It’s comfort cooking season: Recipes for the start of fall

For what feels like the first time in recent memory, it’s September in L.A. and it’s ... not hot? Dare I say it feels like fall? It’s been a discombobulating mind game but one that I welcome — the cool snap in the air in the morning and at night is my favorite part of any time of year here, but particularly when the calendar tells us it’s supposed to feel that way. And though there will be some heat waves here and there to come, I’m enjoying the overall cool weather we’re having now.

It’s kick-started my desire for fall comfort cooking in all its guises. Lots of baked goods in the morning for breakfast and comforting porridges and stews for dinner. It’s also grape season, which is my favorite time of the year because it so perfectly captures that “is it summer, or is it fall?” sensibility in fruit form. And tomorrow is also the day I’ve been waiting an entire year for: Yom Kippur. I wrote about my semi-disastrous contributions to my friend’s break-the-fast table last year, but I spent the past 12 months working on this year’s ideal dessert: an “Extra-Crumb” Kokosh Cake inspired by the one made by Stern’s Bakery in New York. I’ll be baking those off today, and if you’re looking for a great treat to break the fast, I hope you’ll make it too and tell me what you think.

My fridge is loaded with six varieties of grapes right now — some thick-skinned, super-sweet Japanese mini-globe-like jewels; pounds of Thomcords; and some good ol’ table grapes. I plan to roast some, make jam with some, and pickle others. If you’ve got Thomcords too (and you should seek them out if you don’t), I’d be remiss if I didn’t urge you to make two recipes that make the most of their sweet-tart flavor.

The first is this fun Thomcord Grape Sheet Tart inspired by a grape Pop-Tart. The grapes are cooked down until jammy, then spread between two giant sheets of pie dough and baked until crisp and buttery. The icing that goes on top isn’t necessary, but I haven’t seen anyone yet reject its whimsy.

The other is a Thomcord Grape and Corn Cake that pairs the sweet-tart grapes with sweet-earthy corn in the form of cornmeal. The cake is an upside-down one, baking a simple cornbread-like batter atop a bed of glistening, purple gems. Both this cake and the tart are my idea of the perfect breakfast food with coffee, but of course, they also make great desserts for those of you who like your sweets after dinner.

And with all those baking plans set for the rest of the week, I’m keeping my savory meals pretty simple. The magnetic Bricia Lopez blessed us with her recipe for Black Bean and Oaxacan Cheese Memelas, and that looks like my lunch plans for the week. Homemade memelas — “essentially a thicker tortilla that we pinch around,” says Lopez — are spread with aciento, a fatty blend of chicharron and roasted garlic, then layered with refried black beans, Oaxacan cheese and a toasty-tart salsa made of morita and guajillo chiles and tomatillos. I can’t imagine a better blend of flavors in one bite.

And for dinners, I’m making a big pot of my Polenta With Parmesan and Thyme. It’s essentially, for me anyway, a big pot of cheese grits, my preferred comfort food when life gets too hectic and busy. I cook up a pot and have a little while it’s hot with some grilled sausages or a pile of cooked escarole or Swiss chard. The rest of the week, I heat up bowlfuls to have with whatever I can scrounge up from the fridge to make eating easy while focusing on all the cozy and comforting baking projects I love to make for these next few months.

“Extra-Crumb” Kokosh Cake

Tender dough, a pleasantly bitter cocoa filling and lots of crunchy crumbs on top make up this kokosh, the old-school Hungarian Jewish precursor to the modern babka. Serve it as a sweet treat or dessert for breaking the Yom Kippur fast or for breakfast or an afternoon snack anytime with a cup of coffee or tea.
Get the recipe.
Cook time: 2½ hour.s

(Katrina Frederick / For The Times)

Thomcord Grape Sheet Tart

This giant grape toaster pastry is ideal for breakfast but is also wonderful served warm and topped with vanilla ice cream as a dessert for a crowd. To warm up individual pieces, use a toaster oven — not an upright toaster or else the filling and glaze will run — to gently warm the pastry before serving.
Get the recipe.
Cook time: 2½ hours.

(Ben Mims / Los Angeles Times)

Thomcord Grape and Corn Cake

This simple cake has sweet corn flavor and a layer of jammy, bright Thomcord grapes. The key to this cake’s texture is soaking the cornmeal in the wet ingredients, which allows it to fully cook during baking so there’s no unpleasant grainy texture.
Get the recipe.
Cook time: 2 hours.

(Katrina Frederick / For The Times)

Black Bean and Oaxacan Cheese Memelas

These memelas are enriched with aciento on top, black beans pureed with avocado leaves and then refried, Oaxaca cheese and a red salsa. Served warm, straight from the pan, they’re delicious breakfast food.
Get the recipe.
Cook time: 1½ hours.

(Cody Long / Los Angeles Times)

Polenta With Parmesan and Thyme

Polenta and grits are basically the same thing, save some insignificant details about size and color. The thyme perfumes the broth, and a little butter and Parmesan rounds out the lean corn.
Get the recipe.
Cook time: 45 minutes.

(Dylan + Jeni / For the Times)