Pork Tenderloin - A quick fix for a craving to grill

Andrea was away this weekend, so I decided that I would take a little break too.  I had a good excuse! As fall is fading away into the first signs of winter, the urgency of completing those household chores that we started in May loomed large this weekend!!  It was also a rare weekend where there was very little cooking to be done anyway!

When I want to procrastinate, my go to activity is taking the dogs for a walk

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A trip into Toronto on Friday to have lunch with a friend and a visit with some of the kids ended with dinner at Bev & Tims.

Saturday started with the weekly walk with the girls, followed by a long afternoon of tidying up the clutter in the barn that mysteriously grew over the summer. We were accompanied by the constant drone of the television all afternoon, the broadcast of the Wilfrid Laurier/Queens football game. Unfortunately, WLU lost! OUCH! ! Despite the loss, we had a wonderful time that evening  celebrating the 100th anniversary of Wilfrid Laurier University at Ahead by a Century, a really great party filled with loads of delicious food and music.

The next day, we were invited to lunch at Wilf and Cathy Jenkins, where we enjoyed a terrific meal and some great conversation, once again being relieved of the need to cook.  We had no plans to make dinner that night! However, walking home, full and happy, those feelings of cooking withdrawal started to develop .Some may understand this craving, some may not. 

Regardless, with nothing planned, I was lacking inspiration, so called up Bev to see what she had in the works.  She had  invited Jane and the Whitfields for dinner and graciously shared her ideas(and recipes, and pictures!!) with me. Her menu: Pork tenderloin (tim’s creation), Brussels sprouts (steamed then sautéed briefly in oil and garlic), broccolini (just plain old steamed with a squeeze of lemon at the end) and roasted sweet potatoes.

Feeling less ambitious, I decided to do a pork tenderloin too, but  opted for a super simple dinner of souvlaki with tzatziki and greek salad.

 

Thanks Bev!  And Andrea, I look forward to your return and getting back on track!

Tim’s pork tenderloin

For the rub:

·         Fresh herbs (Tim used sage and thyme)

·         Garlic

·         Olive oil

For the glaze:

·         Juice of one orange

·         ½ cup maple syrup

·         Cook glaze on stovetop to reduce to about half. Add a smidge of butter and red chilli flakes.

Rub tenderloin with fresh herbs, chopped garlic and olive oil 30 minutes before grilling. Preheat barbecue on HIGH. Brush the grids with vegetable oil. Place tenderloin on grids and reduce temperature to MEDIUM-LOW and grill, turning every 5 minutes, for a total of 15 minutes cooking time.   Brush the glaze over near the end of cooking.  Let stand, covered with foil for 5 minutes before slicing.

Roasted sweet potatoes with apples and maple-sage butter

1 ½ pounds sweet potatoes, peeled, halved and cut into ¾ inch wedges

2 tbs olive oil

Kosher salt, freshly ground pepper

2 tbsp butter

1 medium large apple (granny smith or a red apple) cored, quartered and cut into 16 wedges

1 tbs chopped fresh sage

1 ½ tsp lemon juice

1 ½ tsp maple syrup

Heat oven or barbecue to 475⁰F. Toss sweet potatoes, oil, salt and pepper in a bowl.   Spread them on a rimmed baking sheet (a single layer). Roast for 10 minutes, turn and continue roasting until tender and browned in spots (about 5 min more).

While the potatoes roast, heat the butter in a 12 inch skillet over medium high heat until melted and beginning to brown (1 – 2 minutes).  Add the apples in a single layer and brown on both sides (1 -2 min per side). Add the sage and stir until wilted.  Remove from the heat, stir in the lemon juice and maple syrup. With a spatula, scrape the apples and butter into the bowl used for tossing the potatoes.

When the potatoes are done, add them to the apples and gently combine. Season with salt and pepper. 

*Recipe from Fine Cooking Magazine.

Tzatziki  

! cup plain greek or balkan yoghurt

1 clove garlic, diced

1/2 cucumber, finely chopped

2 tsp olive oil

1 tsp lemon juice 

1 tsp mint, chopped

salt & pepper, to taste

Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl. Serve with grilled pork tenderloin and greek salad wrapped in a pita bread.

Pepper and Mark share a perfect Sunday evening!

Lexington Barbecue Festival

Happy Birthday Marilyn!

Six siblings and their spouses gathered in North Carolina this weekend to celebrate Marilyn’s significant birthday.  Tim did a great job of organizing golf, transportation, and accommodation so our only job was to have a lot of fun.  While we were there, we watched Tim’s loop of barbecue shows, and a particular one about last year’s Lexington Barbecue Festival piqued our interest.  When we found out that this year’s event was to take place the very next day we changed all plans to make a pilgrimage to that barbecue mecca.  To say that it was an interesting cultural experience doesn’t quite capture it.  

“Barbecue” in the southern US is what smoking is to Canadians.  It means there is a BIG piece of meat cooking low and slow, with a mop and a sauce.  Each region has its own style of barbecue sauce which they proclaim to be the very best.  In the case of Lexington Barbecue, the sauce is thin and vinegary, and the pulled pork is served with “Red Coleslaw” where the salad is tossed with the same sauce.  The meat and cabbage were both very finely chopped, and the sauce was very tasty.....just enough spice to compliment the meat without overwhelming it. 

We went with expectations of seeing the pulled pork cooking over the fire, but in fact the 5 participating restaurants agreed on a recipe, prepared the meat in advance, and shipped it out to 3 different locations around the festival where volunteers assembled the sandwiches.  The only cooking we witnessed was deep-frying.  The 100,000 visitors to the town of 20,000 were wandering the streets nibbling on deep fried turkey legs, deep fried pie, deep fried chocolate bars, deepfried-chocolate-covered bacon and even deep fried butter.....REALLY!  

Lexington Barbecue Dipping Sauce

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• 3/4 cup distilled white or cider vinegar
  
• 3/4 cup ketchup
• 3/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes; crushed 
• salt and pepper; to taste
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1/4 cup water

• Combine all ingredients in a small sauce pan and bring to a simmer. Cook, stirring, until the sugar dissolves. Remove from heat and let stand until cool. Spoon sauce over barbecued meats or poultry.
• Let it simmer slowly, it will keep refrigerated for a while but is best when served warm over your favourite meat.

See y'all next year!

Sedona

Having just returned from a mini vacation spent hiking and dining in Sedona, we thought we’d share with you some of the local delicacies that we enjoyed. Warning:  these recipes are chosen more for their delicious flavours than for any kind of healthy qualities.   The dessert is probably the least worrisome dish!

Breakfast in the sunshine always included some divine fresh fruit, but the really decadent offering at Enchantment was Pork Carnitas with Poached Eggs.  This dish can easily prepared with leftover pulled pork (if there ever are any leftovers!).

Pork Carnitas with Poached Eggs

Serves 2

1 ½  cups leftover pulled pork (click on link for recipe), without the barbecue sauce

2 tablespoons chicken stock, more as needed

¼ cup chunky salsa

4 eggs, poached

2 tablespoons shredded cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese

Warm corn tortillas

If possible, pull the pork into larger chunks than you would for a sandwich.  Place the pork in a medium bowl, and toss it with the chicken stock and salsa.  Spread the pork mixture on a rimmed baking sheet and place under a preheated broiler until heated and beginning to crisp.  Meanwhile, poach the eggs.

Mound the pork carnitas on a heated plate, and shape a nest for the poached eggs.  Sprinkle with grated cheese and salt and pepper to taste.  Serve with warm corn tortillas and  a side of spinach to ease your conscience.  

Later in the day, we enjoyed various flavours of Margaritas, but the most unusual  and tasty was a Prickly Pear Margarita.

Prickly Pear Margarita

2 ounces Republic Organic Tequila

Dash Cointreau

2 ounces lime juice

2 ounces prickly pear syrup

Dash agave nectar

Mix together in a shaker, and pour over a sugar-rimmed margarita glass full of ice.

Another dining highlight was at The Elote Cafe in Sedona, where we met chef Jeff Smedstad.  This plain looking restaurant has a loyal following, and guests begin lining up outside the doors at 4:30 for a 5:00 seating.  By 5:30 the line-up was an hour and a half, but the fare was worth it.  Our server recommended a starter of their signature dish, Elote, a special creamed corn, and it did not disappoint.  Thankfully there are a few days remaining before the end of the corn harvest in Canada so we can try our hands at this at home.

Elote

Chef Jeff Smedstad

Serves 4-6 as an appetizer

6 ears corn, husks on, silk and dark green leaves removed

1 cup mayonnaise

1 tablespoon Cholula brand hot sauce

2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 teaspoon sugar

¼ cup chicken stock

¼ cup cotija cheese, ground or crumbled, for garnish

2 tablespoons chopped cilantro, for garnish

Pure-ground red chile to taste, for garnish

Crispy corn tortillas for scooping

Over a medium-hot grill, roast the corn until the husks are well charred, about 5 minutes, turning occasionally.  Set aside until cool enough to handle, then shuck the cobs and slice off the kernels.

Mix the mayonnaise, hot sauce, lime juice, salt, pepper, sugar and chicken stock in a sauté pan over medium heat.  Add the corn kernels and warm through.  Pour into a heated bowl and garnish with the cheese, cilantro and ground chile.  Serve immediately with crispy tortillas. 

Chef Rob from Enchantment led a small cooking class at the spa, and made a delicious dessert soufflé.  This involves many steps but definitely has “wow” factor.

Blueberry Soufflés with Lavender Crème Anglaise

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Special equipment:  8 small ramekins

 

For the Fruit Sauce

1 pint fresh blueberries

¼ cup sugar

2 tablespoons orange juice

1 tablespoon orange zest

2 tablespoons corn starch

¾  cup cold water

1 tablespoon Grand Marnier

Pinch salt

Combine the berries, sugar, and orange juice in a saucepan.  Whisk the starch into the water until smooth, then add to the pan and bring to a boil.  Simmer for about 5 minutes stirring constantly, then remove from heat.  The sauce will continue to thicken as it cools.  Can be made up to one week ahead and stored, covered with plastic wrap, in the refrigerator.

For the Pastry Cream

1 ¼ cup 2 % milk

½ vanilla bean plus 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

3 large egg yolks

1 ¼ cup sugar

2 tablespoons flour

2 tablespoons corn starch

Whisk together the sugar, flour and corn starch in a medium saucepan.  Add cold milk and vanillas, whisking constantly to incorporate, then light the flame.  Scald the milk mixture over medium heat, then slowly add to yolks, whisking constantly.  Return to the saucepan, and place over medium heat.  Stir or whisk over the heat until quite thick.  If any lumps have formed, strain through a fine-meshed sieve. 

Stir the fruit mixture into the pastry cream, cover tightly with plastic wrap on the surface and set aside.

For the Basic Meringue

6 large egg whites

½ cup sugar

Pinch of salt

1 teaspoon cream of tartar

2 tablespoons lemon juice and zest

Place egg white in a mixing bowl fitted with a whisk attachment.  With the mixer running, add salt, cream of tartar and lemon juice and zest.  Whisk until soft peaks form, then slowly add the sugar.  Continue to mix until the mixture is very white and glossy.

Add 1/3 of the meringue to the pastry cream mixture, and stir to lighten and combine.  Fold in the remaining meringue.

Prepare ramekins by brushing the inside with melted butter, and dusting with sugar.  This will help the soufflés to “climb”.  Set a few fresh berries into each small ramekin, and pour the mixture level with the rim.  Set the ramekins on a baking sheet and place in the centre of the preheated oven.  Bake 5 minutes for small ramekins, and longer for larger ones.  The soufflés should rise above the rim, but still be “gooey” inside.

For the Lavender Crème Anglaise

2 cups skim milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 egg yolks

4 egg whites

¼ cup granulated sugar

1 ½ tablespoons lavender buds

1 teaspoon lemon juice

Place all ingredients in a bowl.  Place a small saucepan with water on medium heat on the stove.  Reduce to low temperature and place the bowl with the ingredients on top of the saucepan to make a double boiler.  Whisk the mixture until thickened enough to coat the back of a spoon.  Strain if desired. 

Serve the blueberry soufflés hot with a small pitcher of Crème  Anglaise on the side.