Roasted Pork Loin with Maple-Mustard Crust

We tried this recipe from Fine Cooking last week. It made great, moist pork, and tasted great as leftovers, too. (We didn't have fennel, so we used onions. It was still yummy, although I do want to try the fennel next time.) The onions and apples had a ton of flavor, so eating the meat with the apples was especially delicious. We also thought it might be good to try making a jus or gravy out of the drippings.


I like to leave some fat on the outside of the pork because it browns beautifully and bastes the roast. I also make sure the pork sits in the brine for at least 8 hours but preferably 16 to 18 hours for the juiciest results. Finally, I scatter wedges of fennel and apple in the pan to absorb the wonderful drippings during cooking. They also prevent the glaze from scorching on the bottom of the pan.


For the Brine:
8 cups cold apple cider or juice
3/4 cup kosher salt
1/4 cup light brown sugar
2 cloves garlic, smashed
3 sprigs fresh thyme
One 4-lb. boneless pork loin roast (or two 2-lb. loins), trimmed only if it has a thick layer of fat

For The Roast:
1/4 cup maple syrup
3 Tbs. whole-grain Dijon mustard
2 tsp. chopped fresh thyme
3/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper; more to taste
1 large fennel bulb or 2 small bulbs, quartered, cored, and thinly sliced
1 Granny Smith apple, peeled, cored, and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 Tbs. olive oil
1/2 tsp. kosher salt

Brine the pork:

Combine 2 cups of the apple cider or juice with the salt, brown sugar, garlic, and thyme in a 3- to 4-quart saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat, stirring so the salt and sugar dissolve, about 3 minutes. Add the remaining apple cider or juice and cool to room temperature. Transfer to a large container, add the pork, cover, and refrigerate for at least 8 hours and up to 18 hours.
Roast the pork:

Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat the oven to 450°F. In a small bowl, mix the maple syrup, mustard, thyme, and pepper. Drain the pork and pat dry with paper towels. Brush the pork all over with the mustard mixture.

In a medium bowl, toss the fennel and apple with the oil, salt, and a few generous grinds of pepper. Scatter the mixture in the bottom of a large roasting pan (large enough to hold the pork with a couple of inches of space around the perimeter). Put the pork, fat side up, on top of the fennel and apples. Roast the pork until the crust just starts to brown, about 15 minutes. Reduce the heat to 350°F and continue cooking until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the loin registers 145°F, 30 to 50 minutes more.

Let rest for 10 minutes and then thinly slice a quarter to a third of the pork. Serve, topped with the fennel, apple, and juices. Allow the remaining pork to cool to room temperature, wrap well with foil, and refrigerate for up to 5 days.

photo: Scott Phillips
From Fine Cooking 90, pp. 38
December 4, 2007

Stacked Chicken Enchiladas

I just realized that I put this recipe on our other blog, but forgot to post it here. It's a yummy one. I really liked the "stacked" presentation, and the cabbage salad on top was a very yummy touch. We actually made this without the chicken and substituted black beans for the meat. I don't think you need that much cheese on each layer, either. We also left out the pine nuts and raisins....because it sounded kind of weird.

The recipe is from Sunset magazine

Yield: Makes 2 enchiladas (each 3 to 4 servings)
Ingredients

* 1 cup chopped onion
* 1 tablespoon olive oil
* 1 can (28 oz.) red chile sauce, divided
* 1/2 cup pine nuts
* 1/4 cup golden raisins
* 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
* 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
* 1 tablespoon finely chopped canned chipotle chiles in adobo sauce, plus 2 tsp. sauce (see Notes)
* 1 tablespoon tomato paste
* 1 tablespoon firmly packed light brown sugar
* 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
* 3 3/4 cups shredded white and/or dark chicken meat (from one 2 1/2- to 3-lb. rotisserie chicken)
* 12 corn tortillas (6 in. wide; see Notes)
* 3 cups coarsely shredded jack cheese
* 2 radishes, halved and thinly sliced
* 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
* 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
* 5 to 6 cups very thinly sliced green cabbage (see Notes)
* 1/4 cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro
* Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 375°. In a large frying pan over medium-high heat, cook onion with olive oil, stirring often until softened, about 5 minutes.

2. Stir in 3/4 cup red chile sauce, the pine nuts, raisins, cinnamon, allspice, chipotle chiles, adobo sauce, tomato paste, brown sugar, and vinegar. Add chicken, then bring mixture to a boil, stirring. Remove from heat. Pour remaining red chile sauce into a pie pan.

3. To make enchilada stacks, dip 1 tortilla in chile sauce in pie pan to coat. Place on an ovenproof dinner plate. Repeat with another tortilla on a second plate. Spread each tortilla evenly with a heaping 1/3 cup chicken mixture, then with 1/4 cup cheese. Repeat layering with 8 more tortillas, dipping them in sauce, then adding chicken mixture and cheese to make 2 stacks of 5 layers. (You'll use all the chicken but not all the cheese.) Dip the last 2 tortillas in sauce, place each, curved side down, on stack, and sprinkle with remaining cheese.

4. Bake enchiladas until hot in the center and cheese bubbles on top, 10 to 15 minutes.

5. Meanwhile, pour remaining chile sauce from the pie pan into a microwave-safe pitcher and cook in a microwave oven on full power until simmering, 1 to 2 minutes. To make the salad, stir together radishes, lime juice, and extra-virgin olive oil in a large bowl. Just before serving, stir in cabbage and cilantro. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

6. Top each enchilada with a small mound of salad and cut in thirds or quarters to serve. Offer with remaining salad and chile sauce to add to taste.



Sunset, MAY 2008

Grilled Pork Tenderloin

We had this for dinner tonight, and it was very good. Derek and I both agree that it's one of the tastiest tenderloins we've had. I got the recipe off of foodnetwork. We first saw it on Good Eats with Alton Brown.
I didn't get the ingredients until the night we were making it, so I didn't marinate it as long as it says, and we just threw it on our grill, but it was still really good.


Ingredients

* 1 whole pork tenderloin, approximately 1 pound
* 1 lime, zest finely grated
* 1/2 cup freshly squeezed lime juice
* 1/4 cup honey
* 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
* 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
* 1 chipotle chile pepper in adobo sauce
* 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
* 1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro leaves

Directions

Trim the pork tenderloin of any excess fat and silver skin.

Place the lime zest, lime juice, honey, salt, and garlic powder in a small, lidded jar and shake to combine. Pour half of the marinade mixture into a 1-gallon resealable bag, add the chipotle pepper, and move around to combine. Add the pork tenderloin to the bag and seal, removing as much air as possible and place in a container to catch any leaks. Marinate in the refrigerator for 6 to 24 hours, rotating the bag halfway through the time. Place the remaining marinade in a covered container and refrigerate until ready to use.

Remove the tenderloin from the bag and allow to sit at room temperature while preparing the grill. Remove the reserved marinade from the refrigerator.

Fill a large chimney starter with natural lump charcoal and light. Once the charcoal is ashy and white, approximately 30 minutes, dump the hot charcoal onto the lowest grate of the grill and spread into an even layer using extra-long tongs. Place the cooking grate back on the grill and cover with the lid; heat the grate to medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes.

Brush the grill with vegetable oil. Remove the tenderloin from the bag and place in the center of grate. Discard bag with marinade. Cover and cook for 12 to 15 minutes, turning every 1 1/2 to 2 minutes, until the tenderloin reaches an internal temperature of 140 degrees F.

Remove the tenderloin from the grill and place on a large piece of heavy-duty aluminum foil folded at the edges to create a basket, and pour on the reserved marinade. Wrap tightly and rest for 10 minutes. Remove to a cutting board and slice. Garnish with cilantro and serve.

Chicken and Fettuccine with Tomato Cream Sauce

This recipe seems complicated, but I promise it's not very hard to make and it is totally worth it!
From the Williams Sonoma Complete Pasta Cookbook
Serves 8

1 1/2 lb Fettuccine
Tomato cream sauce (recipe to follow)
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 chicken breasts cubed
1 1/2 tablespoons salt
6 sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil, drained and cut into strips
Fresh thyme sprigs

Prepare tomato cream sauce. In a saute pan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the chicken and saute until cooked through (about 7-8 minutes). Add salt and pepper to taste. Remove from heat and keep warm. Cook fettuccine and combine with tomato cream sauce. Top with chicken and sun-dried tomato strips. Garnish with a thyme sprig.

Tomato Cream Sauce
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1 fresh thyme sprig
1 cup chicken stock (I used chicken broth)
10 sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil, pureed
salt and pepper
1/2 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves

In a heavy saucepan over medium heat, bring the cream and thyme sprig to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer until cream is reduced by one-third, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and let sit for 10 minutes. Remove and discard the thyme sprig. Return the cream to the heat, add the chicken broth and simmer for 5 minutes. Add the tomato puree and salt and pepper to taste. Remove from heat, stir in the thyme leaves and keep warm until ready to use.

Thai Green Chicken Curry

2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 to 2 tablespoons Thai green curry paste
1 fresh hot red chile thinly sliced crosswise
1 3/4 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast thinly sliced on the diagonal
1 14oz can unsweetened coconut milk
1/4 cup chicken broth
2 tablespoons asian fish sauce
1 tablespoon packed brown sugar
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
3 scallions thinly sliced

Heat the oil in a skillet over medium-high heat until hot but not smoking. Add the curry paste and chile and saute, stirring occasionally, until fragrant. Add the chicken and saute until just cooked through.
Add coconut milk, broth, brown sugar, fish sauce, and lime juice to skillet and simmer, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the cilantro and scallions and simmer for about 1 minute more. Serve with rice. Makes 4 servings. Recipe from foodnetwork.com
*I ommitted the chile because I didn't have one on hand but this was still very yummy! Sorry, I didn't take a picture.

Beef with Rosemary Mushroom Sauce

The picture isn't very appetizing, but this sauce is AMAZING! So good over mashed potatoes as well.
Recipe from The Best of Cooking Light cookbook
Serves 4

1 8oz package presliced mushrooms
1 cup red cooking wine
1 lb boneless top sirloin steak
1 cup chopped green onions
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh or 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 10 1/2oz can beef consomme
1 8oz can tomato sauce
2 tablespoons butter

Combine mushrooms, wine, and steak in a large zip-top plastic bag. Marinate in fridge for 30 minutes, turning occasionally. Remove steak from bag, reserving marinade. Melt 2 tablespoons butter (cookbook called for the skillet to be sprayed with cooking spray instead of using butter but I chose to live dangerously!) in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add steak and cook until desired degree of doneness. Remove from pan.
Combine onions, 2 tablespoons parsley, rosemary, and remaining ingredients. Add onion mixture and reserved marinade to pan. Bring to a boil, cook until reduced to 2 cups (about 15 minutes), stirring frequently.
Cut beef diagonally across grain into thin slices. Place beef on plates and cover with mushroom sauce. Sprinkle with parsley.

Tomato Soup

This is one of our favorite soups. We found it in Fine Cooking magazine.
I've never tried canned tomato soup, because I can't imagine really liking it. I love this soup. We usually make the Southwest version of this, because I like the spice. It's good both ways.

2 Tbsp. Extra-virgin olive oil
1 Tbsp. Unsalted butter
1 Large white onion, finely chopped
1 Clove garlic, smashed and peeled
2 Tbps. All-purpose flour
3 c. Chicken broth
28 oz. Can while peeled tomatoes, pureed (include the juice)
1 ½ tsp. Sugar
Salt
Pepper

In a 5- to 6-quart pot, heat the oil and butter over medium-low heat until the butter melts. Add the onion and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft but not browned, about 8 minutes. Add the flour and stir to coat the onion and garlic.

Add the broth, tomatoes, sugar, and a little salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat while stirring the mixture to make sure that the flour is not sticking to the bottom of the pan. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 40 minutes.

Let cool briefly and then puree in two or three batches in a blender or food processor (start slowly and cover the blender lid with a dishtowel). Rinse the pot and return the soup to the pot. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Reheat if necessary and serve warm, but not hot.

(Southwest variation: Omit sugar and add 1 tsp. chili powder and 1 tsp. cumin at the same time as the tomatoes. You may also add a roasted red bell pepper, at the same time. Garnish completed soup with a dollop of sour cream and cilantro.)

Salmon seared on Bacon, with Honey, Rosemary, and Balsamic Vinegar

We made this in California when we were visiting family...it was very yummy. Especially considering the fact that I don't typically eat fish. We got the recipe off of fine cooking.

For this dish, you want the skin on the salmon to crisp up like the bacon on the other side. The fish should be scaled—if it’s not, ask your seafood seller to do it for you.Serves four.

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1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1 Tbs. honey
1/2 tsp. finely chopped fresh rosemary
2 slices bacon
Four 6-oz. skin-on, scaled, center-cut salmon fillets
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

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In a liquid measuring cup, combine the vinegar, honey, rosemary, and 2 Tbs. water.

Cut the bacon slices in half crosswise. Lay a slice on the flesh side of each piece of salmon and arrange the salmon, bacon side down, in a 12-inch heavy-duty nonstick skillet. Sprinkle the salmon skin with salt and pepper.

Set the skillet over medium-high heat and cook until the bacon is golden and crisp, 4 to 5 minutes from when it begins to sizzle. Turn the salmon and continue to cook until the skin is crisp and the salmon is just cooked through, 4 to 5 minutes more.

Take the skillet off the heat and transfer the salmon to a platter. Pour off the fat and return the skillet to medium-high heat. Stir the vinegar mixture well and add it to the skillet. Simmer until slightly thickened, 1 to 2 minutes. Pour over the salmon and serve.