Pork Loin

This was a recipe of my own creation from about five recipes I have found or used before.

1 Boneless Pork Loin about 3 pounds.

5- 6 slices bacon
stone ground mustard
2 tablespoons garlic ( minced or crushed )
salt and pepper to taste

rub garlic over the entire surface of the pork loin
season with salt and pepper
place pork loin in baking pan
cover entire surface with strips of uncooked bacon
rub stone ground mustard over the top of bacon

Cover baking pan with lid ( or aluminum foil)

bake in 350 degree oven for 90 minutes or until center of roast is 145 degrees with a roasting thermometer.

Remove lid ( or foil)

increase oven temperature to 450 degrees, bake for an additional 15 minutes to "crisp" bacon. NOTE: it does not really crisp.

remove from oven. Let stand for 20 minutes, slice and serve with sauce.

SAUCE:

Berry Wine and Balsamic Sauce.

1/2 cup assorted berries.
blueberries, blackberries,or cranberries or an assortment work best.
1/2 cup water or juice from berries
1/4 cup red wine or port
2 Tblsp. Balsamic Vinegar.

Place in a sauce pan over medium to high heat and bring to a rolling boil.
Add 1 Beef ( or Pork) Bouillon cube or 1 cup Beef broth.
reduce to about 1/2 of the liquid.

Add about a/2 of the liquid from the cooked Pork loin
reduce again if necessary

add 1 Tblsp Brown sugar

Thicken slightly with Cornstarch/water mixture to desired thickness.

We served it with simple white rice and roasted asparagus and broccoli.
The dinner ended with strawberry shortcake with whip cream

Over all a great dinner. Simple, Homey yet really flavorful. For those who do not like wine.berry sauce the pork is good without any sauce or any prepared BBQ sauce to dip or slather in as well.

Additional note.
While we did not do it tonight. Recently I served Slised strwberries with Chocolate Balsamic Vinegar !! YUMMMMMMMMM

Irish Dinner

Halibut with Tomato-Basil Sauce

Sauce
1/2 cup finely chopped shallots
4 cloves garlic finely chopped
1/2 cup white wine vinegar
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 cup whipping cream

Halibut
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
12 ounces mushrooms, chopped
1/2 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper
2 medium zucchini, trimmed, cut into matchstick-size strips
1 medium tomato chopped
handful of fresh baby spinach

4 8-ounces halibut fillets (about 1 inch thick)

1/2 cup (2 sticks) chilled butter, cut into pieces
2 medium tomatoes, peeled, seeded, chopped (about 1 cup)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh Basil
For Sauce:
Combine shallots, garlic and vinegar in heavy small saucepan. Boil until most of liquid evaporates, about 4 minutes. Add wine; boil until most of liquid evaporates, about 3 minutes. Whisk in cream. Set sauce aside.

For Halibut:
Preheat oven to 400°F. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms and crushed red pepper. Cook until mushrooms are deep golden brown, stirring frequently, about 12 minutes. Add zucchini and saute 2 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.Add the tomato and Spinach and remove from heat.

Meanwhile, lightly oil baking sheet. Place halibut on sheet and brush with remaining 1 tablespoon oil. Bake until fish is opaque in center, about 10 minutes.

Bring sauce to simmer. Reduce heat; add butter and whisk just until melted. Remove from heat. Mix in tomatoes and sorrel. Season with salt and pepper.


Due to the price of Halibut, I used Tilapia, and it turned out great.
I seasoned the fish with Old Bay before baking, and topped with slice lemons after baking.

Remember, we have to reheat everything hours later at work. This recipe worked well, even reheated.

I thought the sauce was a bit thin, everyone loved the taste. And sitting here typing, I realized I used 1/2 the butter called for. This is because I doubled the sauce recipe as recommended by everyone on the original web site.

So you may ask what makes this IRISH,
well, it is adapted from a recipe initially published in Bon Apetit in March 1996
From a Restaurant: Island Cottage; Hare Island, Ireland.

It is suggested that you Spoon Garlic Mashed Potatoes onto center of 4 plates. Place halibut atop potatoes. Arrange mushroom mixture around potatoes. Spoon sauce over fish and serve.

So,
Jen brought Mashed Potatoes
Bill made Irish Pub Salad
and Carly brought Festive Irish Cupcakes.




HAPPY ST PADDY'S DAY... May the Luck of the IRISH be with ya'

" Quiche" pan

My Quiche Pan is actually a well seasoned deep dish pizza pan. It measures 12 inches across and 2 1/2 inches deep.

Quiche....

Ohhh la la... Quiche Lorraine, Fresh Fruit and English Muffins with Jam!

Although quiche is now a classic dish of French cuisine, the word quiche is from the German Kuchen, meaning cake.

The well-known 'quiche Lorraine' was an open pie with a filling consisting of an egg and cream custard, which is called "migaine" in Lorraine, with smoked bacon or lardons. It was only later that cheese was added to the quiche Lorraine.[5] The addition of Gruyère cheese makes a quiche au gruyère or a quiche vosgienne. The 'quiche alsacienne' is similar to the 'quiche Lorraine', though onions are added to the recipe. The bottom crust was originally made from bread dough, but that has since evolved into a short-crust or puff pastry crust that is often baked using a Springform pan.

Quiche became popular in England sometime after the Second World War, and in the U.S. during the 1950s. Today, one can find many varieties of quiche, from the original quiche Lorraine, to ones with broccoli, mushrooms, ham and/or seafood (primarily shellfish). Quiche can be served as an entrée, for lunch, breakfast or an evening snack.

To this day, there is a minor German influence on the cuisine of the Lorraine region. The origin of quiche Lorraine is rural and the original quiche Lorraine had a rustic flair: it was cooked in a cast-iron pan and the pastry edges were not crimped. Today, quiche Lorraine is served throughout France and has a modern look with a crimped pastry crust. Consumption of quiche Lorraine is most prevalent in the southern regions of France, where the warm climate lends itself to lighter fare. The current version of quiche Lorraine served in France does include cheese:[citation needed] either Emmental or Gruyère. Unlike the version served in the United States, the bacon is cubed, no onions are added and the custard base is thicker.

My version:

Crust:
2 1/4 cup flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp salt
6 Tblsp COLD butter cut into small cubes

4 Tblsp COLD Crisco cut into small cubes

2-6 Tblsp Cold Water.

This works best if EVERYTHING is put in the freezer for about 30 minutes before use.

Put the first 5 ingredients in a food processor. Pulse until well mixed into about pea sized crumbles. keeping everything cold at this point is important to creating a flaky crust. Do not use your hand to mix the ingredients. If you do not have a food processor use a pastry blender or the back of two forks.

You want the fat and the flour to remain separate molecules.

Add water until a soft ball forms.
Flatten the crust into a six inch disk, wrap in saran wrap, and chill for thirty minutes.
Roll the crust out to the correct size to fill your quiche dish and up the sides.

bake crust in oven at 350 degrees for 20 minutes or until completely baked. ( you may need or want to use pie weights to keep the bottom from bubbling up, and to hold the sides securely upright. A pie weight can be made by lining your pan with foil, fill foil with 1/2 inch rice or uncooked beans, cover and completely seal rice with foil. )

When crust is baked.

Fill crust with

1/2 pound cooked bacon, cut into bite size pieces
1 pound shredded Swiss cheese
3 tbsp. sliced onions
( 8 sliced and sauteed mushrooms)

Custard:

12 eggs,
1 pt half and half
pinch of nutmeg
pinch of white pepper
pinch of salt

beat eggs, add 1/2 and 1/2 and other seasonings.

pour over filling

bake in 350 oven for 55 to 60 minutes or until custard is set.

remove from oven and let set for 15 to 30 minutes before slicing and serving.

Crust recipe is from COOKS magazine
Filling and Custard is passed on to me from Chef William King. Savior Faire and McCormick and Schmicks.

PS... according to Bill, your crust should never break! All the custard is to remain in the shell. This is the hardest step for me. I think I tend to over bake my crusts and I am often too lazy to make and use a pie weight. So the crust bubbles and when filled cracks.
It still tastes fine, does not look as pretty, and if using a removable bottom tart pan, it makes a mess of your oven. In a commercial kitchen, baked on egg custard smells HORRID !!!

Chocolate Peanut Butter Tart

Cookie Crust
1 cup finely ground chocolate wafers
I actually used teddy Grahams. they worked wonderfully
2 tbsp granulated sugar
1 1/2 ounces (3 tbsp) unsalted butter, melted

Preheat oven to 350F. In a medium bowl, mix cookie crumbs and sugar with a fork until well mixed. Drizzle butter and mix until crumbs are moistened. Press crumbs evenly into a 9 1/2 - inch fluted tart pan with a removable bottom. Bake crust for about 10 minutes until fragrant. Let crust cool completely before filling
Peanut Butter Filling
1 1/2 cups whole milk
1/4 tsp salt
3 large egg yolks
1/3 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
4 tsp all purpose flour
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1 cookie crust, baked & cooled (see recipe above)

Glaze
3 ounces semi or bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
2 ounces (4 tbsp) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1 tbsp light corn syrup

To make the filling

In a medium saucepan, bring milk and salt to a simmer. In a medium bowl, whisk together egg yolks, brown sugar and flour. Whisking constantly, slowly ladle in half of the hot milk over the egg mixture. Pour mixture back into the remaining milk in the pan. Cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, until mixture comes to a boil and thickens, about 4 minutes. Continue to cook, still whisking constantly, for 1 more minute. Remove pan from heat and whisk in peanut butter and vanilla.

Pour hot filling into cooled crust and spread evenly. Carefully press a piece of plastic wrap directly onto the surface of the filling (to prevent a skin from forming). Refrigerate for at least 2 hours before glazing.

To make the glaze and finish the tart

Melt chocolate and butter in a double boiler over medium heat. Stir corn syrup into the melted mixture until smooth. Remove plastic from chilled tart. Carefully pour the hot glaze over the filling and spread evenly to cover the filling. Refrigerate the tart for 30 minutes before serving.

I make the crust in my food processor. It is fairly easy that way.

This was an easy recipe.

Jennifer claimed it was the best dessert she ever had. I thought the glaze was a bit much. I think it would be better with milk chocolate.
It seemed very rich, but it all got eaten.

now it is hard for me to really evaluate this recipe other than on difficulty ( pretty easy) looks: beautiful, but the glaze is not really a glaze it is a hard shell. ( or maybe my corn syrup was just old) and comments, all good.
I don;t eat Peanut butter, and I certainly do not ruin chocolate with peanut butter. But I would definitely make it again and if you like resers' PB cups. I think you would enjoy this.

Seven (or more) layer salad

Recipe Source:
Aggie Fromm

Mom has made this salad since forever!
Why it is called seven layer salad I not sure, it has never been limited to seven layers. This was not the main dish, but could have been.
here is my version: but there are so many ways to do this right make it your own. there are three secrets to making this a WOW dish. They will be revealed at the end.

Starting at the bottom. Do not toss salad, simply layer each ingredient on top of the previous ones.

(ONE) Lettuce. Cut into bite size pieces. Traditional calls for iceberg. My work family seems to like Iceberg, so that is what I used. I think this would be awesome with spinach or a mix of garden baby greens.
(TWO) Diced tomatoes. ( these need to be the second layer so they do not make the other things too soggy as they drip during standing time)
(THREE) In the next green/white layer I combine on sliced, peeled and seeded cucumber, and about 5 stalks of thinly sliced celery. Celery is key to success of the crunch of this salad. You could do a layer of each, and the peeling seeding of the cucumber is my personal preference.
(FOUR a)Sliced black Olives.
(FOUR b) I used about 1/4 of a diced red onion mixed with the olives for this layer. I think the original calls for green onions or scallions more on the top, but again, personal preference is for red onions, and fewer than a full layer. Especially when returning to work with patients in the middle of the night.
(FIVE) Sliced white mushrooms
(SIX) 1/4 inch layer of Mayonnaise. HERE IS SECRET NUMBER ONE. Using low fat or fat free Kraft or Hellman's Mayonnaise gives this a very sweet ZIP. I think the acid level of fat free mayo is a bit higher to up the creaminess level of the reduced fat content. It is also fine with regular mayonnaise, and if you are a MIRACLE WHIP person, go for it. But whenever I make this salad, people often comment about how good the 'dressing layer is'. I think it has to do with the fact that I use fat free Kraft Mayo.
(SEVEN) Layer of shredded cheddar cheese, These cheese should preferably be fine shred Wisconsin aged cheddar, mixed with at least one other cheese. ( Monterrey Jack, or some other white cheese)
(EIGHT) 1 small bag FROZEN petite peas. The peas MUST STILL BE FROZEN.
cover the entire layer of cheese.
(NINE) Bacon. Need I say more. EVERYTHING IS BETTER WITH BACON ON IT!
(TEN) Sliced Hard boiled eggs, arranged to make your salad look beautiful.

Cover and refrigerate for at least two hours.

THIS IS SECRET NUMBER TWO:
Letting the peas thaw slowly over the mayonnaise layer allows the moisture to just barely drip through all the deeper layers. It allows the vegetables flavors to come through and slightly add to layers below.

SECRET NUMBER THREE:
For extra secret zip or do dah....
on the mayonnaise. LIGHTLY dust ( sprinkle) about two tablespoons of your favorite dried herb mixture.
If you or your friend are ranch dressing fans, you can use the dried powder mix and sprinkle it directly on the mayo. Other options are OLD BAY SEASONING, ( that is my favorite) herbs De Provence, or even Italian Seasoning if you are serving with an Italian meal.

The great thing about this recipe is you can make it your own !!

I have made Greek versions ( kalamata olives, more cucumbers, feta instead of cheddar and grilled red peppers) Italian, using slice salami instead of bacon and adding zucchini and red and green peppers. sometimes adding sliced green olives. ( that version was a bit salty for me, but everyone else loved it)

The LAST SECRET....
It should be served in a GLASS BOWL. If you have a Trifle Bowl, that is PERFECT. Straight sides, clear glass so your eyes can feast on the beauty of the layers before the first bite touches your lips.

Remember dining should be a feast for all the senses. Sight, Sound, Smell, Touch and Taste.

The rest of the dinner was equally awesome!! Carly provided the main BEEF POT ROAST
Jen brought Fried Red Potatoes
Bill delighted us with Chocolate Eclairs

Another GREAT Dinner for WORK

Crisp Chipotle Shrimp with Corn and Scallions

Ingredients:

1/3 cup mayonnaise
2 teaspoons finely chopped chipotle chiles in adobo plus 1 teaspoon adobo sauce
3/4 teaspoon salt
4 cups corn (cut from about 7 ears)
1/3 cup water
4 scallions, thinly sliced
1 pound peeled and deveined large shrimp (about 21 to 25 per pound)
1 to 1 1/2 cups panko (Japanese bread crumbs)
print a shopping list for this recipe

Preparation Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 475°F.

Stir together mayonnaise, chipotle with adobo sauce, and salt in a bowl.

Pulse 1 1/2 cups corn in a food processor with water and 2 tablespoons chipotle mayonnaise until coarsely pureed. Transfer mixture to a shallow 2-quart gratin dish. Stir in scallions and remaining corn.

Toss shrimp with remaining chipotle mayonnaise in bowl to coat.

Put 1 cup panko in another bowl, then add shrimp in small batches, tossing to coat evenly and shaking off excess (add more panko if needed). Arrange shrimp in 1 layer on top of corn. Roast until crumbs are golden and shrimp are just cooked through, about 18 minutes.

We served with white rice and a green salad.

A crisp white wine or even Corona with a lime would be perfect with this dish. Seeing how we have "dinner for work" we have to skip the wine and beer!

SOURCE EPICURIOUS

REVIEW:

Not a hit.

First of all this was a bit spicy, even for this chili head. While the picture shows a can of chipotle, a jar of salsa and a hot sauce, only the can was used. Admittedly, I might have used more than the original recipe called for.

The spice was so overpowering that you could barely taste the shrimp. I like the flavor of shrimp. The subtleness was lost in the overwhelming taste of the chipotle/mayo mixture. Also, that mixture was a bit thick and heavy. If I would have had a lime I would have cut it with the juice of a lime, or even a lemon. I [prefer lime with chipotle). That might have offered the whole dish an interesting zest that was missing.

Also, I think i would have roasted the corn over flames on a grill. Roasted corn would have also added an interesting twist to this recipe.

The other concern was reheating. These probably were "crispy" when first removed from the oven. But even baking them separate from the corn dish and just reheating together did not maintain the crispiness suggested by the title.

While there where problem with this recipe as presented I think it is workable.

In conclusion:

1) Roast corn over open flame before removing husk and cutting from the ear.
2) Do not go over the amount of chipotle recommended. Even spice and heat lovers found my version a bit too much.
3) This the mayo/chipotle mixture with the juice of 1/2 of a fresh lime.

Bake the shrimp on a separate cooking sheet, serve immediately.

OK... not a winner, but not bad.