- Playing with my food
- I love food. I love cooking. I love sharing food. It's the one gift you can give someone that they take inside of themselves and forever becomes a part of them. Food is more than fuel. It's a feeling, a memory, a cure, a gift, a toy..... My recipes aren't exact. There's room for substitutions, discovery, experimentation and play. Anything can be healthy with a few tweaks, or comforting with a few more. Many of my recipies are veggie friendly with just the omittance of meat, never lacking in flavour. The sky is the limit -Variety is the spice of life!
Friday, March 2, 2012
Finishing shot: Roasted pork tenderloin with root veg and fingerling potato
Roasted pork loin with white wine pan sauce, herbed organic fingerling potatoes, roasted celery root and radish.
Roasted pork tenderloin with white wine pan sauce
It's still roasting season out here in the Great Northwest; Winter doesn't seem to be done with us quite yet. My solution? Savory comfort food that warms the home and belly. This dish combines a mellow yet deliciously well seasoned pork tenderloin with a creamy decadent sauce. Bring it on, Winter.
Ingredients
Sauce base I start with a basic brown sauce base, but made thick. It's handy to make a few cups at a time and keep in the refrigerator - just a couple of spoonfuls makes for the start of a good pan sauce. To make the base, melt 2 tablespoons of compound butter in a small pot, and add 3 heaping tablespoons of flour. Cook this off til the flour turns a golden color, stirring often with a whisk. (Look at us making roux!) Then add the stock, keep whisking, and as it simmers together it will thicken. Salt and pepper lightly, and set aside. This can be done while the loin is still in the oven. Multitasking! Final sauce and plating While your loin is resting from it's amazing journey to becoming a delicious meal for you, we can pull together the final sauce. Transfer the loin to a cutting surface and place the pan over medium high heat. We are going to use all the love it left behind in the pan! Once the pan has heated up, deglaze with a cup of the pinot, and a pat of compound butter. The butter will help add a nice sheen and unctuous mouthfeel. Let this simmer together for a few minutes, while the alcohol cooks off. Add a couple of spoonfuls of the sauce base, and whisk together. You may want to salt and pepper here - don't be shy, taste and see! The sauce should be thin (we aren't making gravy), but it should have a sexy body. You may even be tempted to sneak off and find a place where you can eat just the sauce by itself. For a gluten-free version, just omit the base. Instead, add a healthy cup of beef broth, and that extra butter that would have been roux. Reduction may take a little longer, but it's worth it! Slice the loin, drizzle with sauce and serve! It's great garnished with parsley or fresh rosemary. Whomever is lucky enough to share it with you will be happy you did. And, if it's all for you? Well...aren't you lucky.... What Winter?
Ingredients
- 2 small pork tenderloins (cooks a little faster and more tender than the huge one)
- Olive oil
- Salt
- Pepper
- Granulated garlic
- Dijon mustard
- Herbs de province
- Tarragon
- Beef stock
- Flour (omit for gluten-free)
- Butter (I used a homemade "compound butter". I take a good organic butter, soften it, add chopped fresh herbs, then roll it into a tube shape in parchment, refrigerate, and use as needed. I like a mixture of thyme, rosemary and oregano. It preserves the herbs for weeks, and the butter absorbs all the wonderful flavor. A million uses!)
- Dry white wine (as I mentioned in making ratatouille, I go for a dry pinot gris or grigio. (It will give the already flavorful sauce an acidic kick - which is key for bringing brightness to a sauce with a bit of butter.)
Sauce base I start with a basic brown sauce base, but made thick. It's handy to make a few cups at a time and keep in the refrigerator - just a couple of spoonfuls makes for the start of a good pan sauce. To make the base, melt 2 tablespoons of compound butter in a small pot, and add 3 heaping tablespoons of flour. Cook this off til the flour turns a golden color, stirring often with a whisk. (Look at us making roux!) Then add the stock, keep whisking, and as it simmers together it will thicken. Salt and pepper lightly, and set aside. This can be done while the loin is still in the oven. Multitasking! Final sauce and plating While your loin is resting from it's amazing journey to becoming a delicious meal for you, we can pull together the final sauce. Transfer the loin to a cutting surface and place the pan over medium high heat. We are going to use all the love it left behind in the pan! Once the pan has heated up, deglaze with a cup of the pinot, and a pat of compound butter. The butter will help add a nice sheen and unctuous mouthfeel. Let this simmer together for a few minutes, while the alcohol cooks off. Add a couple of spoonfuls of the sauce base, and whisk together. You may want to salt and pepper here - don't be shy, taste and see! The sauce should be thin (we aren't making gravy), but it should have a sexy body. You may even be tempted to sneak off and find a place where you can eat just the sauce by itself. For a gluten-free version, just omit the base. Instead, add a healthy cup of beef broth, and that extra butter that would have been roux. Reduction may take a little longer, but it's worth it! Slice the loin, drizzle with sauce and serve! It's great garnished with parsley or fresh rosemary. Whomever is lucky enough to share it with you will be happy you did. And, if it's all for you? Well...aren't you lucky.... What Winter?
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