Sinfully delicious

Satisfy your fall-inspired cravings with some perfect dishes courtesy of QVC's resident foodie and best-selling cookbook author David Venable. These yummy drinks, comfort foods and desserts will warm the soul on these cool fall evenings.

Persimmon Tart

Serves 6

Crust & Filling:

2 refrigerated pie crusts

1/2 cup lemon pie filling

1/2 cup vanilla pudding

2 Tbsp butter

1/8 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp sugar

2 persimmons, stems removed and sliced

1/4 cup apricot jelly

Ginger-Vanilla Sauce:

1 cup heavy cream

4 egg yolks

1-1/2 Tbsp sugar

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1/4 tsp ginger powder

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease an 8-inch tart shell pan (including a removable bottom) with nonstick food spray. Set aside.

To prepare the crust and filling, start by laying out one of the pie crusts. Sprinkle the face of the crust with water. Spread the water to evenly moisten the pie crust. Place the second crust on top of the first. With a rolling pin, roll the two crusts together to seal, extending the dough diameter by about 1.5".

Place the crust into the tart pan, gently pressing to conform it to the shape of the pan. Trim away excess dough to form a clean edge. Refrigerate until firm.

Once firm, poke the inside of the pie crust with a fork. Bake until just starting to get color. Remove from the oven and let cool.

In a mixing bowl, stir together the lemon filling and vanilla pudding. Spread inside the baked crust.

Next, melt the butter, then mix in the cinnamon and sugar. Brush this mixture over all of the persimmon slices, plus the top edge of the tart shell. Place the tart into the oven and bake for 30 minutes. Remove and let cool.

Once cooled, melt the apricot jelly and brush over the top of the baked tart. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

To prepare the ginger-vanilla sauce, pour the heavy cream in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring the liquid to a boil, then remove from the heat.

In a mixing bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, sugar, vanilla, and ginger powder. While whisking, slowly drizzle in the hot cream until half of it is in the mixing bowl. Slowly stir the egg mixture back into the remaining heavy cream in the saucepan. Place on medium heat, stirring continually until the mixture begins to thicken and coats the back of a spoon.

Remove from the heat and strain through a sieve if any lumps are present. Refrigerate until cooled.

On individual plates, serve each tart slice overtop the ginger-vanilla sauce.

Apple-Pear Brown Betty

Makes 9 squares

Breadcrumb Base:

4 cups French bread, cubed

4 Tbsp butter, melted

1/4 tsp cinnamon

3 Tbsp light brown sugar

1/4 cup walnuts, chopped

4 Tbsp chunky applesauce

Filling:

4 apples, peeled and sliced

4 pears, peeled and sliced

1/3 cup sugar

1-1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1 tsp lemon juice

3 tsp light brown sugar

Drizzle:

1/2 tsp lemon juice

3 Tbsp molasses

3 Tbsp dark brown sugar

2 Tbsp apple cider

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease an 8" x 8" baking pan with nonstick food spray. Set aside.

To prepare the breadcrumb base, pulse the cubed bread in a food processor until crumbly (pieces do not need to be uniform in size). Stir together the breadcrumbs, melted butter, cinnamon, sugar, walnuts, and applesauce in a mixing bowl. Set aside.

To prepare the filling, toss together the apple and pear slices with the sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, lemon juice, and brown sugar in another mixing bowl.

To begin assembling, start by filling the baking pan with a thin layer of the breadcrumb base, followed by a layer of the apple-pear mixture. Repeat this process again, reserving enough of the breadcrumbs to sprinkle on top as the last layer.

To prepare the drizzle, combine the lemon juice, molasses, brown sugar, and apple cider in a mixing bowl. Drizzle this back and forth across the filled baking pan.

To finish the dessert, place the baking pan in the oven for approximately 30-40 minutes, until the top has browned and the fruit is softened. Let cool on a wire rack until set. Portion and serve.

Pumpkin Spice Latte Thumbprint Cookies

Makes 40-42

Cookie Dough:

2 sticks butter, room temperature

1/4 cup sugar

3/4 cup of brown sugar

2 eggs

2 tsp vanilla

1/2 cup canned pumpkin purée

3-3/4 cups flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp baking powder

3/4 tsp salt

1-1/2 tsp cinnamon, plus more for decorating

1/2 tsp allspice

1/4 tsp cloves

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1/2 tsp ground ginger

Filling:

4 oz cream cheese, room temperature

2 Tbsp butter, room temperature

2 oz white chocolate, melted

1 tsp vanilla

1 cup powdered sugar

Preheat the oven to 350°F. To prepare the cookie dough, use a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and cream together the butter, sugar, and brown sugar. Mix in the eggs, vanilla, and pumpkin until combined.

In a separate mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, allspice, cloves, nutmeg, and ginger. Add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and mix until the dough comes together.

Take a heaping Tbsp of dough, roll it into a small ball, and place on a baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining dough, keeping them about 1" apart on the baking sheet.

Put the baking sheets into the oven and bake for about 20 minutes. Remove from the oven, and while still warm and using the back of a tsp or small melon baller, create a round indentation in the middle of the cookie to hold the filling. Let the cookies cool.

To prepare the filling, use a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and cream together the cream cheese and butter until smooth. While the stand mixer is on low, add the white chocolate, followed by the vanilla and powdered sugar. Mix until smooth. Fill the middle of the cookies with about a 1/2-1 tsp of the prepared filling. Sprinkle each cookie with a pinch of cinnamon and serve.

Apple Mac & Cheese with Caramelized Onions

Serves 10-12

1/2 cup butter

6 cups onion, thinly sliced

3 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and medium dice

5 Tbsp flour

3-1/2 cups milk

1 tsp fresh thyme, chopped

4 cups smoked Gouda, grated

3 cups Muenster cheese, grated and divided

1-1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

1 lb penne, cooked and cooled

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

In a 5-quart sauce pot, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the onions and cook until golden brown and caramelized, about 20-30 minutes. Next, sauté the apples for 1-2 minutes. Stir in the flour until combined.

Pour in the milk. While stirring continuously, let it come up to a slight simmer with the milk thickening. Remove from the heat and add the fresh thyme, Gouda, 1 cup Muenster, salt, and pepper. Stir until the cheese has fully melted and the mixture is smooth (if needed, put the sauce pot back on low heat until the cheese melts). Fold in the penne.

Pour the mixture into a 13" x 9" casserole dish. Top it with the remaining Muenster cheese.

Bake for 45 minutes, or until bubbly and the top is golden brown.