Roasted brussels sprouts. Particularly with chunks of bacon and maple syrup like the ladies at Little Giant make ‘em.

Posted by Donnell • 26 October 2007, 07:23

i second donnell’s comment, but for me, when i think of a die hard autumn craving (fall is my favorite food season, so this is tough to narrow down), the first thing that comes to mind is fresh doughnuts (you know, the cakey kind, sprinkled with the tiniest bit of fine sugar) with hot apple cider. it’s about more than just what you are eating. . .the context is what gets me. usually it means you are outside in the blustery fall weather, perusing the farmers market and looking to satisfy your next autumn craving . . .or apple picking at the orchards and coming in to get warm/reward yourself for those 42 lbs of apples that you will soon make into apple sauce, apple cake, and apple pie!

Posted by taylor • 26 October 2007, 07:47

fabulous!!

Posted by howard tang • 26 October 2007, 07:59

homemade butternut squash soup, Little Pie Company pumpkin pie, and guilty pleasure…candy corn!

Posted by jennie • 26 October 2007, 08:12

I have to second what Taylor said – “The context is what gets me”. Absolutely. Hot Apple Cider (with or without caramel) on a crisp fall day is wonderful. I have so many more autumn food & beverage cravings, but I will only mention 1 or 2 more: homemade pumpkin pie in a graham cracker crust (that’s one of my baking specialties); I also love rosemary mashed potatoes and roasted autumn vegetables from the farmers’ market

Posted by Casey • 26 October 2007, 08:12

my favorite autumn craving is red wine

Posted by Peter • 26 October 2007, 08:26

I absolutely love fresh apple cider donuts from The Apple House in Linden, VA-perfect for the fall.

Posted by Maureen • 26 October 2007, 08:36

My big fall craving is pumpkin cheesecake with ginger snap crust. It’s rich, a bit spicy and tastes like what autumn leaves look like!

Posted by Lena • 26 October 2007, 08:45

The minute fall hits I want two things…together: Caramel & Apples. Any other time of the year I have no desire for either as I have permanent retainers on my the back of my upper and lower teeth so sticky things like caramel are general no-nos and fruits like apples I have to cut up to eat. But the onset of fall trumps all of these “difficulties” and anything that combines these two flavors quickly disappears when I’m around.

Posted by T. Martin • 26 October 2007, 08:57

I second the candy corn…as I ate an entire bag last Sat night and felt joy over the arrival of autumn. My deepest and fondest autumn craving is the pumpkin (and all of it’s various culinary forms). I experimented in the kitchen and created the pumpkin croquet with spice and a touch of gruyere-outstanding and will be venturing to create the pumpkin roll with a cinammon cream filling, topped with caramel.
From savory to sweets, it’s orangy flesh…captures the change in season perfectly.

Posted by catherine • 26 October 2007, 09:03

Boneless pork chops slow cooked with apples, squash, sweet onions and fall spices (cinnamon, nutmeg).

And for dessert, apple cider donuts from Lake Side Farms in Upstate NY! They are perfectly cakey, moist and dusted with super-fine sugar crystals.

Posted by Stephanie • 26 October 2007, 09:05

Hot o-shiruko: azuki bean soup, either smooth or bumpy, with shiratamako (rice flour cakes). Perfect on a cool fall day, or for that matter, perfect throughout the cold weather season.

Posted by Nancy • 26 October 2007, 09:07

Sweet potato pie

Posted by Kari • 26 October 2007, 09:26

Fresh pumpkin seeds, toasted with salt. Now that I read about the Kimono Collection chocolates, I’m thinking shichimi togarashi would be awesome on pumpkin seeds too….

Posted by Laurie • 26 October 2007, 09:30

Hot apple cidar from Ozzie’s in Park Slope.

Posted by Eric • 26 October 2007, 09:32

The simple act of turning on the oven again after a long hot summer of salads and quick pastas on the stove top. Roasted butternut squash with a little garam masala. Heartier cheeses with red wine. Crisp apples.

Posted by Karin Schall • 26 October 2007, 09:39

PUMPKIN AND CHESTNUTS!

Posted by Jenny • 26 October 2007, 09:50

The taste of anything pumpkin really gets me going in autumn. I especially crave some traditional Korean pumpkin porridge with mochi balls that my grandmother used to make for me.

Posted by Peter K. • 26 October 2007, 10:07

Home made bread and anything cooked for hours in my crock pot. In the fall I think its the act of cooking as much as the taste that’s comforting.

Posted by spoolia • 26 October 2007, 10:16

While all of these suggestions are tasty, you can’t sway me away from a warm apple pie with a flaky pastry crust, with a large scoop of real vanilla (Breyers?) ice cream melting on top of it, making a creamy pool of cinnamon and thick apple juice. Heaven!

Posted by Claire • 26 October 2007, 10:44

My mother’s apple walnut cake super-chunked with Cortlands and dolloped with whipped cream, preferably at her kitchen table with a cup of coffee after sunny Saturday of yardwork.

Posted by Jenn • 26 October 2007, 10:59

Slow-simmered oxtail soup served with finely minced spring onions, freshly grated black pepper, red Korean-style pepper, and salt, the oxtail dipped in a soy-sauce vinegar sauce mixture and served with freshly made rice and kimchee on the side. Great for warming up or recovering from a cold!

Posted by malou • 26 October 2007, 11:41

autumn, winter, summer, spring – chocolat modern 5 pack bistro bars! I love them any time of the year. I am a huge fan. I just bought 50 halloween boxes to spread the halloween cheer to friends and family

Posted by terry, SeductionMeals • 26 October 2007, 12:28

Tarte tatin: french upside-down apple tart. It’s like a cross between a deep dish apple pie (without the top crust) and an apple crisp. The apples don’t get mushy and the sugar from the apples caramelizes. So good when it is served hot with a little creme fraiche.

Posted by Adrienne • 26 October 2007, 13:22

pumpkins/cinnamon/turdunkin/and memories of things past!!!!

Posted by tony • 26 October 2007, 13:23

Oh, do I wish I could enter this contest!! Well, I can enter, but can’t win because I can’t pick it up as I live in Minneapolis.

It starts with Pumpkin Spice Lattes from Starbucks the last week in August, and then keeps going through Thanksgiving with pumpkin truffles from Godiva, roasted root vegetables, butternut squash soup, and something my family called Pumpkin Custard, which is individual custard dishes filled with pumpkin pie, without the crust—my grandma always made it for us, year round, when we’d travel to visit her.

As children, my brother and I would sneak a peak into the refrigerator to check for Pumpkin Custard at our earliest opportunity (without seeming rude). It was served cold, so I can’t take my pumpkin pie hot ever as a result, and a bit of heaven. I’m glad my husband makes it for me every so often!

Posted by skywaykate • 26 October 2007, 14:12

Sorry I’m so late, just enjoying some of those autumn flavors today with a special friend. It’s all about the harvest, friends and braising. Oh, braised lamb shank covered with boletus mushrooms must be at the top of my list. The smells of that first true rain, the morning frost or warmest blanket you can find in the house…now that’s autumn. A craving doesn’t always have to be food!! Right? It’s finding something you love that can bring you back to a time, especially if the time is autumn= food or not.

Posted by william • 26 October 2007, 17:33

My father was a bird hunter, so doves cooked in an iron pot with red wine, salt and pepper, served with wild rice and brussel sprouts eaten in front of the fireplace with the dogs sleeping…makes me nostalgic! My dad is 81 but still manages to bring home the birds. He freezes them and I raid the stash and bring them back to NYC.

Posted by rebecca • 30 October 2007, 11:43