I made this recipe for the first time last night. I was a little nervous, because admittedly I had only baked a pork tenderloin ONCE before. Crazy, I know! I just typically braise them for shredding (pulled pork) or grill. So, the cooking time and temp was an experiment, that I must say ended up pretty tender and juicy!
Chef Anne Burrell's recipe (using 3/4'' cut pork loin chops) was my main inspiration for the dish. Even though I've altered the recipe significantly (evening the cooking time and temperature), the foundation was Chef Burrell's. Since, I am a FIRM believer in giving credit where credit is due, especially when it comes to sharing recipes, I am sticking to my word.
Ingredients
1 pork loin (cut in half for quicker cooking time!)
1/2 cup soy sauce (I prefer Kekomon's low sodium)
4 tablespoons of rice wine vinegar (original)
2 teaspoons chili sauce (I prefer Sriracha, click here for the exact brand-I use this stuff ALL the time, one sniff and you'll understand the powerful flavor it brings to the party!)
1 inch piece of ginger, finely chopped (fresh please! I buy about one ginger root for less than $1 every
6 months and store it in the freezer....it keeps forever and it a must have ingredient with no substitutions)
2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
A couple dashes of garlic salt
1 whole to 1/2 onion, sliced
Extra Virgin Olive Oil (or canola oil), enough to coat the bottom of a saute pan
Instructions
Cut pork loin in half and place in a zip bag with all of the ingredients (except for oil and onion). Squeeze out ALL of the air, and place in fridge to marinated for about 6-8 hours (I did this part on my lunch break)
Take the pork out of the fridge and quickly rinse of the marinade with water (making sure to get all of the ginger and garlic off of the pork, if it remains, it will burn and taste horrible!). Place the pork on a plate lined with paper towels and allow to sit on the cabinet to "rest" for the next few minutes while you complete the next three steps.
Preheat oven to 425 (depending on your oven, you may need to go up to 450 or down to 400...just keep it in that range)
Heat a saute pan over medium high heat then coat with enough oil to cover the bottom of the pan (TIP: you can preserve the life of your saute pans if you allow the pan to heat up BEFORE putting in the oil!)
Season the pork with a little salt and fresh black pepper, then put in the hot saute pan to brown on all sides (it's important that you hear a big sizzle when the pork hits the pan....remember, the goal here is to quickly brown. This is where you are going to lock in major flavor components and is one of the more important steps)
While the pork is browning, line a medium sized baking dish with foil and spray with non-stick cooking spray.
Slice the onions and scatter around on the bottom of the baking dish, creating a bed for the pork.
Once the pork is brown on all sides, place in the foil lined baking dish on top of the bed of onions, add a little liquid to the bottom of the pan (1/2 - 1 cup of water, stock or white wine) and bake (uncovered) for about 20 minutes.
After 20 minutes, remove from the oven, quickly and tightly cover with aluminum foil. Let sit for the first round of "resting" for 10 minutes.
After that 10 minutes, take out of the baking pan, place on a cutting board and let "rest" for the 2nd round for 3-5 minutes before cutting (this is critical! Do NOT cut until after these two resting periods. Resting allows for the juices to redistribute throughout the meat (where you want it!), versus running out on your cutting board if you hack into it too soon.)
Slice into disc and enjoy!
Serve with steamed broccoli or snap beans.
Tips
~I increased the cooking time from 15 minutes to 20 because after the 2 resting periods, I sliced into the larger piece to find it a tad pink. If this happens to you (which it should not after 20 minutes in the oven and 2 resting periods), simply put the uncooked piece back in the baking pan into the oven for a few more minutes. I put mine in cut side down. Just remember before you test it again by cutting, you have to let it rest. A reliable instant read meat thermometer would also be beneficial to use here.
~An interesting fact is that just this year (May 2011) the USDA revised their recommended cooking temperatures for whole cuts of meat. TO read more, click here. Remember, however, that there is a culinary term called "carryover temperature" which happens in whole cuts of meat and even eggs. It's a simple concept that means that the internal temperature continues to rise after being removed from the heat-which is why you should always pull eggs off the stove when there are a few minutes shy of being ready!....which knowing that helped my thinking process behing the 1st resting period I mentioned above (whereas the 2nd resting period before slicing is to help the meat stay tender and juice).
RECIPE: ASIAN MARINATED PORK TENDERLOIN
At Home Back Exercises!
These look great and I cannot wait to encorporate them into my at home circuit routine. Take a look (courtesy of Oxygen Magazine)
http://oxygenmag.com/Training/Slideshows/Your-Strong-Back.aspx#slide-1
Choosing the right cereal....
From one of my fav nutritionist...despite the fact that she is a fan of fake sugar.
http://blog.nola.com/health_impact/print.html?entry=/2011/08/how_can_a_shopper_tell_whats_n.html
RECIPE: KEY LIME PIE
Yes, I am known for showing my affection through food. What can I say?! So naturally to bid Michael a Happy 2 Year Anniversary, I made one of his top treats - Key Lime Pie.
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/2 cup granulated sugar
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick butter), melted
2 (14 oz) cans condensed milk
1 cup key lime or regular lime juice (I strongly suggest key lime!)
2 whole eggs
1 cup sour cream
2 tablespoons powdered sugar
1 tablespoon lime zest
Instructions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
In a bowl, mix the graham crumbs, sugar and butter with your hands. Press the mixture firmly into a 9 inch pie pan, and bake until brown, about 20 minutes.
Remove from the oven and allow to cool at room temp before filling. (FYI: This is a higher sugar ration than any graham crust I've ever made...and worth it! The sugar will carmelize and become so crunchy and delicious!!! It's the perfect contrast to the creamy pie. YUM!).
Lower the oven temp to 325 degrees F.
In a separate bowl, combine the condensed milk, lime juice and eggs. Whisk until well blended and place the filling in the cooled pie shell.
Bake for 15 min and allow to chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours. (FYI: It will take a bit for the mixture to come together. Have patience and really make sure the mixture is homogenous before pouring into the pie shell.)
Tips
Recipe with no name
Lately, I have been seeing more and more restaurants serving asparagus incorporated into dishes, where it's sliced into itty bitty pieces. So naturally I have been trying to replicate that in my own kitchen. This week (Monday in fact) I had a hankering for hearts of palm and tangy lemon and before I knew it, a new "recipe" was in the works. The only problem is that I haven't figured out what to call it yet. So...I'll get back to you on that. In the meantime, check it out:
INGREDIENTS
Asparagus - 1 bunch
Hearts of Palm - 1 can
Chick Peas - 1 can
Cucumber - 1 medium sized, english-style
Red Onion - 1 small, diced as small as you can get it
Grape or Cherry Tomatoes - 1 cup or so, quartered and seeded
Capers - about 2 tablespoons, minced
Olives - about 2 tablespoons of either kalamata or green spanish, minced
Basil, Parsley or Mint - 2 tablespoon, minced (choose whichever one you like best)
Lemon - 1 large
Vinegar - just to coat, either champane, white wine, rice or white balsamic would be best
Salt & Pepper
INSTRUCTIONS
Bring a pot of salted water to boil (4 cups or so).
Prepare an "ice bath" (put a few cups of water in a boil and fill with ice).
Break the tough ends off of asparagus (the woody white colored ends. If you bend it like a pencil, it will natrually pop and break where it needs to). Toss into the boiling water and boil for only 1 quick minute. Remove immediately and place into ice bath to chill completely.
Drain and rinse the chick peas (always always always drain and rinse canned beans to cut the sodium content down). Put the beans into a large bowl, prefereably with a lid (I used the same bowl I stored it in).
Chop all the veggies to the sizes specified and add to the bowl with the beans:
- Asparagus - about 1/8 to 1/4''
- Hearts of Palm - slice in half lengthwise, half again lengthwise, then dice into pieces about 1/4 inch thick
- Cucumber - slice off the two ends and stand it up on the cutting board. Make two lenghtwise slices, which will leave you with 3 long stripes. Next, take each of the 3 stripes and slice each one to make 4 more strips each. Now dice all to 1/4''
- All others (capers, olives, herb) as listed above in ingredients list
Toss in the lemon juice, vinegar and salt and pepper. Taste as you go, keeping the golden rule in mind "you can always add but you can't take away!" Remember the taste will be different at this stage than it will a few hours, or days later. So, season sparingly, then check it again after a few hours.
Let sit in the fridge for at least an hour, but the next day it will be at it's best and only gets better as the days go by. Every time you open the fridge for sometime, just give the bowl a little shimmy shake. It will last for about 4-5 days.
How to serve it? Plain just like it is as an appetizer (I always keep mixtures like this handy for the time gap of getting home before I eat dinner), a mid-afternoon snack at the office, a side dish (would pair great with any meat, and especially fish prepared with lemon), in a pita as a veggie sandwich, on top of greens for a great salad.....
VARIATIONS
- Are endless. Use your imagination. Off the top of my head I think raw bell peppers and/or celery would go great.
RECIPE: ROASTED MASHED POTATOES
The highlight of our Memorial Day weekend was actually spent the day before, Sunday, with a few of our best friends. A long day at the pool was capped by a dinner party at our house. Erica & Nick came in from Thibodaux, Simm in from Lake Chuck and Meg & Brandon walked all the way across the street to partake. I find it strange of all the good food we had that day (including two racks of ribs per guest by Chef Simm), I am choosing to share with you the "recipe" for one of the side items.
I LOVE roasted vegetables (just as much as I love braised meat). I have never ever met a veggie that didn't taste amazing roasted. Potatoes are a prime example.
How to roast a vegetable you ask? High heat, a little seasoning, olive oil and a large sheet pan covered in aluminum foil (easy clean up). Most any veggie can be cooked this way....400-450 for 20-40 min (depending on the make and model of the veggie and the size of the dice).
What started as me serving my everyday roasted potatoes, ended up in the creation of a new "recipe" that will become a staple in the Guillot house thanks to a lovely suggestion by the one and only Jon Simm. As I pulled them out the oven he said "Jen why don't you mash those things up and call it a day." Such a simple and obvious suggestion, but yet, one I hadn't thought of before.
As I try to put my recipe into words, I am reminded of my MawMaw Gauthier and how I used to get SO upset when I asked her for a recipe and she said she could not give me one because she did not have one. Even baked goods that are measurement specific learned in her younger days as a pastry chef at Baum's Bakery in Baton Rouge. Now I know how she must have felt. Sounds easy enough to do, but it's actually kinda tricky pulling stuff out of your brain and putting it on paper (or on screen).
Red potatoes (cubed)
Olive Oil (just to coat)
Salt & Fresh Black Pepper (to taste, a light even coating)
Butter (2 tbs per 10 potatoes)
Half & Half (hum, about 1/4 cup I suppose..just add a little and taste and add more if needed)
Instructions
Preheat oven to 400~425 (depending on your oven).
Cut potatoes and toss with oil and seasonings in a bowl (sometimes when I'm in a hurry I do this step in the sheet pan, but you will get a much more even coating if you toss it in a bowl).
Spread seasoned potatoes in a large sheet pan covered in aluminum foil. Roast in oven for about 30 min or until some parts are getting a deep brown...almost burnt (it will take more or less time depending on how big your pan is and how many potatoes you have). Swish the pan around and give it a mix half way through for even browning.
Remove from oven and put back into the bowl you used in the first step. Toss in the butter, cheese, half & half and mash away. Taste to make sure your seasonings are right....remembering it is best to add if needed. *Remember: You can always add but you can't take away.*
Variations
~Are endless, it's potatoes for crying out loud.
~Try adding chipotle in adobe sauce for a texmex twist
~Or, my favorite, smash in some roasted GARLIC!
Recipe: Braised Kale
What's the most tastey way to enjoy it? Although I've eaten it raw in a salad before (where you massage it with sea salt and citrus juice and/or vinegar) and I'm super anxious to try it plain steamed as suggested in the link above, the best way I've ever tasted was Braised, as prepared by one of my best buds, Sarah Folse. Sarah - thanks for sharing your recipe with me!!!
1/8 tsp black pepper
~New idea after making this recipe yet again after this post...this round, I decided to add in capers and fresh shavings of parmiganna reggiano! Mmmmm!!!!
*Tips
~This recipe is VERY good leftover. Just careful not to overheat in the microwave. Go about 30-45 sec per serving size you're reheating. Makes a great warm salad for a lunch at your desk (which I am actually doing right at this second!)