Paul Lynch is chef of FireLake Grill House & Cocktail Bar in downtown Minneapolis, which puts a premium on Midwestern-raised ingredients. Here are his takes on . . .

The local apple harvest: “Minnesota apples are so unique and they run such a fabulous spectrum of flavors which gives me, a chef, a great amount of inspiration. When taking a bite out of a local apple, you get a real taste of the North Country. From the crisp and tart Haralson apples which have a superior texture to the famous state apple, the Honeycrisp, the apples found in and around Minneapolis are unrivaled in their richness and diversity of flavor. I feel apple pies are made best with a blend of three apples: an eating apple, a cooking apple and a tart apple. For these three, I prefer a Regent, McIntosh and Haralson apple. The local apple season begins in late August, flows through September and reaches its peak in the beginning of October, giving you a three month flow of fresh apples, many of which like the Haralson and Honeycrisp have fantastic storing qualities which grant you a wealth of great local apples well into the
following year.”

A favorite dish on his current menu: “The definitive dish of FireLake Grill House & Cocktail Bar is the honey-cured Duroc pork chop, which is a pecan smoked, double-cut chop with maple-glazed yam and apples. This dish really captures the spirit of Heartland cuisine which is at the core of the restaurant’s philosophy. This is in particular a great delight this time of year with apple season reaching a crescendo. In the fall months, we focus on the slow roasting rotisserie and hickory wood flavorings that the rotisserie offers us. At FireLake, we stoke the rotisserie with flavorful ducks, fresh Minnesota lamb, chickens and pheasants. During each lazy pass on the rotisserie, the meat gently licks the flame allowing the hickory to develop its identifiable sweet and nutty flavor that deepens upon each rotation. This leads to stand out dishes including the hickory smoked rotisserie half duck. We pair the wild game along with a unique wild rice, the definitive Midwestern grain, which has flavor bursts of spice and cloves to give diners a rich culinary experience that showcases the best of Heartland cooking.”

APPLE PIE WITH WHOLE GRAIN PASTRY CRUST
Serves 10.
Note: From Paul Lynch of FireLake Grill House & Cocktail Bar in Minneapolis. “My daughter is a Girl Scout, and when my wife asked me, I jumped at the chance to teach her troop how to bake an apple pie,” Lynch said. “I wanted to show the girls that America’s iconic desert can be both delicious and healthy, by using a whole grain crust and far less sugar. The key to making an unbelievable apple pie is to use a mixture of three different apples. I recommend using locally grown Haralson apples, which have a superior tart flavor and texture: the classic McIntosh and a sweet Honeycrisp. At the end of the baking session, six out of eight girls went up to me telling me it was the best pie they’ve ever tasted. Not a bad review!”

For crust:
1 c. whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 c. oat flour
1/2 c. all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. salt
3/4 c. cold shortening or unsalted butter
8 tbsp. cold water
2 tbsp. freshly squeezed orange juice
For filling:
8 apples (a mix of tart, sauce and sweet)
2 tsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/4 c. brown sugar
1/4 c. granulated sugar
1/4 c. Splenda
2 tbsp. all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tps. ground nutmeg
Pinch of ground allspice

Directions
To prepare crust: In a medium bowl, stir together whole wheat flour, oat flour, all-purpose flour and salt. Using a pastry cutter or two knives, cut shortening into the flour until it resembles coarse crumbs. Sprinkle water and orange juice a little at a time into the pastry until it is moist enough to hold together. Divide into two balls (one a little larger than the other), wrap in plastic and refrigerate for 1 hour.
To prepare pie: Preheat oven to 425 degrees. On a lightly floured work surface and using a lightly floured rolling pin, roll out dough into a circle large enough to provide a 1-inch overhang on pie plate. Peel, core and slice apples. In a large bowl, toss apples with lemon juice. Add brown sugar, granulated sugar, Splenda, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice and toss to coat. Transfer apples to pie shell, piling high in middle of pan. Top pie with other crust, crimp edges and, using a sharp paring knife, cut a few vents in middle of crust. Bake until crust is golden and filling is bubbly in center, 45 to 50 minutes. Remove from oven, transfer to a wire rack and cool. Serve warm or at room temperature.

I’m on vacation this week, but I’m going to do my best to post a casserole recipe every day.

I’m a big fan of Cook’s Country magazine, which is produced by the folks behind Cooks Illustrated magazine. Why? The recipes are familiar, easy to follow and work like a charm. Now the magazine has published a collection of its recipes into a great-looking book, just in time for that classics-oriented cook on your holiday gift-giving list.

CHICKEN, BROCCOLI AND ZITI CASSEROLE
Serves 8.
Note: From “The Cook’s Country Cookbook” by the editors at America’s Test Kitchen (America’s Test Kitchen, $34.95).

4 slices hearty white sandwich bread, torn into large pieces, divided
8 garlic cloves, minced, divided
2 1/2 c. grated Asiago cheese, divided
5 tbsp. unsalted butter, divided
Salt
1 lb. ziti
1 onion, minced
1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes
1/4 c. all-purpose flour
1/2 c. white wine
3 c. whole milk
2 c. low-sodium chicken broth
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 1 1/2 lbs.), cut crosswise into 1/4-inch slices
3/4 lb. broccoli florets, cut into 1-inch pieces
Freshly ground pepper, to taste

Directions
In a microwave oven, melt 2 tablespoons butter. In a food processor fitted with a metal blade, pulse together bread, 2 of the minced garlic cloves, 1/2 c. of Asiago cheese and melted butter until ground to coarse crumbs. Set aside. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Bring 4 quarts water to a boil in a large pot over high heat. Add 1 tablespoon salt and ziti to boiling water and cook until nearly al dente. Drain in a colander and rinse under cold water until cool. Set aside. Wipe pot dry. Return pot to medium heat and melt remaining butter. Cook onion until softened, about 5 minutes. Add remaining garlic and red pepper flakes and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in flour and cook until golden, about 1 minute. Slowly whisk in wine and cook until liquid is almost evaporated, about 1 minute. Slowly whisk in milk and broth and bring to a boil. Add chicken and simmer until no longer pink, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in remaining Asiago until melted. In a microwave-safe bowl, cook broccoli, covered, on high power, until bright green and nearly tender, 2 to 4 minutes. Stir cooked broccoli and drained ziti into pot and season with salt and pepper to taste. Transfer mixture to a 9 x 13-inch baking dish. Sprinkle top with bread crumb mixture and bake until sacue is bubbling around the edges and topping is golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes. Remove from oven, transfer to a wire rack and cool 5 minutes before serving.

I’m on vacation this week, but I’m going to do my best to post a casserole recipe every day.

This is the kind of cookbook that a time-pressed parent should have on hand. The recipes are uncomplicated, and most of them are designed to feed a crowd.

BROCCOLI MAC
Serves 6 to 7.
Note: From “Casserole Crazy” by Emily Farris (Home, $15.95).

Butter for pan
1 lb. cavatelli pasta
2 to 3 tbsp. olive oil
2 large white onions, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 c. baby portobello mushrooms, chopped
2 tbsp. butter
1 tbsp. flour
1 c. milk
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
1/2 lb. sharp cheddar cheese, cubed
1 c. grated Parmesan cheese, divided
3 c. broccoli florets, lightly steamed
1/4 lb. Guyere, cubed
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Generously butter bottom and sides of a 9 x 13 baking dish and set aside. In a large pot of salted boiling water, cook cavatelli to just under al dente. Drain and reserve. In a large skillet over medium heat, warm olive oil and saute onions until they become translucent. Add garlic and mushrooms and saute another 3 to 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Reserve. In bottom of same pot you cooked pasta, melt butter over medium heat. Add flour and stir to combine. Add milk, cayenne pepper, cheddar and half of Parmesan. When cheeses begin to melt, add onion mixture and broccoli then stir to combine. Slowly add pasta, mixing until all noodles are coated. Add Gruyere, salt and pepper to taste and transfer mixture to prepared baking dish. Sprinkle with remaining Parmesan and bake, uncovered, for 45 mintues or until bubbly and brown around the edges. Remove from oven, transfer to a wire rack and let dish rest for 10 minutes before serving.

With all the eggplant stacking up at farmers market stands, I thought of this recipe, a favorite in our household. It’s a showstopper. It feeds a crowd and still leaves leftovers (which, in true hot-dish style, taste even better the next day). Don’t let the long - really long - list of ingredients throw you; it’s not as difficult as it looks, although making it the first time can seem a bit daunting. Persevere, you’ll be glad you did.

EGGPLANT WRAPPED MOUSSAKA
Serves 6 to 8.
Note: From “The New Basics Cookbook” by Julee Rosso and Sheila Lukins (Workman, $29.95). To prepare acorn squash, preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cut squash into halves or quarters, scoop out any strings or seeds and place, cut side down, in a baking dish. Bake until tender, at least 45 minutes. Remove from oven and cool completely.

Butter for baking pans
2 tsp. ground cumin
2 tsp. ground ginger
2 tsp. paprika
2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
1/3 c. flour
1 3/4 tsp. salt, divided
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1/4 c. milk
1 large eggplant (about 1 1/2 lbs.), cut into 1/4-inch thick slices
2 tbsp. olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1/3 c. sliced almonds (with skins)
1 1/2 lb. ground lamb
1 16.-oz can crushed tomatoes
1 c. beef stock
1/2 c. finely chopped dried apricots
1/3 c. dried currants
3 tbsp. freshly chopped mint
1 acorn squash (about 1 lb.), halved, seeded and cooked until soft
1/2 c. cooked white rice
2 tsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 1/3 c. Minted Yogurt Sauce (see recipe below)

Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly butter a 10-inch round, 2-inch deep casserole (preferably glass) and line two baking sheets with parchment paper. In a small bowl, combine cumin, ginger, paprika, cinnamon and cayenne and blend thoroughly. In a shallow bowl, combine flour, 1 1/3 tablespoons of spice mixture, 1 teaspoon salt and pepper and mix well. Pour milk into another shallow bowl. Dip each eggplant slice first in milk, letting any excess drip off, and then in flour mixture, pressing lightly so it is evenly coated. Shake off any excess flour and arrange slices in a single layer on prepared baking sheets. Bake until soft, about 30 minutes (there may still be traces of flour on eggplant). Remove eggplant from oven. Meanwhile, in a large skillet over medium heat, warm olive oil. Stir in onion and almonds, cooking until onions are soft and almonds are toasted, 8 to 10 minutes. Increase heat slightly, add ground lamb and cook, stirring and breaking up meat, until browned, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and pour off all but 2 tablespoons of fat from skillet. Return to heat, stir in remaining spice mixture and cook 1 minute. Stir in tomatoes, beef stock, apricots, currants and mint. Scoop flesh of cooked squash into mixture in chunks and discard peels. Stir in rice, lemon juice and remaining 3/4 teaspoon salt. Remove skillet from heat. Arrange a layer of cooked eggplant on bottom and up sides of prepared casserole. Fill with lamb mixture and top with remaining cooked eggplant. Cover with aluminum foil and bake 1 hour. Remove casserole from oven and allow it stand, still covered, for 15 minutes. Uncover, invert onto a serving platter, cut into wedges and serve with Minted Yogurt Sauce.

MINTED YOGURT SAUCE
Makes 1 1/2 cups.
Note: From “The New Basics Cookbook.”
1 1/4 c. plain low-fat yogurt
1/4 c. freshly chopped mint
1 tbsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/4 tsp. salt
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Directions
In a medium bowl, combine yogurt, mint, lemon juice, salt and pepper and stir until smooth. Refrigerate, covered, until ready to serve.

Lisa Carlson has been having an extremely busy year. Not only does she run the kitchen at Spoonriver in downtown Minneapolis, but she and business partner Carrie Summer (pastry chef at Wayzata Eatery, Alaska Eatery & Glacier Bar, Nordeast Eatery and Forepaugh’s) are the creative forces behind the Chef Shack, the gleaming white truck that runs out all manner of delicious street fare, including pulled pork sandwiches, beef tongue tacos and cardamom-dusted mini-doughnuts. Find it Saturday mornings at the Mill City Farmers Market.

Chef Shack proprietors Lisa Carlson (left) and Carrie Summer.

Here are Carlson’s takes on . . .

Cucumbers: “This is a spin off of an old recipe my mother use to make for me in the height of summer, with cucumbers from the garden, fresh dill, mint, sliced onions and white vinegar. It’s very cool and refreshing. It can be served as a side dish or it is wonderful with salmon or any other fish just off the grill.”

A favorite dish at the Chef Shack: “The cheese curds are off the hook! Carrie has embraced the fryer and is now doing a tempura batter-fried cheese curd with onion rings and a jalapeno popper. The pulled pork nachos are a big hit with fresh corn salsa, avocados, queso fresco and black beans. We fry the chips, make the corn salsa with corn from Nistler Farms [in Maple Plain, Minn.] and pulled pork from Fischer Farms [in Waseca, Minn.]. Also a butter pecan milk shake with a triple-chocolate cookie garnish. Yummy! We are really becoming carnies!”

CUCUMBER “NOODLE” SALAD
Serves 4.
Note: From Lisa Carlson of Spoonriver and the Chef Shack. “It’s super easy, tasty and very sexy,” she said.

3 large cucumbers, peeled
1/2 medium onion
3 tsp. creme fraiche or sour cream
2 tbsp. course-grain mustard
1 tbsp. olive oil
2 tsp. white balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 tbsp. fresh chopped dill
2 tbsp. freshly chopped mint
2 tsp. sugar
Salt and freshly ground white pepper to taste

Directions
To prepare “noodles”: Using a Japanese mandoline, slice cucumber from top to bottom, creating long noodle-like shapes. Slice until you hit seeds, then turn cucumber a quarter turn and continue to slice until all you have left is center of cucumber with all its seeds. Transfer cucumber “noodles” into a large bowl. Cut onions on mandolin into paper-thin slices, add to cucumbers and reserve.
To prepare dressing: In a small bowl, whisk together creme fraiche (or sour cream) and mustard. Whisk in olive oil in a steady stream, then whisk in vinegar, lemon juice, dill, mint and sugar. Add dressing to cucumber “noodles” and onion and toss gently. Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve.

Here’s the news from the farm:

“We got our first frost yesterday morning,” writes farmer Mike Noreen. “I’m happy to say that the tomatoes and some other items survived, but I think this is the end of the summer squash and cucumbers. The leaves of the plants have a rather defeated look to them. We picked many of the tomatoes Monday night [for Thursday’s delivery], just in case. I don’t know what it was that felt different. I’ve left things to chance on many a protected 40-degree nights. But it proved to be a valid intuition. We walked out early to frozen leaves and a powered-sugar field. This is just the beginning of some colder mornings as we bundle ourselves up more and more each progressive dawn.

“A party in a box. This week you have [the comments are Mike’s]:

1. Tomatoes: for some reason the frost spared many of the tomatoes, so it may not be the last.

2. Cucumbers: Definitely the last. They got hit hard.

3. Onions: The first of the storage type.

4. Summer squash: This is probably the last of the summer squash. Just a little bit until next year.

5. Broccoli: I hope you like.

6. Sweet corn: This is the last succession for the year. Enjoy!

7. Carrots

8. Broccoli raab: This is the bunched green. More on this to follow.

9. Spinach.

10. Arugula: It’s holey because of the flea beetles, but still good.

11. Thyme: Never enough, just a little.

“So, for those who got beets this week, be sure to use the greens. They are too pretty for the compost. Saute them, quiche them, or simply steam them and serve as a side with a little lemon juice and butter. Next week should see some more carrots, broccoli, radishes and if we are spared, some more tomatoes.”

Here’s the bummer: Mike is hosting a picnic for his CSA-ers at the farm on Sept. 21st, and I’m going to miss it because I’ll be on vacation. It sounds like a good time, too: Smokey Meadows Farm in Grantsburg, Wis. is supplying the organic, grass-fed beef for burgers, and everyone is asked to bring a dish to share. (One sigh of relief: there will be volleyball, and I don’t have to humiliate myself by playing a sport involving a ball).

Here’s what I’d make if I were going. It’s my fallback you-need-to-take-something-to-a-party dish: Brownies. They’re fantastic, and incredibly easy to make. I can’t think of an occasion where I hauled these babies along and someone didn’t ask me for the recipe. They’re that good, with a crisp outer shell, a super-fudge-ey interior and tons of nuts. I’ve made them so many times that I’m pounding out this recipe from memory.

PALM BEACH BROWNIES
Makes about 24 brownies.
Note: This recipe must be prepared in advance. Adapted from “Maida Heatter’s Book of Great Desserts” by Maida Heatter (Andrews McMeel, $29.95). Sometimes I omit the espresso powder, sometimes I add an extra teaspoon of vanilla extract, sometimes I add more walnuts and sometimes I use 4 oz. unsweetened chocolate and 4 oz. bittersweet chocolate; it always works out fine. Great, even. Use the best butter and chocolate you can find; I like to use Minnesota-made PastureLand butter (available at most natural foods co-ops) and Scharffen Berger chocolate.

8 oz. unsweetened chocolate
1 c. (2 sticks) unsalted butter, plus 2 extra tbsp. for pan
2 c. walnuts, roughly chopped
5 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. almond extract
1/4 tsp. salt
1 tbsp. plus 1 tsp. powdered instant espresso
3 3/4 c. sugar
1 2/3 c. flour

Directions
Adjust rack one-third up from bottom of oven and preheat oven to 400 degrees. Invert a 9×13-inch pan so bottom is facing up. Cut a piece of aluminum foil that is roughly 16 inches long. Turn it shiny side down and carefully mold aluminum foil over bottom of pan to make a lining. Lift lining off pan, invert pan and place lining, now shiny side up, in pan, carefully smoothing foil to fill pan. Put 2 tablespoons butter in pan, place pan in oven for 60 seconds (until butter melts), remove pan and evenly brush melted butter across aluminum foil. In a double boiler over gently simmering water, melt chocolate and butter and stir until smooth. When combined, remove from heat and set aside. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer on low speed, combine eggs, vanilla extract, almond extract, salt, espresso powder, sugar and flour and mix until combined, about 1 minute. Increase speed to medium-high and mix for 10 minutes. Reduce speed to low, add chocolate-butter mixture and mix just until combined, scraping sides and bottom of bowl. Stir in walnuts. Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for 32 minutes, turning pan once during baking. Brownies should have a firm crust, with a few cracks (you may even smell a little burning, and that’s OK, the bottom and sides can - and should be - slightly singed - but an inserted toothpick will appear moist. Remove from oven and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Invert brownies, carefully remove foil and wrap uncut brownies in waxed paper and plastic wrap. Freeze at least three hours or overnight. Thaw at least one hour before serving. When ready to serve, trim edges (saving for you to eat later, they’re the best part) and cut brownies into squares.