Maple-Mustard Pork Tenderloin with Caramelized Apples

This is one of my favorite autumn/winter meals. It's extremely easy to prepare and is a comforting and delicious meal, especially on a cold day. As a bonus, the recipe originated in Cooking Light, so it's actually pretty darned healthy, too.
Maple-Mustard Pork Tenderloin with Caramelized Apples
   2 1/2 pounds pork tenderloins (usually about 2)
   1/2 cup Dijon mustard
   6 - 7 tablespoons maple syrup, divided
   2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh rosemary
   1 teaspoon kosher salt
   1/2 teaspoon pepper
   10 - 12 Granny Smith apples, each peeled and cut into 12 wedges (about 5 - 6 pounds)

Preheat an oven to 425°F. Trim any excess fat from the pork. Combine the mustard, 1/4 cup of maple syrup, rosemary, salt, and pepper in a small bowl. Place the pork in a baking dish and coat with about half of the maple-mustard mixture, setting the rest of the mixture aside for the apples. (It's nice to do this a few hours in advance to allow the pork to marinate (refrigerated) and pick up even more flavor. Lining the baking dish with a silpat or parchment will help immensely with cleanup.) Bake at 425°F for 25 minutes or until a meat thermometer registers the desired temperature.*

While the pork is baking, heat a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the apples and sauté for about 5 minutes or until lightly browned. Add 2 - 3 tablespoons of maple syrup (depending on how sweet you want the final dish to be and on the tartness of your apples) along with the remaining maple-mustard mixture and reduce the heat to low. Simmer for 10 15 minutes or until the apples are tender and starting to break down, stirring occasionally. Slice the pork crosswise and serve with the apples.

*The parasite that causes trichinosis is killed at 137°F, but the FDA recommends cooking pork to 160°F. I tend to cook the pork until the thermometer reads 140°F, after which carry-over cooking continues to raise the temperature to close to 150°F. If you cook until the thermometer reads 160°F (as the original recipe suggests), carry-over cooking will take the temperature well past this and you'll end up with very dry pork. That being said, you should cook to whatever temperature you're comfortable with.

Cornbread, Three Ways

As a side dishes for the canceled Chili Cook-Off, my mom and I both cooked up some cornbread. She went with a fairly traditional recipe from the Tassajara Bread Book, (page from book pictured below) while I went with crazy full-of-yummy-stuff versions.

The Three Layer Cornbread was one of the nicer "traditional" cornbreads I've tried, but the unanimous winner in the Cornbread Cook-Off was the Bacon and Scallion Cornbread with White Cheddar. I went a little crazy with the chiles in the Chorizo and Chile Cornbread (I've cut back the quantity in the recipe below), so they ended up overpowering the Chorizo-y goodness a bit (it was sort of like eating yummy fire), or else it may have been a stronger contender as well. All in all, I think all three of these recipes make pretty kick-ass cornbread so it all just depends what type of cornbread you're in the market for...
The Chorizo-Chile Cornbread originated at Epicurious (though it has been heavily tweaked), and the Bacon-Scallion Cornbread was just a variation on that recipe. (Update: The too-spicy Chorizo-Chile Cornbread actually became quite delicious and less incendiary when served with a little cream cheese to calm the burn...)

Three Layer Cornbread
   1 cup cornmeal (course-ground works best)
   1/2 cup whole wheat flour
   1/2 cup unbleached white flour
   2 teaspoons baking powder
   3/4 teaspoon salt
   1 egg
   6 tablespoons honey
   1/4 cup oil
   3 cups buttermilk

Preheat an oven to 350°F. Combine dry ingredients. Combine wet ingredients. Mix together (mixture will be quite runny). Pour into a well-greased 9"pan. Bake at 350°F for 50 minutes or until the top is springy when gently touched.


Chorizo and Chile Cornbread with White Cheddar
   8 ounces Chorizo sausage (casing removed)
   1 cup yellow cornmeal
   1 tablespoon baking powder
   1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
   2 eggs, lightly beaten
   1 cup sour cream
   1 14-ounce can creamed corn
   4 fresh jalapeño chiles, roasted, peeled, and minced
   2 cups grated extra-sharp white cheddar cheese

Preheat an oven to 350°F. Crumble the Chorizo into a skillet and cook over medium-high heat for about 5 minutes to render some of the fat. Combine the sausage, 3 tablespoons of the rendered fat, and the rest of the ingredients in a large bowl and mix thoroughly. (My Chorizo barely rendered any fat, so I added 3 tablespoons of bacon fat here.) Pour into a well-greased 9" x 9" baking pan and cook in a 350°F oven for 45-55 minutes or until golden brown and set in the middle.


Bacon and Scallion Cornbread with White Cheddar
   6 - 8 ounces bacon, chopped
   1 cup yellow cornmeal
   1 tablespoon baking powder
   1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
   2 eggs, lightly beaten
   1 cup sour cream
   1 14-ounce can creamed corn
   4 - 6 fresh jalapeño chiles, roasted, peeled, and minced
   5 scallions, thinly sliced
   2 cups grated extra-sharp white cheddar cheese

Preheat an oven to 350°F. Place the bacon in a skillet and cook over medium-high heat until crispy. Remove from the skillet and drain on paper towels. Combine the bacon, 3 tablespoons of the rendered fat, and the rest of the ingredients in a large bowl and mix thoroughly. Pour into a well-greased 9" x 9" baking pan and cook in a 350°F oven for 45-55 minutes or until golden brown and set in the middle.


UPDATE: My mom made another batch of the Three Layer Cornbread, and this one turned out more perfectly so she wanted to share. The picture is below. It's really pretty awesome...

Chili, Two Ways

Even though Portland's beautiful snow canceled the Chili Cook-Off I had scheduled for Sunday afternoon, my dad and I decided that we might as well use the ingredients we'd already bought and have a one-on-one Chili Cook-Off anyway. This turned out to be a pretty interesting exercise in the art of tweaking recipes. My dad has been making his famous chili for years, and he started out (roughly) with the Chili Con Carne with Tomatoes recipe from a Betty Crocker Cookbook published in the 1970's.

If you look closely, you'll see that this recipe calls for an adorable 2 teaspoons of chili powder, 1/8 teaspoon of cayenne pepper, and 1/8 teaspooon of paprika. I've never tried the recipe as written, but it sounds to me like you would end up with a pot of bland ground beef with tomatoes. My dad sticks to many of the components of this recipe, but with about 12 times as much of each spice (see recipe for Dad's Famous Chili below). When I first made my own chili while I was in Melbourne, I started from my dad's recipe but the ingredients available to me and some random impulses led to the end product being completely different (see recipe for Emily's Awesome Chili below). As you can see in the picture, both finished dishes look pretty darned similar, but the flavor profile is completely different.

Dad's Famous Chili
   1 pound ground beef
   2 medium onions (finely chopped, about a cup)
   1 green bell pepper (also finely chopped)
   4 serrano chiles
   1 28-ounce can chopped tomatoes
   1 8-ounce can tomato sauce
   5 - 6 tablespoons chili powder (to taste)
   1 teaspoon salt
   1 tablespoon cayenne (to taste)
   4 tablespoons paprika (to taste)
   1 15-ounce can kidney beans

Combine the beef, onion, bell pepper, and chiles in a skillet over medium-high heat and cook, stirring, until the meat is browned. Drain off all of the liquid, (mostly it's fat) and combine the rest of the ingredients other than the beans. Simmer for a couple of hours covered. Add the beans just before serving and simmer until warmed through.

Serves 6-8.


Emily's Awesome Chili
   1 tablespoon olive oil
   2.5 medium onions (roughly chopped)
   2 medium green bell peppers (chopped)
   4 jalapeño peppers, minced
   2 serrano chiles, minced
   6 cloves garlic, minced
   500g extra-lean ground beef
   200g ground veal (or substitute extra-lean ground beef)
   5 tablespoons chili powder
   1/2 tablespoon hot paprika
   1/2 - 1 tablespoon cayenne
   2 teaspoons salt
   1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
   1 14-ounce can tomato puree
   1 14-ounce can whole tomatoes (crushed by hand)
   2 tablespoons tomato paste
   1 15-ounce can kidney beans

In a soup pot, heat the oil over high heat then add the onions, bell peppers, jalapeños, serranos, and garlic and sauté until very soft and starting to brown. Add the ground beef and ground veal and cook, stirring, until the meat begins to brown. Add the chili powder, paprika, cayenne, and salt and stir to thoroughly combine. Continue to cook over high heat until the meat is cooked through. Add the four types of canned tomatoes, stir to combine, and bring to a simmer. Simmer, covered, for 2 hours. Remove the lid and simmer for an additional hour. Add the beans and simmer until heated through. This can be served right away but tastes even better the next day.

Serves 6-8.

Southeast Asian Turkey Burgers

These are a nice easy solution when you’re having a Vietnamese Pork Roll craving but don’t have the energy to do all the prep required in a Vietnamese Chicken Roll or the like… This is definitely one of my favorite burgers. The recipe started over at Epicurious, but has been added to and modified a bit…

Southeast Asian Turkey Burgers
   4 - 5 fresh lemongrass stalks, edible portion minced
   4 garlic cloves, chopped
   3/4 cup minced shallots
   4-5 tablespoons finely chopped peeled ginger
   3 fresh serrano chiles, finely chopped, including seeds
   4 tablespoons Asian fish sauce, divided
   3 pounds ground turkey
   1/2 cup fresh lime juice
   6 tablespoons vegetable oil
   1 teaspoon sugar
   1 teaspoon dried hot red-pepper flakes
   8 kaiser rolls, split and grilled
   1 batch lime mayonnaise (recipe below)
   4-6 cups mixed fresh mint, basil, and cilantro leaves
   1 English cucumber, sliced on the bias into ~1/4-inch slices
   6 carrots, julienned
   4 long red chilies, thinly sliced

In a food processor, finely grind the lemongrass, garlic, shallots, ginger, and chiles with 2 tablespoons fish sauce, scraping down the sides of the bowl frequently, until a pastev forms. Mix this paste together with the turkey using your hands until just combined (do not overmix), then form into 8 equal patties
.
Chill the patties, covered with plastic wrap, for at least 4 hours (to allow flavors to develop and to improve structural integrity).

Meanwhile, in a jar with a tight-fitting lid, combine the lime juice, oil, sugar, red-pepper flakes, 1/8 teaspoon salt, and remaining 2 tablespoons fish sauce and shake to combine until sugar is dissolved. Preheat a gas grill, then grill the patties, covered only if using a gas grill, turning once, until just cooked through, 10 to 12 minutes total. Lightly toast the sliced buns on the grill when you finish cooking the burgers.

For each burger: Shake the dressing to re-combine, then drizzle the cut sides of the bun evenly with ~1 tablespoon sauce, then spread desired amount of lime mayonnaise on one or both buns. Top with a patty and 1/2 cup mixed herbs. Combine desired amounts of herbs, cucumber, carrots, and chilies in a small bowl and toss with the dressing. Place cucumber slices on the bottom bun, then top with the burger followed by remaining herbs and vegetables. Top with the other half of the bun and serve.


Lime Mayonnaise
   6 egg yolks
   2-3 teaspoons Dijon mustard
   juice of 3/4 – 1 lime (to taste)
   1/2 – 3/4 cup light-flavored oil
      salt and pepper (to taste)

Blend egg yolks, mustard, and lime juice in a blender. With motor still running, slowly drizzle in the oil to form an emulsion. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Braised Oxtail with Red Wine Reduction and Celery Root Mash

This braised oxtail is one of my favorite winter meals. It started out with a recipe in Elements of Taste (which is one of my very favorite cookbooks) and has been made even better with the addition of the celery root mash. You could serve this the day you make it, but I usually refrigerate the meat in the reduced sauce overnight and then gently warm in the oven the next day when I’m ready to serve.

Braised Oxtail with Red Wine Reduction
   6-7 pounds oxtail
      Kosher salt
      Freshly ground white pepper
   1/4 cup grapeseed or other neutral vegetable oil
   2 1/2 cups roughly diced celery root
   3 cups roughly diced carrots
   3 medium leeks
   1 1/2 large onions, roughly sliced
   6 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
   1 1/2 bunches thyme
   3/4 bunch rosemary
   5 cloves
   4 bay leaves
   15 white peppercorns
   3 bottles dry red wine
   1 1/2 pig trotters, halved and cleaned*
   1 1/2 tablespoons tomato paste
   1 tablespoon flour
      Finely grated fresh horseradish (optional, but highly recommended)
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Season the oxtails with salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven or braising pan over medium-high heat. Add the oxtails and brown on all sides, about 10 minutes total, then remove and set aside. Add the celery root, carrots, leeks, onion, garlic, thyme, rosemary, cloves, bay leaves, and peppercorns and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are tender and browned. Add the tomato paste. Mix well, then add the flour and mix again. Deglaze with red wine, scraping up any bits sticking to the pan. Return the oxtails to the pan and add the pig trotters. Bring to a simmer, cover, and braise in the oven until the oxtail is very tender, about 3-4 hours.

Remove the oxtails and trotter from the braising liquid. When the oxtails are cool enough to handle, remove all meat from the bones (this should be very easy if you cooked them long enough) and take all the meat off the trotter. Julienne the meat from the trotter and discard the bones. Set the meat aside in a bowl.
Strain the braising liquid through a fine sieve, pushing the vegetables through the sieve to give body to the liquid. Return the braising liquid to the pot and bring to a boil. Reduce by half over high heat. Degrease (by cooling, by skimming, or with a fat separator) and add to the bowl with the meat. Refrigerate overnight or until ready to serve. The next day, transfer the mixture (which will look like beef jello in the morning) to a baking dish and gently warm the oxtails in the braising liquid in a 300°F oven.

Serve the meat with Celery Root Mash (recipe below) and surround with the reduced red wine braising liquid. Garnish with a finely grated fresh horseradish if desired.

Serves 6.

* You can substitute one large ham hock if you really can’t find trotters, but the dish will not turn out as awesome…

Celery Root Mash
   6 cups whole milk and 6 cups water
   1 1/2 tablespoons coarse sea salt
   1 1/2 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and quartered
   3 pounds celery root, peeled and cut into 8 pieces
   9 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
      Salt and white pepper to taste

Place the milk, water, salt, potatoes, and celery root in a large pot and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer until the vegetables are very tender, about 20 to 25 minutes. Drain, then return to the pan over low heat to remove excess liquid. Process the potatoes and celery root with a food mill, then stir in the butter and season with salt and pepper. The mash is great like this, but I like to then bake it in a 300°F oven (while the oxtail reheats) until lightly browned on top.

Perfect Lemon Bars

This is a recipe from Cook's Illustrated that makes the best Lemon Bars in the history of civilization. For reals. If you love lemon bars, you should definitely make these. If you don't think you love lemon bars, you should make these and discover that you actually do. Steph and I blew or own minds the first time we made these...

Perfect Lemon Bars
The Crust:
   1 3/4 C all-purpose flour
   2/3 C confectioners’ sugar, plus extra to decorate finished bars
   1/4 C cornstarch
   3/4 t salt
   12 T unsalted cold butter, cut into 1-inch pieces,
      plus extra for greasing the pan

Lemon Filling:
   4 large eggs, beaten lightly
   1 1/3 C granulated sugar
   3 T all-purpose flour
   2 t finely grated zest
   2/3 C lemon juice
   1/3 C whole milk
   1/8 t salt

Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350º Fahrenheit. Lightly butter a 9" x 13" baking dish and line with a sheet of parchment or wax paper. Dot the paper with butter and lay a second sheet crosswise over it if it is too narrow to cover all 4 sides of the baking dish.

Pulse flour, confectioners’ sugar, cornstarch, and salt in a food processor work bowl fitted with a steel blade. Add butter and process to blend, 8 – 10 seconds, then pulse until mixture is pale yellow and resembles coarse meal, about three 1-second bursts. Sprinkle the mixture into the lined pan and press firmly with fingers into an even layer over entire pan bottom. Refrigerate for 30 minutes, then bake until golden brown, about 20-30 minutes.

Meanwhile, whisk eggs, sugar, and flour in medium bowl, then stir in lemon zest and juice, milk, and salt to blend well.

Reduce oven temperature to 325º Fahrenheit. Stir the filling mixture to re-blend, then pour onto warm crust. Bake until filling feels firm when touched lightly, about 20 minutes. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and cool to near room temperature, at least 30 minutes.

To serve, lift paper to transfer the bars to a cutting board, peel the paper down, then cut into the desired sizes. Dust with powdered sugar and serve.

Makes ~24 bars.

Espresso Milkshakes

These are the perfect late-night movie-watching beverage/dessert combo for coffee lovers.

Espresso Milkshakes
   1 cup fresh-brewed espresso
   1/4 cup coffee-flavored liqueur
   1/3 cup whole milk
   6 large scoops lite vanilla ice cream (~1 quart)

The key step in making these is to chill the espresso to avoid too much ice cream meltage... I find a quick way to do this is to put it in an empty (clean) screw-cap wine bottle and chilling it as you would a bottle of wine (we used a Cooper Cooler, but whatever method you usually use would work). Combine all ingredients in a blender. Serves 3.