Orange-Cranberry Pork Tenderloin with Quinoa Salad

So I'm sharing a few recipes that we've loved lately. This one is from Our Best Bites' Seasonal Cookbook and it is incredible.

1-1 1/2 lbs pork tenderloin
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp freshly cracked black pepper
1 1/2 tsp EVOO
1 14 oz. whole berry cranberry sauce
juice of 1 orange
zest of 1 orange
3 cloves of garlic, minced or pressed
1 tbsp coarse mustard
 1/2 cup chicken broth

Tenderloin

Preheat oven to 400 degrees

Rinse pork in cold water, Pat dry with paper towels Mix together garlic garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper in a small bowl and sprinkle evenly over all sides of pork.

Heat a large, oven-safe skillet to medium-high heat on the stove. Add oil and tilt pan until oil coats the bottom. Use tongs to place tenderloins in pan and sear 1-2 minutes on each side or until golden brown.

While pork is searing, whisk together cranberry sauce, orange juice, orange zest, garlic, mustard and chicken broth. When pork is seared on all sides, pour sauce into pan and bring to a simmer, scraping bottom of pan while sauce simmers 1 minute.

Place skillet in oven, uncovered and cook 20-30 minutes or until internal temp reaches 150. Remove from oven and let rest 5 minutes. Place pork on cutting board and slice into 1/2 inch slices. Return to pan and serve with extra sauce drizzled over the top.

Salad
2 cups chicken broth
1 cup uncooked quinoa
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
1/2 cup chopped pecans, toasted
1/2 cup chopped green onions
1/2 cup dried cranberries
zest of 1 orange

Dressing   Mix all ingredients in a blender or with an immersible blender
1/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
2 Tbsp EVOO
1 clove fresh minced garlic
1/2 tsp salt
10 cracks black pepper
2 tsps coarse mustard

Bring chicken broth to a boil. Add quinoa and cover. Simmer for 20 minutes. Remove from heat, allow to stand 5 minutes, and fluff with a fork. Chill.

Toss chilled quinoa, feta cheese, pecans, green onions, cranberries, and orange zest together. Drizzle dressing over the top and toss quickly to combine. Serve cold.

These two are just absolutely incredible together. I serve them with some broccoli on the side as well.

This spinach salad recipe is a variation of Mom's, but I really love the dressing which is made from the rendered bacon fat and poured over the spinach when it's still warm. Yummy!

Spinach Salad with Bacon Dressing
from Television Food Network

Ingredients

8 ounces young spinach
2 large eggs
8 pieces thick-sliced bacon, chopped
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 large white mushrooms, sliced
3 ounces red onion (1 small), very thinly sliced
Directions

Remove the stems from the spinach and wash, drain and pat dry thoroughly. Place into a large mixing bowl and set aside.

Place the eggs into an electric kettle and cover with cold water by at least 1-inch. Turn the kettle on. Once the water comes to a boil, the kettle will turn itself off. Leave the eggs in the water for 15 minutes. Remove and peel off the shell. Slice each egg into 8 pieces and set aside.

While the eggs are cooking, fry the bacon and remove to a paper towel to drain, reserving 3 tablespoons of the rendered fat. Crumble the bacon and set aside.

Transfer the fat to a small saucepan set over low heat and whisk in the red wine vinegar, sugar and Dijon mustard. Season with a small pinch each of kosher salt and black pepper.

Add the mushrooms and the sliced onion to the spinach and toss. Add the dressing and bacon and toss to combine. Divide the spinach between 4 plates or bowls and evenly divide the egg among them. Season with pepper, as desired. Serve immediately.

Read more at: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/spinach-salad-with-warm-bacon-dressing-recipe.print.html?oc=linkback

I've never had a bad recipe from America's Test Kitchen, and this certainly continues that trend. We made it for dinner tonight and the broth was absolutely fabulous. If you like mushrooms, you are going to love this soup. I sauteed the veggies while the rice was cooking in the oven which saved substantial time in the end.

Wild Rice and Mushroom Soup

From America's Test Kitchen Season 14

Serves 6 to 8

White mushrooms can be substituted for the cremini mushrooms. We use a spice grinder to process the dried shiitake mushrooms, but a blender also works.

INGREDIENTS

1/4 
ounce dried shiitake mushrooms, rinsed

4 1/4 
cups water

1 
sprig fresh thyme

1 
bay leaf

1 
garlic clove, peeled, plus 4 cloves, minced


Salt and pepper

1/4 
teaspoons baking soda

1 
cup wild rice

4 
tablespoons unsalted butter

1 
pound cremini mushrooms, trimmed and sliced 1/4 inch thick

1 
onion, chopped fine

1 
teaspoon tomato paste

2/3 
cup dry sherry

4 
cups low-sodium chicken broth

1 
tablespoon soy sauce

1/4 
cup cornstarch

1/2 
cup heavy cream

1/4 
cup minced fresh chives

1/4 
teaspoon finely grated lemon zest

INSTRUCTIONS


1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 375 degrees. Grind shiitake mushrooms in spice grinder until finely ground (you should have about 3 tablespoons).

2. Bring 4 cups water, thyme, bay leaf, garlic clove, ¾ teaspoon salt, and baking soda to boil in medium saucepan over high heat. Add rice and return to boil. Cover saucepan, transfer to oven, and bake until rice is tender, 35 to 50 minutes. Strain rice through fine-mesh strainer set in 4-cup liquid measuring cup; discard thyme, bay leaf, and garlic. Add enough water to reserved cooking liquid to measure 3 cups.

3. Melt butter in Dutch oven over high heat. Add cremini mushrooms, onion, minced garlic, tomato paste, 3/4 teaspoon salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are browned and dark fond develops on bottom of pot, 15 minutes. Add sherry, scraping up any browned bits, and cook until reduced and pot is almost dry, about 2 minutes. Add ground shiitake mushrooms, reserved rice cooking liquid, broth, and soy sauce and bring to boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer, covered, until onion and mushrooms are tender, about 20 minutes.

4. Whisk cornstarch and remaining ¼ cup water in small bowl. Stir cornstarch slurry into soup, return to simmer, and cook until thickened, about 2 minutes. Remove pot from heat and stir in cooked rice, cream, chives, and lemon zest. Cover and let stand for 20 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste, and serve.

Roasted pork with savory apple gravy

This is my family's new favorite dinner! I have made it twice for company now and it is always a huge hit.  The apple gravy alone is to die for!

Slow Roasted Pork Shoulder with Savory Apple Gravy Recipe

• Prep time: 20 minutes
• Cook time: 3 hours, 30 minutes
• Yield: Serves 4-6 with leftovers.

The pork shoulder should be marinated in the rub overnight or up to two days.

Add to shopping list

INGREDIENTS

• 4-5 pounds (1.8 to 2.2 kg) boneless pork shoulder, sinew and excess fat (beyond 1/4 inch) trimmed
• 1 Tbsp fennel seeds, toasted
• 2 teaspoons black peppercorns
• 2 Tbsp packed, fresh thyme leaves, lightly chopped, or 1 Tbsp dried thyme
• 2 Tbsp fresh rosemary leaves, lightly chopped
• 4 medium garlic cloves, minced
• 2 teaspoons Kosher salt, plus more for seasoning
• Olive oil
• 4 medium good cooking apples, such as Fuji or Jonagold
• 1 medium yellow onion
• 1/2 cup (120 ml) dry white wine (can sub water)
• 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• Freshly ground black pepper

METHOD

1 Put the fennel seeds, peppercorns, thyme and rosemary leaves, garlic and 2 teaspoons salt into a spice grinder or coffee grinder and grind to a paste. Alternatively, you can pound the mixture with a mortar and pestle. Put the mixture into a bowl and stir in 2 tablespoons olive oil.

2 Rub the mixture evenly all over the pork shoulder. If the roast is tied, untie it to rub the inside with the rub mixture as well, then retie it. Wrap the roast tightly in plastic wrap to hold the rub against the skin and marinate overnight (or up to two days).

3 Peel, halve, and core the apples. Cut each apple half into about 4 wedges. Peel the onions. Cut in half from tip to root. Trim the root and tip. Cut each onion half into about 12 thin wedges. Put the onions and the apples together in a bowl and toss to mix.

4 Preheat the oven to 450°F (232°C).

5 Toss the apples and onions with 2 tablespoons of olive oil and season with a little salt and pepper. Place the apples and onions in the bottom of a roasting pan or Dutch oven with a cover. Place the marinated pork shoulder on top of the apples and onions.

6 Roast uncovered for 30 minutes. Turn the oven heat down to 325°F and add the wine. Cover the roasting pan and slow roast for 2 1/2 to 3 hours until the pork shoulder is falling apart tender and pulls apart easily when probed with a fork.

7 Transfer the pork shoulder to a serving plate and cover with foil to keep warm. Put the apples and onions into a blender. Add about 1/2 cup water and the mustard and purée. Check the texture, and add water until you get the desired thickness for the gravy. Press through a sieve for a silky smooth textured gravy. Check the seasoning and correct to taste.

Mom's Dutch Apple Pie

This is a Thanksgiving must have!
(updated recipe with Mom's changes added)

Pie crust

4 cups sifted flour

1 1/2 cups shortening

2 tsp salt

1 egg

1 Tbs vinegar

1 Tbs sugar

1/2 cup cold or ice water

Cut the shortening into the dry ingredients with a pastry cutter or  two knives until it is in small crumbles.  Beat up the egg, and water and vinegar and sprinkle over flour mixture with a fork so nothing gets too wet.  Don't over mix!  Roll out between two sheets of wax paper then transfer to pie pan.  Makes 2 double crusts.

Apple pie

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup flour

1 tsp nutmeg

2 tsp cinnamon

dash of salt

10 medium sliced and peeled apples
juice of half a lemon

Topping:

1 cup flour

1/2 cup butter

1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg

Combine first six ingredients in a bowl.  Pour into pie shell. The apples will be a heaping mound but they will shrink during cooking. Then mix topping ingredients together until crumbly and spread over apple mixture.  Cover the edges of the pie with tin foil.  Bake at 450 degrees for 15 minutes, then turn the oven down to 350 degrees for 1 hr and 45 more minutes. The apple mixture should be bubbling out the sides and the top should look like a smaller mound.  

Cheese and Apple Soup

I made this for a party this weekend and it reminded me how amazing it is. Enjoy!

Cheese and Apple Soup

Melt 1/3 cup butter in saucepan. 

Whisk in 1/3 cup flour and 1/2 tsp salt. 

Stir until golden, then whisk in 2 1/2 cups milk.

Cook until thickened.

Then whisk in 3 cups shredded Gouda cheese (I also used a little bit of cheddar).

Whisk until smooth.

Stir in 2 cups of apple cider and warm through. 

Garnish with chives and apples sliced very thin. 

Tomato Basil Tart

This is one of my all time favorite appetizer recipes!  It is from my friend Erin.  You can make a full sized tart for a small luncheon or you can make them into mini appetizers.  These always get rave reviews!

Tomato Basil Tart

Erin Slack

½ of a 15 oz folded refrigerated pie crust*

1 ½ cup shredded mozzarella cheese

5 roma tomatoes or 4 medium tomatoes

1 cup loosely packed fresh basil leaves

4 cloves garlic

½ cup mayonnaise or salad dressing

¼ cup grated parmesan

1/8 tsp ground white pepper

Unfold pie crust according to directions.  Place in a 9 inch quiche dish or glass pie plate**.  Flute edge; press with fork.  Pre-bake according to package directions.  Remove from oven and sprinkle with ½ cup mozzarella cheese.  Cool.

Cut tomatoes into wedges; drain on paper towels.  Arrange wedges on top of melted cheese in the pie shell.  In a food processor bowl combine basil and garlic, cover and process until coarsely chopped.  Sprinkle over tomatoes.  In a medium bowl combine remaining mozzarella cheese, mayonnaise, parmesan and pepper.  Spoon cheese mixture over basil mix.  Spread to cover.

Bake in 375 degree oven for 35-40 minutes or until top is golden.  Serve warm.

Makes 8 appetizers or 4 main dish

Notes:

*I make my own pie crust

Pie crust

2 ½ cup all purpose flour

1 tsp salt

1 cup cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

¼- ½ cup ice water

Put flour, salt, and sugar in the bowl of a food processor.  All ingredients should be cold.  Add the pieces of butter and process for approximately 10 seconds, or just until the mixture resembles course meal.

Add ice water through the feed tube with the machine running, just until the dough holds together without being wet or sticky; do not process more than 30 seconds.

Turn dough out onto a large piece of plastic wrap. Press the dough into a flat circle with your fist and cover with plastic wrap.  Chill for at least and hour.  Makes two crusts.

** To make individual appetizers cut out shapes with a small cookie cutter, poke with a fork and pre-bake for 7 minutes.  Sprinkle with Mozzarella cheese.  Finely chop tomatoes.  Sprinkle tomatoes followed by basil and garlic mixture on top of cooked pie crusts. Put cheese and mayo mixture in a small Ziploc bag, snip one corner of the bag making a small hole.  Pipe enough of  the mixture on top of tomatoes and basil to cover.  Bake 7-10 minutes or until golden brown.