Grilled Pork Tenderloin

This is my go-to recipe for pork tenderloin.  Always good, always appreciated by those it is served to.  The grilling gives the meat a nice crust.  Fresh herbs are not needed and the flavor it just as good with dried herbs--I've made it both ways.  We served it for Thanksgiving dinner this year and roasted it in the oven as my mother does not have a grill.  If you go this route, sear the meat first and then roast at 425 degrees for 15-20 minutes. But grilling is the way to go for this entree.

2 1/2 lbs. pork ternderloin
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 TBSP. fresh thyme or 2 tsp. dried
1 TBSP. fresh sage or 1 tsp. dried
1/4 tsp. allspice
2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. ground pepper

Mix the garlic, thyme, sage, allspice, salt, pepper in small bowl.  Rub on the pork tenderloin and let stand for a minimum of 30 minutes.  Grill over medium for about 20 minutes, turning occasionally; do not overcook. Serve with a fruit salsa, a pineapple mango salsa is recommended.

Salmon Tartare

One of my favorite appetizers is a recipe from the well-known but alas, no longer here...Metropolitan Cafe. 

10 oz. fresh salmon, diced finely
2 shallots, minced
1 lemon, juice and zest
1 TBSP. tarragon, chopped
2 TBSP. chives, minced
2 TBSP. capers
2 TBSP. olive oil

In a bowl, combine all ingredients and mix well.  Serve chilled. Makes 6-8 servings.

There is no need to cook the salmon as the citric juices kill the bacteria.  Do not leave in refrigerator too long or overnight as it will lose its flavor.

Spinach Lentil Salad with Blue Cheese & Tart Vinairgrette

French lentils: they're so cute, the small little green things, I just love them!

3/4 cup of French lentils
7 TBSP. red-wine vinegar
8 bacon slices (about 6 oz.)
1/4 cup olive oil
1/3 cup finely chopped shallots
1/4 cup water
1/2 cup dried unsweetened tart cherries (about 3 oz.)
2 TBSP. sugar
3 1/2 cups baby spinach leaves
1/3 cup blue cheese (I use Gorgonzola sometimes)

In a heavy saucepan, cover lentils with 2 inches water and simmer until tender, about 15 minutes.  Drain lentils in a sieve and rinse under cold water to stop the cooking. Place lentils in a bowl and toss with 2 TBSP red-wine vinegar and salt and pepper to taste. (Lentils may be made two days ahead, covered and chilled. Bring lentils to room temp. before continuing if you made ahead.)

In a skillet, cook bacon over moderate heat until crisp. Crumble bacon.

Heat 2 TBSP olive oil in saucepan over moderate heat and add shallots, cooking until golden brown.  Stir in water, cherries, sugar and remaining 5 TBSP. red-wine vinegar and simmer, stirring occasionally, until liquid is reduced by about half, about 10 minutes. Reduce heat to low and whisk in remaining 2 TBSP oil in a slow stream until emulsified.  Season with salt and pepper.

Add half of the vinaigrette to lentils and toss well. In another bowl, toss spinach with half of lentil mixture, half the bacon, half the cheese, remaining vinaigrette and salt and pepper to taste.

Divide remaining lentil mixture among six plates and top with spinach mixture.  Sprinkle salads with remaining bacon and cheese.

Serves 6.

Corstini with Gorgonzola, Camelized Onions & Fig Jam

Several years I was in San Francisco visiting my sister Ann.  She and a group of friends were going to a cooking school on one of the evenings while I was visiting.  When asked if I wanted to go, well, of course I said yes!  Tante Marie Cooking School has quite an reputation and we had a fun evening.  We were preparing an entire meal which we would then eat.  We broke into several groups with each group preparing a course.  The course I helped prepare was an appetizer.

JAM:
1 cup dried Black Mission Figs
1 tsp. fresh lemon juice
2 cups water
2 TBSP. maple syrup
coarse salt

ONIONS:
1 TBSP. butter
1 TBSP. olive oil
2 cups thinly slice onions
1 tsp. balsamic vinegar
1/2 tsp. chopped fresh thyme

CROSTINI:
1/2 cup (4 oz.) Gorgonzola, softened
24 1-inch thick diagonal slices of French baguette, toasted
1 tsp. fresh thyme leaves

To prepare the fig jam, remove the stems from the figs. Place figs and lemon juice in the food processor and process until the figs are coarsely chopped.  Place fig mixture, 2 cups water, syrup and a pinch of salt in a medium sauce pan and bring to a boil.  Reduce the heat to medium low and simmer for about 25 minutes or until thickened. Remove from heat and cool.

The prepare the onions, heat the butter and oil in a medium saute pan over medium heat,  Add the onions, vinegar and thyme and a pinch of salt, cover and cook for 5 minutes. Remove the cover and cook 20 minutes more, stirring often, until the onions are completely soft and golden.

To assemble, spread 1 tsp. cheese over each toasted baguette slice.  Top each slice with some of the onion mixture and some of the fig jam. Sprinkle crostini with thyme leaves and serve.

Lavender Sorbet

With five lavender plants, I have an abundance of lavender during the summer months.  And sorbet is a favorite refresher of mine when I need to cool off from the summer's heat. When I came across a recipe for lavender sorbet in 2006, I had to try it.  It is so good that it is pretty much the only sorbet I make during the summer.  The exception being mango sorbet when mangos are on special.  I use a Cuisinart ice cream maker I bought years ago for $50 and it's worked great for all the gelato and sorbet I make with it.

 lavender simple syrup on the right

Lavender Sorbet

2 cups water
2 cups granulated sugar
1/4 cup lavender buds
1 1/2 cups freshly squeezed lemon juice

• combine water and sugar in a saucepan and bring to boil over high heat; reduce heat and let simmer until all the sugar is dissolved.
• remove from heat and add lavender buds; let steep for 15 minutes.
• pour the syrup through a strainer into a large mixing bowl and stir in the lemon juice.
• refrigerate until completely chilled.
• pour into an ice cream maker and process according to directions, remove from ice cream maker and freeze until ready to serve.

Spanish Almond Cake

I discovered this recipe from Salt Lake blogger The Vintage Mixer. It's light and simple and a nice dessert after a heavy meal.  I made this for my mother's 90th birthday dinner.

Mom's 90th birthday--June 2013

Ingredients
1/2 lb. blanched whole or slivered almonds
6 large eggs, separated
1 1/4 cups superfine sugar
grated zest of 1 orange
grated zest of 1 lemon
4 drops of almond extract
powdered sugar for dusting
raspberries & blueberries for topping (my optional add on)

• Finely grind the almonds in a food processor. 
• With an electric mixer, beat the egg yolks with the sugar to a smooth pale cream.  Beat in the zests and the almond extract. Add the ground almonds and mix very well.
• With clean beaters, beat the egg whites in a large bowl until stiff peaks form.  Fold them into the egg and almond mixture.  The mixture is thick, so you will need to turn it over quite a bit into the egg whites.
• Grease an 11-inch springform pan, with butter and dust with flour. Pour in the cake batter and bake in at 350 degrees for 40 minutes or until it feels firm to the touch.  Let the cake completely cool before removing from the pan.
• Just before serving, dust the top of the cake with powdered sugar and then top with berries as shown.

Chicken Puttanesca Parmesan

This is one of my new favorites and I have made it with chicken and with cod--both versions are delicious! It's quite easy to make and it really packs a punch with flavor.  I came across the recipe in the Salt Lake Tribune.

Chicken (or cod) Puttanesca Parmesan
Serves 4

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (or 4-4-6 oz. cod fillets)
1 egg, beaten
1 cup panko bread crumbs
1 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
1 TBSP. olive oil
4-6 oil-packed anchovies
1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes
1 large yellow onion, diced
2 Roma tomatoes, cored and chopped
1/2 cup chopped pitted Kalamata olives
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 TBSP. capers
5 large leaves of fresh basil, chopped
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Heat the oven to 400 degrees.  Coat a baking sheet with cooking spray.
Slice the chicken breasts in half horizontally to create two thin halves.
Place the egg in a wide shallow bowl. In a separate bowl, mix together the breadcrumbs, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Place the breast (or cod fillet) one a time in the egg, then the bread crumbs, pressing as needed to adhere the bread crumbs to the meat.  Arrange on baking sheet, mist the tops w/cooking spray and bake for 20 minutes, until lightly browned.

In a large skillet over medium-high, heat the olive oil and add anchovies and red pepper flakes until the anchovies have dissolved.  Add onion, saute for 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes and bring to a simmer.  Cook just until the tomatoes begin to break down, about 5-7 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the olives, garlic, capers and basil.  Season with salt and pepper.

When the chicken is done, transfer to a serving plate or individual plates and spoon the sauce over each and then top with Parmesan.

Hazelnut Gelato

Ingredients

4 ounces shelled hazelnuts, toasted and skinned

2/3 pint milk

2 egg yolks

2 tablespoons sugar

Directions

Grind the hazelnuts to a very fine paste (this can be done in a blender or coffee grinder).

Warm milk until the edge is ringed with tiny bubbles. Turn off heat at once. Put in the hazelnut paste, mix thoroughly, and cover. Allow to cool completely.

Line a strainer with a double layer of cheesecloth. Set over a bowl and pour the hazelnut milk mixture into the strainer and press as much through as possible. Tie up the ends of the cheesecloth, suspend over the bowl, and allow to drip through. When mixture stops dripping, squeeze gently. In another bowl beat the egg yolks and sugar until pale and foamy. Add the strained milk mixture mixing in a little at a time.

Pour everything into top of double boiler over medium heat. Stir constantly and cook for 3 to 4 minutes after the water in the bottom has started to bubble. Pour into a bowl. Allow to cool completely then chill. Freeze according to ice cream machine directions.

Lamb in Fig Port Wine Sauce

Herb Lamb in Fig Port Wine Sauce.     

Serves: 4

1 1/2 Pound Rack of Lamb - 8 pieces 

2 Tbsp Olive Oil

Salt and freshly cracked Pepper

Fresh Rosemary and Thyme Sprigs

1 cup Port Wine

6 Fresh Figs - quarter

3/4 cup Chicken Broth

2 Tbsp Balsamic Vinegar

1 Tbsp Honey

1 Tbsp Butter

Preheat oven to 450 F

1  Rub lamb with half of the olive oil and season with salt and Pepper. Lay the rosemary and thyme sprigs on top and let it rest for a few minutes. Get it to room temperature.

2  Heat the remainder of the olive oil in an ovenproof saute pan over high heat. Gently place the lamb fat side down into the saute pan and sear until brown for about 5 minutes. Turn and cook the other side for about 2 minutes. 

3  Gently pour around the lamb 1/2 cup of port and place the pan into the preheated oven.

4  Roast in the oven for about 15 to 18 minutes.  

5  Remove from pan and transfer to a large plate and cover with aluminum foil and with a kitchen towel.

6  Add sliced figs, balsamic vinegar and honey, chicken stock and the remaining 1/2 cup Port to the saute pan and simmer vigorously over medium-high heat for about 5-8 min or until sauce thickens. 

    Stir in the butter and season with salt & pepper.

To serve slice the lamb at each rib into 8 slices. Spoon some mashed potatoes, rice or polenta middle of each serving plate and place to pieces of lamb on top and spoon the fig port wine sauce around it. Garnish with rosemary sprig.

Asparagus Wrapped in Prosciutto

Asparagus Wrapped in Crisp Prosciutto

Rated: Submitted By: THAIDER Photo By: IMVINTAGE Prep Time: 5 Minutes Cook Time: 15 Minutes Ready In: 20 Minutes Servings: 16

"Extremely easy and elegant appetizer. Asparagus spears are wrapped in a sheath of prosciutto, then baked until crispy. A great dish to make ahead, and bake just before serving."

INGREDIENTS:

1 tablespoon olive oil 16 spears fresh asparagus, trimmed

16 slices prosciutto

DIRECTIONS:

1.	Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F (220 degrees C). Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil, and coat with olive oil.
2.	Wrap one slice of prosciutto around each asparagus spear, starting at the bottom, and spiraling up to the tip. Place the wrapped spears on the prepared baking sheet.
3.	Bake for 5 minutes in the preheated oven. Remove, and shake the pan back and forth to roll the spears over. Return to the oven for another 5 minutes, or until asparagus is tender, and prosciutto is crisp. Serve immediately.

Caprese Salad with Caper Viaigrette

The same combination that makes pizza so irresistible — mozzarella and tomatoes — also makes a mean salad.
And just like a classically delicious pizza, you don't need much beyond those two star ingredients to assemble a stunning salad, known in Italy as a caprese salad.

In this case, I simply stacked slabs of tomato and fresh mozzarella, then drizzled them with a lemon vinaigrette and sprinkled them with fresh basil and lemon zest.

To add a punch of tang to the salad, I added capers to the vinaigrette, as well as a sprinkle of them over the salad just before serving. Capers are the pickled unopened flower buds of a bush that grows in the Mediterranean. The flavor is pleasantly briny and herby.

Caprese salad with avocado

Of course, like pizza, feel free pile on whatever else seems tasty. —

Caprese salad with caper vinaigrette
2 (8-ounce) balls fresh mozzarella
2 large slicing tomatoes
Salt and ground black pepper
1/4 cup olive oil
Juice and zest of 1 lemon
1 tablespoon capers, divided
Handful fresh basil leaves


Use a serrated knife, slice each ball of mozzarella into 4 slices. Repeat with the tomatoes, cutting each into 4 slices.

Stack 2 slices of tomato and 2 slices of mozzarella, alternating as you stack, on each of 4 serving plates. As you stack, season each tomato slice with a pinch of salt and pepper. Set aside.

In a blender, combine the olive oil, lemon juice and half of the capers. Puree until smooth. Season with salt and pepper. Drizzle a bit of the dressing over each mozzarella-tomato stack. Scatter several basil leaves, a few of the remaining capers and a bit of the lemon zest over each stack.

Especially good poolside in Sonoma County

Servings • 4
Source: The Associated Press

Fig Gorgonzola Bites

Gorgonzola fig bites

I have never been able to find fresh figs in Salt Lake City so use dried figs from Trader Joe's.  Either fig they carry works great.  I found this recipe on Marguerite Henderson's blog.
Ingredients:

12 whole black mission figs (or whatever kind of figs you can find)
1/4 pound Gorgonzola dolce (a soft, sweeter blue cheese) or use Cambozola cheese
24 hazelnuts (you can buy them roasted without skins at Trader Joe's)
3-4 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
ground black pepper

Directions:
Cut the figs in half lengthwise. Place on a baking sheet. Top each with about 1/2 teaspoon cheese and one hazelnut. Bake in 400o oven for 5 minutes until cheese is melted and the figs have warmed through.
Transfer to a serving dish, drizzle very lightly with vinegar and grind with black pepper. Serve at once.
Makes 24 figs bites.

DRIED PLUM & PROSCIUTTO APPETIZER

DRIED PLUM (Prune) & PROSCIUTTO APPETIZER - from my friend Elaine Case

This is about as easy as it gets to make a really, really, tasty appetizer.

1. Place a single Thai Basil (or regular sweet basil) leaf on each dried plum. Place a small piece of Aged White Cheddar Cheese (or other sharp cheese) on top of the basil leaf.
   
2. Cut Prosciutto slices into strips about 3/4" wide x 3" long.
   
3. Wrap prosciutto strips around each dried plum, keeping the basil & cheese in place.  Arrange artfully on a platter, seam-side down (a white platter really shows off the colors of the food!)
   
4. Lightly drizzle Honey and /or Balsamic Vinegar over the wrapped plums.
   
5. Lightly sprinkle with minced fresh Rosemary (optional)
   
6. Add a few sprigs of fresh Basil or Rosemary to garnish the platter (optional)

Curried French Lentils

This hearty dish is pretty easy to make and very filling.  With a green salad and whole grain bread, you have a meal. From Straight Up Foods.

Ingredients
6 cups water
1 cup French Green lentils (see chart below)
1 yellow onion, chopped
1 small yam or sweet potato, diced (about two cups)
2 cups small cauliflower florets
2 ribs celery, sliced
1 can (14.5-oz.) diced, salt-free tomatoes
2 teaspoons curry powder
2 teaspoons dried green herbs (like a French or Italian blend)
1 teaspoon granulated onion
1 teaspoon granulated garlic
4 cups greens cut into bite-size pieces (like kale, chard, spinach, collards, beet greens)

Directions
1. In a soup pot on high, bring the water and lentils to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and cook for 20 minutes (a low boil).

2. Add the onion, yam/sweet potato, cauliflower, celery, tomatoes (including juice), and the four herbs and spices. Cook for 10 minutes at the same heat. Add greens, and cook for 5-10 more minutes (spinach, chard and beet greens won’t take as long to cook as kale or collard greens), until potatoes and greens are tender. Serve as is or over cooked brown rice.

Preparation: 25 minutes
Cooking time: 40 minutes
Serves: 4 (makes about 8 cups or 4 bowls)

Pomegranate Arugula Salad

I enjoy this colorful salad in the winter months when pomegranates are readily available.  Sometimes I toss in a handful of unsalted pistachios instead of walnuts or some avocado.  I found the recipe somewhere on the web...

Ingredients:

1/4 cup of pomegranate molasses (I get this at Whole Foods)
1/2 lemon, juiced
2 TBSP honey
2 TBSP red wine vinegar
3/4 cup olive oil
salt and freshly ground black pepper
6 cups lightly packed arugula
1 pomegranate
1/4 cup Parmigiano-reggiano shavings
1/4 cup toasted walnuts
1 shallot, sliced

Directions:

Combine molasses, lemon juice, honey and vinegar in a mixing bowl and whisk to combine.  Slowly drizzle in olive oil while whisk to emulsify.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Toss salad ingredients together and dress with vinaigrette.

Ricotta Tart

This is one of my favorite desserts and comes from Tuscany the Beautiful cookbook.  It is light and not too sweet. Serves 6.

Ricotta Tart with fresh berries

Ricotta Tart

Pastry
1 3/4 cups of all-purpose flour
1/3 cup of granulate sugar
grated zest of 1/2 lemon
1/3 cup of butter, softened--very important it is softened
1 egg

Filling
1 1/4 cups (10 oz.) ricotta
3 eggs, separated
1/4 cup granulated sugar

Alternatively, combine the ingredients in a mixing bowl and beat together with wooden spoon until the dough begins to come together in a ball. (I do this in a food processor instead of by hand.) if the dough is too dry, add milk, 1 tsp. at a time until a ball forms. Gather the dough into a ball, wrap in aluminum foil and refrigerate for about 1 hour.

Meanwhile, to prepare the filling: combine ricotta, egg yolks and sugar in a large mixing bowl and blend well. In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites until stiff, moist peaks form.  Gently fold the egg whites into the ricotta mixture.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Use a 9-inch tart pan with a removable bottom and grease the bottom with butter.  On a lightly floured work surface, roll out the dough into a round, about 10 1/2 inches in diameter. Carefully transfer it to the prepared tart pan and press gently against the bottom and sides. Trim the dough even within the tart pan.  Spoon the filling into the pastry shell and smooth the surface.  Bake the tart until golden, about 35-45 minutes (depending on your oven.)

Remove from the oven and let cool completely on a wire rack. Transfer the tart to a platter and serve at room temperature. Top with fresh berries, if you like.

Brussels Sprouts with Lemon and Thyme

We never liked Brussels sprouts when we were kids because when mom boiled them, the house smelled like, well, farts, and smell has a lot to do with whether you want to eat something or not when you're a kid.  With the recent craze over Brussels sprouts and Food and Wine's myriad of ways to make them, how can you not find a recipe to your liking? This one is pretty easy as long as you have a food processor and they are delicious! I made half the dressing and stirred it in the pan after they were done cooking--perfect--according to my taste.

Contributed by Nuno Mendes

• TOTAL TIME: 20 MIN
• SERVINGS: 4

Chef Nuno Mendes separates brussels sprout leaves by hand before sautéing them, an extremely time-consuming task. Thinly slicing the sprouts vertically—by hand or with a food processor fitted with a slicing blade—gets similar results in a fraction of the time.

    1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
    2 tablespoons sherry vinegar
    1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
    1 teaspoon thyme leaves
    1/4 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
    Salt and freshly ground pepper
    1 pound brussels sprouts, thinly sliced lengthwise

    In a small bowl, whisk the mustard with the vinegar. Gradually whisk in the 1/4 cup of oil until emulsified. Add the thyme and lemon zest and season with salt and pepper.

    In a large skillet, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil, until shimmering. Add the brussels sprouts and cook over moderately high heat, stirring occasionally, until crisp-tender and charred in spots, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in half of the dressing. Transfer to a bowl. Serve warm or at room temperature, passing the extra dressing at the table.