The last time we spoke with Ben Sargent for Biographile, summer was at its peak, and the host of the Cooking Channel show Hook, Line & Dinner had just released his cookbook The Catch: Sea-To-Table Recipes, Stories, and Secrets.

Savoring every bite of his Blueberry Summer Halibut with Harissa Sauce and Oyster Mushrooms, it felt like those long, sun-filled days would last forever. Now with autumn around the corner, we’re looking forward to colorful leaves, harvest flavors, and cozy nights warmed up by Ben’s Smoky Salmon Chowder with Pumpkin.

“For me, and I think for most cooks, fall is the most exciting time,” he says. “You can use the stuff you grew all summer, and it’s a great season for hunting and catching fish. All the dishes that were too heavy for summer -- like soups, stews, and chowders -- now you want to cook them again.”

Whether this chowder simmers in a cauldron over a wood fire in a pine grove on the shore (as Ben recommends in his book’s introduction to the recipe), or in your kitchen, he promises that it possesses an “aura of deep forest.”

He makes it often in Vermont, where he gets a local maple-smoked gouda from Taylor Farm, located next to his own property in Londonderry. The first place winner in the Smoked Cheese category at several American Cheese Society competitions adds a wonderfully deep flavor to the chowder, he says.

Having the 180-year-old working dairy farm as a neighbor is just one idyllic aspect of Ben’s life in the Green Mountains of southern Vermont, where he’s restoring an old barn as a “little getaway” from Brooklyn. There are also two structures on the property that will serve as studios for photography, ceramics, sculpture, and other crafts.

“I’m in the midst of making this into some sort of retreat,” says the man also known as Dr. Klaw, his underground urban lobster roll-pushing alter ego. “There’s great fishing and skiing in the area, and we’ll all come together for meals at the end of the day.”

As part of the Vermont home restoration process, documented in snapshots on his web site, he installed an antique cast-iron cooking range. He grew up with the same stove, manufactured by Glenwood (once the country's premier stove maker) in his native Massachusetts, so he’s very comfortable cooking on it.

“It took a lot of searching to find the right one,” he says of the wood-burning beauty. “We have a lot of downed trees on the property, so we just dry them out to light the fire.”

Smoky Salmon Chowder with Pumpkin

Serves 6 to 8

INGREDIENTS

1 (2-pound) acorn squash, halved horizontally, seeds scooped out

1/4 cup olive oil

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter

2 medium leeks, white and pale green parts, sliced crosswise 1/2 inch wide

1 large red or yellow bell pepper, cored, seeded, and cut into 1/2-inch-thick strips

1 tablespoon finely grated peeled fresh ginger

1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon chile flakes

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

3 cups clam juice

3 cups vegetable stock (homemade or store-bought)

1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme

1 teaspoon chopped fresh marjoram

6 saffron threads, crumbled

1 cup heavy cream

1 (15-ounce) can pure pumpkin puree

1 1/2 pounds salmon fillet with skin

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill

3/4 cup shredded high-quality smoked gouda, such as Taylor Farms

Lemon wedges, for serving

PREPARATION

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Rub the cut sides of the squash with 2 tablespoons of olive oil, and season with salt and pepper. Place them cut side down on a large rimmed baking sheet. Bake for about 50 minutes, or until they are just tender but still hold their shape. Turn the squash cut side up and let it cool. Carefully scoop out the flesh in large pieces. Cut the squash into 1-inch chunks. Reserve the acorn squash shells, if desired, for serving.

2. In a large pot, melt the butter. Add the leeks, bell pepper, and ginger and cook over medium-low heat, covered, stirring a few times, until softened, about 8 minutes. Stir in the chile flakes and cook for 1 minute. Stir in the flour. Slowly whisk in the clam juice until smooth, then stir in the stock. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, whisking, until the soup simmers and thickens. Reduce the heat to low, add the thyme, marjoram, and saffron, and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 30 minutes. Stir in the cream and pumpkin puree and simmer, stirring often, for about 5 minutes to heat through.

3. Meanwhile, rub the salmon with the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with the lemon juice and dill, and let stand for at least 10 minutes or up to 20 minutes.

4. Light a charcoal grill. Grill the salmon, skin side down, over a hot fire, covered, until medium rare, 8 to 10 minutes. With 2 long spatulas lift the salmon from the grill, sliding the spatulas under the skin and placing the fish on a platter. Let the salmon rest for 5 to 10 minutes.

5. Reheat the soup to a simmer and whisk in the cheese. Cook over low heat, whisking, until the cheese melts, 2 to 3 minutes. Do not let the soup boil. Remove from the heat, stir in the squash cubes, and season with salt and pepper.

6. Ladle the soup into bowls or the acorn squash shells. Lift the salmon from the skin, discarding the skin, and flake the salmon into each soup. Serve with lemon wedges.