Autumn Indulgence

The Soho Charcuterie and Restaurant (formerly at 195 Spring St. in lower Manhattan) published a cookbook two years before they closed the doors of their bright, polished eatery in 1985 (see NYT restaurant review dated May 9, 1980).  Their Soho Charcuterie Cookbook is one of my most prized volumes, as it commemorates a time when French classics including pates, creme fraiche, simple salads and casseroles were being Americanized left and right and touted as "gourmet".  The book contains reliable and elegant recipes, one of which I am about to revisit.  This time I'll use roasted homegrown pumpkin.  See "Pumpkin Cheesecake" under my recipes page.