, stirring often. Add cabbage and season to taste with salt. Heat through, about 4 minutes, stirring often. Add 1 1/3 cups beef broth, wine, thyme and sugar. Simmer, covered, until cabbage is just tender, about 10 minutes. (Can be made several hours ahead and kept at room temperature. Refrigerate meat, if preparing in advance.)

To serve, gently reheat cabbage mixture, uncovered, until simmering, about 2 minutes. Add pasta and remaining beef broth as needed to moisten pasta and provide little sauce. Cook until hot, about 3 minutes, stirring often. Add pork meat and cook until desired doneness. Adjust seasonings to taste. Add green onions. Toss to combine. Divide between 4 large heated serving plates. Serve immediately. Pass cheese separately. Makes 4 servings.

The ingredients in this salad make it especially complementary to cheeses. Arrange the salad on a large plate so there is room for the cheese. Place two to three perfectly ripened cheeses on a leaf-covered serving basket or dish covered with green leaves and pass with crusty slices of bread.

FALL SALAD OF APPLES, FENNEL AND WALNUTS

1 medium head fennel

2 small tart red apples, unpeeled

Dressing

10 cups loosely packed mixed greens including watercress, arugula, Boston, Romaine and leaf lettuces, few radicchio leaves

1 to 2 teaspoons Sherry wine vinegar

1/3 cup walnuts, coarsely chopped and toasted

Coarsely ground pepper

Cut fennel in long julienne strips, 1/8-inch thick. Split apples and core. Cut each half into 4 equal slices. Place fennel and apples in bowl and coat with small amount Dressing. (Can be done few hours ahead and refrigerated.)

Wash and drain greens. Tear into bite-size pieces and crisp in refrigerator until ready to serve. Toss greens in large bowl with remaining Dressing. Adjust vinegar and seasonings to taste. Divide greens between 4 large plates. Divide apple and fennel evenly and arrange attractively on greens. Garnish each with walnuts and season to taste with pepper. Serve immediately. Makes 4 servings.

Note : To toast walnuts, spread in single layer on baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees until light brown and fragrant, about 10 minutes, watching carefully.

Dressing

1 medium shallot, minced

1/3 cup light-tasting olive oil

2 tablespoons water

1 tablespoon Sherry wine vinegar

Generous 1/4 teaspoon salt

Generous 1/4 teaspoon sugar

Dash cayenne pepper

Combine shallot, olive oil, water, 1 tablespoon vinegar, salt, sugar and cayenne in food processor or blender. Process to blend. (Can be made 3 days ahead and refrigerated. Let come to room temperature before using.)

Baking reinforces the delicate flavor of pears far better than poaching does. Here, they’re double-baked in a microwave, once to become tender, then to be reheated in a thick sauce made from caramels. Do keep in mind that really good caramels make the difference in this dessert. Serve the pears warm in a shallow soup dish, topped with scoops of vanilla ice cream and some caramel sauce. The rum taste is barely perceptible; it just deepens the caramel flavor. If you want to omit the rum, substitute water.

DOUBLE-BAKED CARAMEL PEARS, VANILLA ICE CREAM

3 large ripe firm Bartlett pears, peeled, split lengthwise, cored with melon baller

2 tablespoons light brown sugar

2 tablespoons dark rum

1/2 teaspoon lemon juice

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

13 (3/4-inch) square caramels

1 teaspoon dark rum

Cooking juices from pears

Vanilla ice cream

Arrange pears, cut side down, in 9-inch pie plate with tops pointing to center. Combine brown sugar, rum, lemon juice and butter in microwaveable dish. Heat on HIGH (100% power) in microwave oven until butter is melted, about 30 seconds. Brush mixture over pears.

Bake at 400 degrees, uncovered, until pears are just tender, about 20 to 25 minutes, depending on ripeness of pears, brushing with pan juices 2 times during baking. Reserve pan juices. (Pears can be baked 1 day ahead, covered and refrigerated. Let come to room temperature before reheating.)

Melt caramels with rum and pan pear juices in deep microwaveable dish on MEDIUM (50% power) in microwave oven, about 1 to 1 1/2 minutes, stirring twice. Watch carefully to avoid scorching (do not boil). Stir caramel until smooth.

Cut pear halves lengthwise into quarters. Pour sauce evenly over pears. Bake, uncovered, at 300 degrees until heated through but not hot, about 12 minutes, spooning caramel over pears once during reheating.

To serve, arrange 3 pear quarters in each shallow soup dish. Top with scoops of ice cream. Spoon caramel sauce over. Serve immediately. Makes 4 servings.