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.