What's in season: November

• Quinces are too hard and sour to eat raw, but they are delicious in pies, with or without apples, and can be used in savoury dishes such as Morocccan tagines.
• For me pomegranates are one of the best things to use in the kitchen. I learned to use them all the time when I was cooking in Kuwait, as the juice makes an excellent substitute for wine and wine vinegar in dressings and marinades. And they also make fabulous salad garnishes too.
• Custard apples are best as a solo treat, just halved and eaten with a teaspoon, discarding the shiny black seeds as you go.
• The very best way to use persimmons when really ripe is to put them in the freezer at the beginning of the meal. Take a thin slice off the top, and eat the sweet, semi-frozen flesh with a spoon. The colour and rich sweetness of the fruit pulp makes it very tempting to marry it with savoury dishes; try mixing it with ginger and spices as a sauce to accompany roast ham, pork or duckling.

November menu
Shellfish, game and exotic fruit make up this month's menu, the first in a sparky, Tex-Mex flavoured dish, the second, venison, in a warming, easy-to-cook casserole, which makes a handsome centrepiece for a casual supper for friends and family. And finally, I've included persimmons in a frosty, refreshing dessert.

I suggest this menu as an alternative to turkey if you celebrate Thanksgiving.

Shrimp Tostadas
Venison Cobbler with a Pumpkin Topping
Chilled Persimmon Creams

Tom Bissell's wine recommendation
I like the white wines of Alsace, and, with the first course, I would serve a Pinot Blanc, available from most supermarkets and many wine merchants. Never an expensive wine, it is wonderful with seafood and should go perfectly with Frances' tostada recipe. One of the big Alsace names is Trimbach. Look for his 1999 vintage, which is full of fruit and charm.

With the venison, it's got to be red burgundy, the traditional British accompaniment with game. Most wine shops will have a Bourgogne Rouge that won't cost the earth. But for something more special, if you can afford a tenner or so, look for a Mercurey Rouge, from the small village in the beautiful Chalonnaise region of Burgundy.

What do you most look forward to in November? Share your thoughts with Frances Bissell on the

All About Food & Drink message board.