– by Neil White (on my Kindle) – a really, really interesting book. It’s a memoir about the year the author spent in prison in Louisiana. About his sanctimonious attitude when he arrived there (he was convicted of kiting checks trying to keep his publishing business afloat) and what he learns during his year. But as much as it’s about his life as a prisoner, it’s more about the other residents of the prison – the last remaining lepers (Hansen’s Disease) who are provided for in the facility. Neil White is quite a character and I wondered more than once if he was ever going to “get it,” that he was greedy and egotistical. The book wasn’t published for about 10 years after his release, so at least he didn’t profit immediately by telling tales. The epilogue was so sad – listing the deaths of many of the leprosy patients and some of the inmates he came to call friends. One person at amazon commented that it was not worth reading because the author profited from his incarceration, and that he didn’t appear to have redeemed himself. I disagree – I think he did. If he didn’t, then he knows how to spin a good yarn. I choose to believe he learned a whole lot about himself and where his life took a (wrong) left turn, and that he’s trying to atone for his failings by publishing the book. You decide.
- by P.D. James (on my Kindle) – if I hadn’t read about this book in the Los Angeles Times a week or so ago I’d never have pursued this book. It’s nothing even close to her wealth of books of the mystery genre. But yes, it IS a mystery (not something I normally read) but it takes place about 5 years after Pride and Prejudice leaves off. That was the hook for me. An entertaining read and a way to keep in touch with all the lovable (and not-so) characters from Jane Austen’s classic. It’s not a page-turner in the true mystery-murder style, but it’s fun to read.
– by Judith Ryan Hendricks – I picked up this book at a lending library I use now and then. I have to laugh, though – the collection of books (probably numbering about 350 or so) is divided by paperback and hardback. And then by color. COLOR? I find that so ludicrous. But anyway, the title caught my eye. It’s definitely a novel, about a youngish woman who’s been a baker and a chef, but who is suddenly single. It’s about her struggle to find herself, to find a new rhythm of life. In the telling of the journey some recipes are included (baked goods, including bread-bread), which are available on the 
– by Ree Drummond (The Pioneer Woman) – most everyone who reads blogs knows about Ree – the Pioneer Woman, from Pawhuska, Oklahoma. She’s always entertaining, whimsical and enjoyable to read. A couple of years ago she wrote a memoir of her romance with Ladd, her now husband. I can’t count how many times, as I was reading this, that I was LOLing (Laughing Out Loud). She is such a witty writer and knows how to tell a story. Even though I know she married Ladd and has since had 4 children, I was caught up in her story from the first page. I wrote it up in more detail on
– (on my Kindle) Michael Tucker (from L.A. Law some years ago) and his wife, on a whim almost, buy a home in Umbria. An old, old, old house with two bedrooms, a kitchen, living room, I think, and a nice terrace (where a lot of living goes on in Italian homes and families). It’s the story of the purchase itself, the friends they meet, the neighbors, how Michael finds the best butcher(s), bakers and candlestick makers. It made me long for another trip to Italy, actually. They enlarge the home, although they’re not there for most of the construction. It’s a similar tale to Frances Mayes’ books and Peter Mayle’s books too, but it’s different. Tucker is a TV star; his wife’s a stage actress. They live on some higher plane than I do, for sure, with lots of friends with connections. But it’s a cute story and I enjoyed it clear to the end.
(Stacy Schiff); 
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When I attended the cooking class last week with Phillis Carey, my friend Linda and I weren’t all that “wowed” by this recipe. But a few days later, at home, with a thawing pork tenderloin on hand, rather than go hunting for a different preparation, I made this anyway. At the class, Linda and I both liked the sauce (and Phillis said you could also serve it with turkey). The pork I was served at the class was a bit overdone. Pork tenderloin is a very finicky piece of meat. It has to be cooked “just right,” or it’s almost unpalatable. There’s so little fat in the meat, you can’t do much to retain moisture so it’s vitally important it be removed from the oven before it goes over the hill to dry.
Phillis’ recipe says to oil, herb coat the meat, marinate it for an hour or overnight, brown the tenderloin in a bit of oil, and finally roast at 400 F. Well, I’d just gotten through reading an article in Cooking Light about pork, and it said tenderloin should be roasted at 500 F. So I went with the higher temp. It took 20 minutes, and I didn’t even brown the meat first (too lazy). The sauce came together relatively quickly. FYI: I combined all the sauce liquids in the pan (the original recipe says you do it in two steps) and added the grapes partway through. Then added the Morello cherries at the end just to heat through. My sauce was a little thin, so I ended up adding a butter/flour roux (a tiny bit) to thicken it up a bit.
According to the Cooking Light story, pork tenderloin should be served at an internal temperature of 155 F. So, using a probe I removed the meat at 150 F. and let it sit for about 5 minutes before slicing and serving. It had reached 155 in the ensuing minutes. The meat was pink throughout – every inch of it was faintly tinged pink. Perfect. As moist as tenderloin can be. And the sauce was a really delicious complement to the pork. Not so overpowering that you couldn’t taste the meat, but tasty enough on its own that you wanted more of it with every bite. And the recipe still isn’t a “wow” recipe, but it was very good.
The grapes are cooked. I happened to have had some extremely large red seedless grapes (another reason why I wanted to make the recipe). I cut them in half and they were nicely cooked at about 25 minutes in the broth. They were removed while I finished up the sauce, then added them back in with the Morellos. Morellos are a very tart red cherry. Until Trader Joe’s started carrying them in a jar, I don’t think I’d ever heard of them. You probably could make a dessert with them, but the sauce was a great use for them. Trader Joe’s has had them on the shelves for several years, so I guess other people like them too.
My recipe below shows most of the changes I made to the recipe. Be sure to use a regular pan (not a nonstick) to brown the meat. Only a regular pan will create the little brown bits (called fond) on the bottom of the pan, that you want added to the sauce for extra flavor. Using a nonstick pan is much harder to get that meat caramelization anyway. I also didn’t have any rosemary, so used sage and thyme for the herb rub.
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Roasted Pork Tenderloin with Cherry, Grape and Wine Sauce
Recipe: Phillis Carey, cookbook author and instructor
Servings: 6
FRUIT SAUCE:
2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 cup beef broth — low-salt, if possible
2 cups dry red wine
1 1/2 cups red grapes — small size, if possible, seedless
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup Morello cherries — canned, drained
PORK:
2 pounds pork tenderloin
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon fresh rosemary — minced, or fresh sage
1 tablespoon fresh thyme — minced
1. SAUCE: In a large pot boil both broths and red wine until reduced by about two thirds, about 30-45 minutes. During last 30 minutes add the grapes, reduce heat and continue simmering until sauce has begun to thicken (about 3/4 cup total liquid). Remove grapes and set aside once they’ve become plump (you don’t want to cook them until they’re mushy).
2. PORK: Trim the pork of all visible fat and remove silverskin; brush with olive oil. Sprinkle the chopped herbs all over the pork (roll in it if needed); wrap in plastic wrap and let stand at least an hour, or refrigerate several hours or overnight.
3. Preheat oven to 500. Remove pork from refrigerator at least 30 minutes ahead of baking. Sprinkle meat with salt and pepper. Heat 2 T. oil in a large (not a nonstick) skillet over medium-high heat. Add pork and sear until brown, about 8 minutes, turning to brown all sides. Reserve skillet.
4. Transfer pork to a parchment (or Silpat) lined baking sheet and roast for 18-20 minutes, or until the internal temperature reaches about 150. Remove from oven, allow to sit with a piece of aluminum foil tented over it, until the temperature reaches 155, about 8 minutes. (While it’s baking proceed to step 5 to finish sauce.) Slice on the diagonal and serve on piping hot plates with sauce over the top.
5. FINISH SAUCE: While pork is baking add the sauce to the skillet you browned the pork in. Bring it to a simmer, scraping up any pan brown bits. Simmer until thickened. If the sauce is not thick enough, combine an equal amount of softened butter and flour (about a tablespoon each), mix and mash with a spoon until all the flour is thoroughly mixed in, then gently add a few bits of this to the sauce. It may require you to mash with a whisk or flat spatula to distribute the butter without lumps. Add just enough to thicken the sauce to your liking. Add grapes and drained cherries to the sauce and heat through. Add any pan juices from the baking sheet you used for roasting the pork. Spoon sauce over pork.
Per Serving: 354 Calories; 11g Fat (30.4% calories from fat); 38g Protein; 17g Carbohydrate; 1g Dietary Fiber; 98mg Cholesterol; 364mg Sodium.
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