Cider Glazed Pork Loin with Fennel – Apple Relish and Cauliflower Puree

02/20/2017 by Laura 1 Comment

When I made these Cider Glazed Scallops a few weeks ago, I knew immediately that I wanted to use the same cider glaze and cauliflower puree with pork. Pork chops, pork loin or pork tenderloin. I also love apple and fennel with pork, and knew the combination of the cider glaze and the apple-fennel relish would be spectacular. It was just delicious.

For the cider glaze, adapted slightly from this recipe

3 – 4 cups fresh apple cider

1 teaspoon minced shallot

1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger

1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

3-4 Tablespoons cider vinegar (I prefer Bragg’s)

Salt and pepper

Place the ingredients in a wide saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat, and allow to reduce to about 1 cup. This should take 15-20 minutes. Keep warm over low heat.

For the fennel – apple relish

2 sweet, crisp apples, like Honey Crisp, diced

1 large fennel bulb, sliced

1 large shallot, sliced

Sauté the shallot in a tablespoon of olive oil, in a large oven proof skillet, that you will cook the pork roast in. When shallots are slightly caramelized, add the apple and fennel. Sauté about 5 minutes and remove from the pan. Set aside while your brown the pork.

for the Pork

Preheat the oven to 375′

1 3-4 pound boneless pork loin roast

salt and pepper

Season the pork roast with salt and pepper. Bring the sauté pan you used for the apple relish to medium heat. Add a little oil, if needed. Brown the roast on all sides. Add the apple, fennel and shallots back into the sauté pan. Place in the pre-heated oven and roast approximately 30 minutes, or until thermometer reaches 150′ – 155′. Do not overcook it! The roast will cook a bit after being removed from the oven, while it rests.

While the roast is cooking, prepare the Cauliflower Puree.

for the Califlower Puree, again, adapted from this recipe

1 large head of cauliflower, cut into small pieces

1 1/2 cups chicken stock

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

salt and pepper

Place the cauliflower in a large sauce pan. Add the chicken stock, cumin, and red pepper flakes. Bring to a boil, cover, reduce the heat and simmer for about 10 minutes until the cauliflower is done. Transfer the cauliflower and the liquid to a blender. Blend until smooth. Season with salt and pepper. Return the mixture to the sauce pan and keep warm, over very low heat, until ready to serve.

To serve, slice the roast into 1 inch thick slices. Plate the cauliflower puree, the sliced roast and a spoon full of apple-fennel relish.

I hope you enjoy this recipe. Thanks for stopping by.

Have a great evening,

Laura

Székelyalmás (Pork with Apples and Cider Cream Sauce) with Farro

11/22/2013 by Laura Leave a Comment

A friend recently asked how I come up with all the different things I end up cooking, which I thought was a great question! My personal email box is filled with blog posts from my favorite bloggers, daily recipe blasts from Saveur, Food and Wine, Bon Apetite, and Food Network TV, just to name a few. While most of these are deleted after a quick glance, there are those that stand out do to their uniqueness, or familiarity, or implied adventure into the unknown.

This Transylvanian recipe, published by Saveur in February of 2012, was so delicious and different! I made it with pork chops, but I could see making it with a whole pork loin, and being a very elegant presentation. Though the recipe recommended white rice, I served the dish with farro. The nutty farro went perfectly with the sauce! http://www.saveur.com/gallery/Transylvanian-Recipes?page=6

Ingredients

1/3 cup olive oil

4 tbsp. unsalted butter

4 pork loin chops – boneless, bone in – your choice

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1/2 cup flour

2 tart apples, such as Granny Smith, peeled, cored, and cut into 8 wedges each

3 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 small yellow onion, finely chopped

1/2 red Fresno chile, stemmed, seeded, and minced

1 1/2 cups hard apple cider (Buy a 750ml bottle, and serve the rest with the meal!)

1/2 cup chicken stock

1/2 cup heavy cream

1/4 cup Dijon mustard

1 tbsp. finely chopped marjoram

1 tbsp. finely chopped parsley

Instructions

Heat 2 tbsp. each oil and butter in a 12″ skillet over medium-high heat. Season pork on both sides with salt and pepper, and dredge half the pieces in flour; add to skillet, and cook, turning once, until lightly browned on both sides, about 1 minute.

Transfer to a plate, and set aside; repeat with 2 tbsp. oil, remaining butter, and remaining pork and flour; transfer all pork to plate.

Return skillet to heat, and add remaining oil; add apples, garlic, onion, and chile, and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft, about 3 minutes.

Add cider, and cook until reduced by half, about 5 minutes.

Add stock, cream, and mustard, and bring to a boil; return pork to skillet, and add marjoram. Reduce heat to medium, and cook until pork is cooked through and sauce has thickened, about 10 minutes.

Season with salt and pepper, and sprinkle with parsley; serve with rice or *farro.

*If Farro is new to you, check out the great article here from NPR’s Kitchen Window!

http://www.npr.org/2013/10/02/227838385/farro-an-ancient-if-complicated-grain-worth-figuring-out

First of Fall: Apple and Blackberry Pie with Detailed Pie Crust Instructions

09/29/2013 by Laura Leave a Comment

Wow, it seems we are skipping fall and diving head first into winter. We had the most rainfall EVER RECORDED in September, on Saturday, and more is on the way accompanied by wind gusts in the 30-50 mph range! We received 1.71 inches of rain in 24 hours, which nearly doubled the previous record of .83 inches. You can understand why I chose to stay in and bake pies!

I am reprinting the pie crust instructions from a few posts back, in case you missed them. I do use a different pastry recipe for a sweet pie, than I did for the savory pie. I quadrupled this pastry recipe, since I was making two pies. I have a 14 cup food processor and it was all it could handle.

For the Pie Crust

This recipe is for each, single crust. Double it for a two crust pie.

1 Cup All Purpose Flour ( I use Bob’s Red Mill Organic, Unbleached White Flour)

2 Tablespoons of organic sugar

4 ounces, one stick, organic, unsalted butter – diced into small dice and frozen 15 minutes

1/2-1/2 cup ice water

Have all your ingredients ready to go. (pic 1) Put the flour and 1/2 teaspoon salt and sugar in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Add the frozen diced butter to the bowl, and (pic 2) pulse until the butter is the size of peas. With the machine running, add the ice water a tablespoon at a time, and process until the dough becomes crumbly (pic 3). Don’t over process. (pic 4) Dump the dough out on a floured board, (pic 5) gather it loosely into a ball, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 20 minutes.

While the dough chills, make your filling.

For two pies

8 large apples, peeled, cored and thinly sliced – any combination or one variety

2 Tablespoons of Minute Tapioca

1 Tablespoon lemon juice

1/2-3/4 cup sugar (depends on the sweetness of the apples and berries)

2 cups blackberries

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

Butter to “dot” the pie before covering with top crust

Gently combine the sliced apples, the berries (if you have some you need to use up, like I did) the spices, lemon juice and tapioca.

Butter the bottom and sides of your pie pans. Roll the chilled dough on a well-floured surface to desired thickness, and fit it into the bottom of the pan.

Roll the dough onto the pin, and then unroll it into the pie pan. Heat the over to 425′.

Add the filling to the pie shells, dividing the mixture equally between the two pies. Top each with 2 tablespoons of butter, cut in little pats.

Repeat the above instructions to roll out the top crusts. Pat the top crust down on the fruit. Trim the crust to fit the pan, leaving just enough to “crimp”.

With the tip of your knife, make 15-20 “vents” in the top crust. Make an egg wash by mixing one egg and 2 Tablespoons of water in a small dish. Brush the top of the pies with the egg wash and then sprinkle with sugar. (You can skip the egg wash and sugar, if you choose. I like the shiny, sparkly results.)

Place the pies on a baking sheet. Bake at 425′ for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 350′ and bake another 45-60 minutes, or until crusts are nicely browned and mixture is bubbly. Cool completely before serving.