Korean-style pork tenderloin salad

This recipe got great reviews on the Fine Cooking web site forum. It is from issue #78. The pork tenderloin is sliced on the bias and marinated in a soy sauce, garlic and ginger mix. It is then quick sauteed and served on top of a napa cabbage slaw that has been dressed with a spicy asian vinaigrette. We really liked this dish and think it would make a great summer dinner as it is light, spicy, cool and crunchy. The dressing on the slaw is delicious.

Short Rib ragu redux

I haven't stopped thinking about this Short Rib ragu since the last time I made it, earlier this month. This time I served it with Paparadelle, a ribbon-like egg noodle pasta. In Italian restaurants, it is common to see meat sauces served with this type of pasta. The sauce is fantastic and would also be good served alongside polenta . But with this pasta, it was really special.

Salmon goes italian

You never see italian recipes using Salmon. The fish just isn't traditionally used. But here I was with a notion for an italian style vegetable saute served over polenta and some Salmon. So I roasted with Salmon with olive oil, rosemary and garlic. It went perfectly fine with my side dishes.

The Best Crisp

This traditional Crisp can be make with any fruit. Here is it made with a mix of blueberries, strawberries and peaches.

The magic of making of good crisp is in picking the right baking dish. It must be small enough that your fruit is raised high above the edge in a nice dome shape. During baking, the fruit will cook down and the juices will bubble up. If that crispy topping isn't raised high enough it will get softened by the juices. You can use any shallow baking dish for any amount of people. I've used a pie pan for a big crowd. But you must make sure you've got enough fruit to fill it up and over the edge. The recipe is from Fine Cooking #43 and it is wonderful. The topping can be made ahead and frozen so that any time you have the fruit you can produce this crisp on short notice.

Fruit Crisp from Fine Cooking magazine issue 43.


Crunchy Crisp Topping

1 cup all-purpose flour
½ cup packed dark brown sugar
¼ cup granulated sugar
Pinch salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon or 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
8 tablespoons slightly softened unsalted butter, cut into pieces

Combine the flour, sugars, salt, and cinnamon, if using, in a medium bowl. Rub in the butter with your fingertips, until it’s well combined and the mixture crumbles coarsely. Refrigerate until needed.

Oatmeal variation: Add 1 cup to master recipe
Cornmeal variation: Add ¼ cup to master recipe
Nut Topping variation: After rubbing in the butter, add 1/3 cup chopped nuts (walnuts, pecans, hazelnuts or sliced almonds)

Basic Recipe

Heat oven to 375’F

Make the topping

Prepare 6 cups of fruit

Add sugar: 2 Tablespoons to 1/3 cup sugar. For less ripe or tart fruit, use more. For sweet ripe fruit, use less

Add thickener: In a small dish, dissolve 1 teaspoon to 1 tablespoon cornstarch in 1 tablespoon lemon juice. For juicier fruit, such as berries, use the greater amount of cornstarch. For denser fruit, like apples and pears, use the lesser amount. Pour over fruit.

Add optional flavorings(1 of the following): 1-2 teaspoons grated lemon or orange zest, ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon, ½ teaspoons grated fresh ginger, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, ½ teaspoon almond extract, dried cherries, cranberries, or raisins: ½ c soaked in hot water for 10 minutes and drained.

Assemble. Pour the fruit into an 8 -9 inch square (or similar capacity) glass or ceramic baking dish. Set the pan on a baking sheet to catch overflow juice. Top the fruit with half the topping (refrigerate the rest) and bake for 20 minutes.

Sprinkle the remaining topping over the crisp and continue baking until the fruit is tender when pierced with a knife, the topping is crisp and the juices are bubbling,

Creamy Asparagus Soup

This is from the current issue of Fine Cooking #78. This soup tasted like asparagus, sans the crunchiness. It was only OK and I doubt I'll be rushing to make it again.

Sam's favorite Banana bread

The problem with Banana bread is that you need to have 3 over-ripe bananas to make it. In our household that means planning. It seems we are forever running out of bananas, so it is a rare day when I have extra that need to be used up. I have been trying to over buy bananas and still they get eaten. Finally one day, we had a small bunch of black spotted bananas, perfect for this recipe which makes 1 regular 9 by5 loaf or 3 mini loaves.

Banana Nut Bread from Food and Wine

¾ c. coarsely chopped lightly toasted walnuts (3 oz.)
1 ¼ unbleached, AP flour
1t. baking soda
½ t. cinnamon
½ t. salt
1 c. sugar
2 large eggs
½ c. canola oil
3 medium overripe bananas, mashed (1 ¼ c.)
1 t. pure vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350. Coat 9 by 5 inch loaf pan (or 3 mini-loaf pans) with cooking spray. To toast walnuts, spread them in a pie pan and toast in oven for 5 -8 minutes or until fragrant, let cool.

In a med. bowl, whisk the flour with the baking soda, cinnamon and salt. In another bowl, combine the sugar, eggs and oil and beat at high speed until light-colored and creamy. Add the mashed bananas and vanilla to the egg mixture and beat until smooth. Stir in the dry ingredients until blended, fold in the nuts.

Pour the batter into prepared pan and bake in the middle of the oven for 50 minutes (less for mini-loaves), until top is springy and cake tester comes out clean. Let loaf cool in pan for 10 minutes before turning out on to a rack to cool completely.

Make ahead: wrap bread tightly in plastic and refrigerate for up to 5 days or freeze for up to 2 months

Goat Cheese Pizza

We make homemade pizza often. This is our favorite combination of fresh goat cheese and Mozzarella, sun-dried tomatoes, roasted garlic and basil. This recipe is from James McNair's Pizza cookbook. The dough comes from Fine Cooking issue 49 which also includes a goat cheese pizza recipe on the cover. The recipes are similar but we prefer James McNair's which has the additional mozzarella. The sun-dried tomatoes look black in the photo, but they really aren't. This pizza was so, so good.

Memphis Style Spare Ribs

March 12

I've never been to Memphis so I didn't know what to expect when making these ribs. The rub was straightforward with all the expected ingredients. The ribs are cooked at 300 degrees for 2+ hours. This slow way of cooking renders much of the fat and produces a tender rib. The BBQ sauce, served on the side, looked OK. Memphis style BBQ sauce is apparently tangy and tomatoey, like a hopped-up ketchup. We didn't like it much, but perhaps that is our regional preference. We like a sauce dark with molasses, and less tomato. With BBQ flavors, I think it is all about what you are used to.

Misadventures with tofu

This tofu curry dish is from Deborah Madison's Vegetarian Suppers. I love this woman's cookbooks and usually everything I make from them turns out great. She makes me believe that being a vegetarian wouldn't be so bad. Steve is not a tofu lover, saying "it's the texture." The tofu texture doesn't bother me. However, I have to say that this dish was not exactly good. I didn't think the dish had enough oomph. I like a bright, bracingly hot curry - this was not.

The Cuban Sandwich

It seems like you should have something really tasty on Fat Tuesday. Something a little over the top. This sandwich fits the bill. A Cubano is a classic, pressed Cuban sandwich filled with sliced pork, ham, swiss cheese, onions, pickles and tomatoes. A garlic mayonnaise serves as the spread. The recipe comes from a favorite cookbook, Bruce Aidells' Complete Meat, as a suggestion for using roast pork leftovers. The roll gets crunchy when it is pressed and toasted and everything melts together inside. This is not a mile-high sandwich. There is a thin layer of each ingredient, so that it can be flattened. But these thin layers will come together make your tastebuds very, very happy. It is a great sandwich.