(Note: Please forgive the oh-so-amateurish photo here. Just when I thought I was getting better…)

Here’s a menu that celebrates some of my favorite tastes of autumn — roasted poultry, wild mushrooms, toasted pecans, rich red wine. If a post-dinner sweet is needed, try a sort of deconstructed truffle, by offering small dishes of dark chocolate, roasted almonds and candied orange peel alongside a bottle of tawny Port.

For the salad, simply dress fresh baby spinach leaves with kosher salt, freshly ground black pepper and good quality extra virgin olive oil. Toast pecans in a small dry skillet, then chop. Add to spinach along with crumbled fresh goat cheese. Toss and serve.

Menu
Roasted Cornish Game Hens with Garlic and Oregano
Herbed Wild Mushrooms
Spinach Salad with Toasted Pecans and Chevre

Wine Pairing: I served this meal alongside a deliciously supple Australian Shiraz, but you could easily serve your favorite Pinot Noir, Merlot (right bank Bordeaux would be lovely), or super Tuscan.

Recipe: Roasted Cornish Game Hens with Garlic and Oregano
Serves 4

4 Cornish game hens
kosher salt and black pepper to taste
1 lemon, quartered
4 sprigs fresh oregano
3 tablespoons olive oil
8 cloves garlic
1/3 cup white wine
1/3 cup chicken broth

Preheat oven to 450F. Rub hens with 1 Tablespoon of the olive oil, then lightly season each with kosher salt and pepper. Place 1 lemon quarter and 1 sprig oregano in the cavity of each hen. Arrange in a roasting pan (use two pans, if necessary, to avoid over-crowding the hens). Roast 25 minutes.

Reduce oven temperature to 350F. In a small bowl, whisk together the wine, broth and remaining 2 Tablespoons of olive oil, and pour mixture over hens. Continue roasting another 25 minutes, or until hens are golden brown and juices run clear, basting with pan juices every 10 minutes.

Remove hens to a platter and allow to rest at least 10 minutes before serving. Serve with pan juices spooned over hens.

Recipe: Herbed Wild Mushrooms
Serves 4

1 1/3 pound assorted, fresh wild mushrooms (shiitakes, chanterelles, hen of the woods, etc.)
1 1/3 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 shallots, coarsely chopped
1 large garlic clove, coarsely chopped
3/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 cup chopped Italian parsley
1 1/2 Tablespoons unsalted butter
zest of 1 lemon
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Trim and clean mushrooms by wiping with a damp paper towel or brushing with a soft mushroom brush — do not rinse with water or mushrooms will become spongy. Roughly cut into 1/2-inch pieces. Set aside.

Heat olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-low heat. Add shallots, garlic and oregano and cook, stirring, about 3 minutes or until shallots are slightly softened. Increase heat to medium high and add mushrooms. Cover and cook 5 minutes, until mushrooms are softened.

Add parsley, butter and lemon zest. Cook, stirring, until mushrooms give off some of their liquid, about 5 minutes. Season with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper (don’t be shy with the pepper!), to taste.