An Autumn Picnic

Enjoy the outdoors while you still can with a simple, portable menu.

Every fall around this time, New Englanders descend on pick-your-own apple orchards in droves, and I'm right in the middle of the pack. I adore the whole ritual from beginning to end - donning a sweater I haven't seen since spring, driving to the country, reaching for those perfect apples on high branches, carting the fruit home for baking.

Bringing along a picnic to enjoy in the orchard extends the fun, as long as the food is easy to pack, transport, and eat. A hearty white-bean puree for scooping with chips or vegetables fills the bill on all counts, as do muffin-tin quiches that can be transported in the baking dish. Since you'll have some apples on hand, why not slice a few and, for dessert, dunk them in a sweet, spiced caramel - really just a simple but firm caramel sauce, so it will behave like a dip.

INDIVIDUAL HAM-CRUSTED QUICHES WITH LEEK AND SMOKED CHEESE
MAKES 12 INDIVIDUAL QUICHES

You'll need a 12-cup muffin tin; if your pan is nonstick, then don't bother oiling it. Make sure to buy low-sodium ham, otherwise the quiches will be too salty.

Vegetable oil, for greasing tin
24 slices (about 3/4 pound) low-sodium deli ham
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 small leek, white and light green parts cleaned and finely chopped (about 1 cup)
1 small red bell pepper, cored, seeded, and finely chopped (about 2/3 cup)
Salt and black pepper
2 eggs plus 1 yolk
1 1/3 cups half-and-half
6 ounces smoked Gouda, grated (about 2 1/2 cups)

Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly oil the muffin tin cups and fit 2 slices of ham into each, making sure that the ends extend well over the edges of the cups. Bake until the ham cups dry out and shrink a little, about 12 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a small skillet set over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the leek, bell pepper, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and black pepper to taste, stir to coat with the butter, and cook, stirring frequently, until the vegetables are softened, 5 to 6 minutes. Scrape the leek and peppers into a medium bowl and cool to room temperature. Add the eggs, yolk, half-and-half, and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper and whisk to beat the eggs and incorporate all the ingredients. Add the grated cheese and whisk to combine.

Divide the custard mixture among the muffin cups (use your fingers to hold the ham crusts open, if necessary). Bake until just set and slightly puff y, about 15 minutes. Place the muffin tin on a wire rack, cool to room temperature, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate. To transport the quiches, keep them in the muffin tin. Use a soup spoon to carefully remove them from muffin cups, and serve at room temperature.

WHITE-BEAN PUREE WITH LEMON AND SAGE
MAKES ABOUT 3 CUPS

If the puree is too thick for your taste, add 1 or 2 tablespoons of hot water. Sweet-potato or root-vegetable chips are great for dipping.

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
1 small onion, finely chopped
3 medium garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon finely grated zest and 3 tablespoons juice from 1 lemon
2 15.5-ounce cans white, navy, or cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
1 1/2 tablespoons minced
fresh sage
Salt and pepper

In a medium skillet set over medium heat, heat the oil until shimmering. Add the onion, stir to coat, and cook until softened, about 4 minutes. Add the garlic and lemon zest, stir to mix, and cook until fragrant, about 45 seconds. Off heat, cool the onion and garlic mixture for a few moments.

In a food processor, place the beans, onion-garlic mixture, lemon juice, sage, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and pepper to taste and puree well, stopping as necessary to scrape down the sides of the bowl with a flexible spatula.

Transfer the puree to a bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let stand to meld flavors, about 30 minutes. Remove wrap, drizzle with olive oil, and serve at room temperature.

SPICED CARAMEL DIP
MAKES ABOUT 2 CUPS

When you add the cream to the molten sugar, it will bubble dramatically, and you need a pot large enough so it doesn't spill over; please don't substitute a smaller one. Also, choose a pot with a heavy bottom so the sugar will cook evenly. You can occasionally swirl the pan gently while the sugar cooks, but don't stir it. When it begins to darken, pay close attention, because it can turn from beautiful deep amber to burnt in an instant. You can use 1 1/2 teaspoons of apple or pumpkin pie spice in place of the individual spices, if you like, but don't forget the salt.

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon freshly
grated nutmeg
Salt
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

In a small bowl, mix the cinnamon, ginger, cloves, nutmeg, and 1/8 teaspoon salt and set spice mixture aside. Pour 1/2 cup of water into a heavy bottomed 3-quart saucepan, then pour the sugar into the center of the water; don't let any sugar touch the sides of the pan, or your caramel may crystallize. Set the pan over medium-high heat, cover, and bring mixture to a boil. Remove the cover and continue boiling, without stirring, until the syrup is a light amber color (syrup should register 300 degrees on a candy or an instant-read thermometer), 7 to 9 minutes. Reduce heat to medium and continue cooking, without stirring, until deep amber (syrup should register about 340 degrees on the thermometer, and you may see wisps of smoke), about 2 minutes longer. Meanwhile, in a small saucepan over medium-high heat, bring the cream to a simmer (set aside off heat and cover to keep warm if it simmers before the sugar reaches dark amber).

With the syrup off heat and with great care, pour about a quarter of the hot cream into the syrup. It will bubble violently; let bubbling subside. Add remaining cream, and again let bubbling subside. Add the butter, vanilla, and spice mixture and whisk gently until the caramel is smooth and uniform. Cool to room temperature. Transfer to a container with a tight-fitting lid, cover, and refrigerate (it keeps for up to a month). Serve at room temperature.

Send comments or suggestions to Adam Ried at cooking@globe.com.