Last Sunday I had a lovely dinner party with some of my friends and took the opportunity to try some new recipes. My husband and I love pork; some of you might remember that's part of why Jim married me, my pig skills. So I thought let's try a new way to cook pork tenderloin. I found this recipe in the Gourmet magazine archives, which tends to be a very trustworthy, well-tested archive of information and it worked perfectly.
Roasted Pork Tenderloin with Sage Corn Bread Crust
Ingredients1 one-pound pork tenderloin
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 corn toaster cakes, crumbled, or 1 cup crumbled corn muffin
1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh sage
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
Procedure
Preheat oven to 400°F. Pat pork dry and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Heat oil in a 10-inch nonstick skillet over high heat until hot but not smoking, then brown pork, turning, about 4 minutes. Transfer to an oiled shallow baking pan. Add butter to skillet and cook garlic over moderate heat, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Remove pan from heat and stir in crumbs, sage, and salt and pepper to taste.
Spread mustard over pork and pat half of seasoned crumbs onto mustard, then sprinkle with remaining seasoned crumbs. Roast in middle of oven until an instant-read thermometer inserted diagonally 2 inches into meat registers 155°F, 20 to 25 minutes. (Check after 15 minutes to see if crumbs are getting too dark; if they are, tent loosely with foil.) Transfer to a cutting board, then tent loosely with foil and let stand 10 minutes before slicing (temperature will rise to 160°F). Serves 4.
I also found this great-braised cabbage recipe. Now some people think braising is some kind of scary, advanced technique. Au contraire mes amis! It just means cooking long and slow with liquid. Nothing to it! Give this dish 2 hours to simmer and it will be melt-in-your-mouth delicious.
Braised Cabbage
Ingredients4 tablespoons butter
1 large onion, quartered and thinly sliced
2 tart apples, peeled, cored, finely diced or pear
1 head of cabbage, coarsely chopped or shredded, about 8 cups
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
6 tablespoons cider vinegar
1/2 cup apricot preserves or apple jelly
salt, to taste
Procedure
In a large saucepan, electric skillet, or Dutch oven, heat butter over low heat; add onion and apple; sauté for about 7 to 10 minutes or until soft. Add cabbage, pepper, vinegar, and preserves or jelly; toss to blend well. Cover tightly and simmer slowly over low heat for about 1 1/2 to 2 hours, or until cabbage is very soft and tender. Add salt to taste. Serves 6-8.
