autumn.

The acid-sweet burst of juice when you crunch into a McIntosh or Macoun is a fine reward for a drive into the countryside to an orchard farmstand.

It's time to gather apples for eating, for cooking and for adding a feeling of fall to your home; one of the easiest accents for a table is a basket or wooden bowl heaped with apples.

At Downcity restaurant in Providence, chef/owners Paul Shire and Anthony Salemme put apples from Hill's Orchard in Johnston to good use on their fall menu.

The apples arrive crackling crisp from the orchard, with that slight haze on the surface that you see on fresh apples that haven't had a wax job. (Apples do not grow with a polyurethane shine. Rub them for a natural polish.) Apples pair well with nuts, with sweet spices such as cinnamon or nutmeg, with cheeses and richly flavoured meats such as duckling or pork.

A caramel apple is a perfect play-off of flavours and textures. Each bite marries the creamy caramel sweetness with the crisp zing of apple.

Salemme combines those flavours in a moist applesauce-carrot cake topped with caramel mousse. He decorates the plate with caramel sauce in a maple-leaf shape, and tops the cake with homemade cinnamon-apple ice cream.

Also on Downcity's autumn menu is a salad of mesclun greens, dried figs, toasted walnuts and sliced fresh apples. Crumbled gorgonzola cheese adds a tang and creaminess, perfect with the flavours of apples and walnuts.

Salemme cooks at lunchtime, Shire at dinner. One of Shire's autumn entrees is maple-grilled duck breast with apples and fennel over wild rice.

Salemme and Shire use locally grown food, from apples to herbs, as much as possible.

"I think our menu is more exciting than when Downcity began (in 1990),'' said Salemme. "We have the same concept: quality food for not a lot of money. But the look is a lot more grown-up. Before, it was a diner. Now it's more a bistro look.

"And the food has grown a lot. The dishes are more in-depth. Each entree at dinner has its own vegetable or starch. And the menu changes five times a year to take account of seasonal changes.'' One of the seasonal changes is apple harvest time, when apples gain more prominence on the menu.

Here are two apple-accented dishes from Downcity's autumn menu.

*** HARVEST SALAD WITH WALNUT VINAIGRETTE Walnut vinaigrette: 2 cups orange juice 1 cup sherry vinegar 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard 1 teaspoon chili powder 1 cup walnut oil Salt, pepper Salad: 1 pound mesclun greens 2 Cortland apples, sliced, not peeled 1 cup toasted walnuts, chopped 1 pound dry figs, sliced 1 pound gorgonzola cheese, crumbled POUR orange juice into saucepan and simmer uncovered until reduced to 1 cup.

It will be syrupy. Cool. Combine vinegar, mustard, chili powder, oil and orange syrup. Season with salt and pepper. Makes 11 cups.

In large bowl, toss greens, apples, walnuts and figs with vinaigrette as needed. Crumble cheese over salad. Serves 4.

Anthony Salemme decorated the plate by placing a maple-leaf-shaped cookie cutter on the plate, pouring thick caramel sauce into it, then quickly lifting the cookie cutter. Even without this flourish, it's a delicious dessert.

*** CARAMEL APPLESAUCE MOUSSE CAKE Applesauce-Carrot Cake: 2 cups flour 1 cup uncooked oatmeal 11 teaspoons baking powder 11 teaspoons baking soda 1 tablespoon cinnamon 1 teaspoon nutmeg 1 cup dried currants 4 eggs 3 cup vegetable oil 11 cups brown sugar 1 teaspoon vanilla 12 cup applesauce 3 cups grated carrots PREHEAT oven to 350 degrees. Grease two 10-inch springform pans.

In a large bowl, mix dry ingredients, then add oil, eggs, brown sugar, vanilla, applesauce and carrots.

Bake until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, about 35 to 40 minutes. Cool on wire rack; remove from pan.

CARAMEL MOUSSE 1 cup sugar 2 tablespoons water 21 cups heavy cream 5 egg yolks 1 envelope unflavoured gelatin softened in 2 tablespoons cool water HEAT sugar with 2 tablespoons water in a heavy saucepan, stirring until it melts and turns a golden brown. Add 1 cup of the cream; bring to boil. Reduce heat. Stir in egg yolks and cook over gentle heat, stirring, until thickened, about 5 to 7 minutes.

Add gelatin softened in water. Remove from heat and cool about 1 hour.

Whip remaining 2 cups cream until thick and fluffy; fold into cooked mixture.

Chill about 4 hours. Can make a day ahead.

TO ASSEMBLE CAKE: Slice each layer in half, for a total of four layers.

Place bottom layer back in springform pan. Top with one-fourth of the caramel mousse, then cake layer. Repeat until all are used, finishing with mousse on top. Chill 3 hours or overnight.

TO SERVE: Cut into wedges. Garnish with sliced apples, not peeled, and a sprinkle of cinnamon. May be served with vanilla or cinnamon ice cream.

May be garnished with caramel sauce.