Consciously plant-based food for more sustainability
Plant-based diets are increasingly being chosen as a conscious choice for sustainability reasons. As well as cutting out meat, taste is also an important consideration: despite the focus on plant-based ingredients, diners can expect new, authentic and delicious flavours and textures without compromise. Autumn cooking, with seasonal dishes focusing on ingredients such as pumpkin and root vegetables, provides a wonderful basis for creative plant-based dishes. The earthy, sweet flavours of many autumn vegetables work well with fresh herbs and spices.
Culinary highlights with seasonal ingredients
Chefs are taking plant-based autumn cooking to a new level by playing with plants and making bold combinations:
As well as well-known classics, it is worth bringing back forgotten plants such as dandelion, beetroot and cabbage. These rediscovered seasonal ingredients are healthy and offer many interesting flavour components. Combined with modern recipes, they can be used to create innovative autumn dishes that are both visually and tastefully appealing.
SCHÖNWALD's CREATE tableware is ideal for presenting these dishes, as its simple elegance brings out the best in the season's colourful ingredients.
Stars of plant-based autumn cuisine
In autumn, pumpkin is the undisputed star of the plate. As a soup, in a bowl or baked, it gives every dish its typical autumnal flavour. But mushrooms, beetroot, cabbage and root vegetables are also typical autumn vegetables, and their intense flavours and variety of colours make them the ideal basis for a plant-based autumn cuisine. The colour palette of these ingredients harmonises perfectly with the PLAYGROUND SPOT ON range. The natural colours and textures of this tableware range add a rustic, seasonal touch to any dish. The stoneware collection draws attention to the presentation of the food and sets the scene for any style of cooking in an appetising way. And the earthy, warm colours of the PERFECT-MATCH collection give dishes on it a rustic yet modern look.
Trends and ideas for autumn cooking
Every day, the best chefs prove that a sustainable, plant-based diet is not a sacrifice, but an opportunity to experiment with flavours and create surprising moments of pleasure. Autumn cooking has plenty of these in store, for example in the form of plant-based recipes such as:
- Creamy pumpkin soup: a creamy soup made with pureed pumpkin, refined with ginger and coconut milk, which gives it a velvety texture and a slightly exotic flavour.
- Roasted root vegetables: Mixture of turnips, carrots and parsnips seasoned with thyme and rosemary and roasted in the oven to bring out the sweetness of the vegetables.
- Autumn Quinoa Bowl: Quinoa stuffed with baked pumpkin, fresh spinach, pomegranate seeds and a creamy tahini dressing.
- Warm apple crumble cake: A sweet dessert finish of layered apples sprinkled with a mixture of oats, almonds and cinnamon and baked in the oven until golden brown.
- Lentil stew with vegetables: A stew of green lentils, carrots, celery and spices, flavoured with fresh herbs.
- Bowls: Pumpkin, root vegetables and nuts can also be used to make warming, filling bowls.
Modern but understated hard porcelain tableware with clear, elegant shapes (e.g. the DIALOG tableware from BAUSCHER) is ideal for accentuating vegetable dishes such as cream of pumpkin soup, roasted mushrooms or hearty stews.
Plant-based food and autumn cooking make a good match
Plant-based eating is not a passing trend, but a sustainable development that is here to stay. And autumn cuisine offers restaurateurs many opportunities to serve their guests healthy, seasonal dishes that are both tasty and visually appealing. They are also responding to diners' desire for a more conscious, sustainable diet and a move away from meat.
The variety of exciting plant-based autumn dishes, combined with chefs' creative ideas, suggests that plant-based food will continue to play a central role in the catering industry for years to come.
