Tasting Spoons

Only vaguely do I recall when Rice-a-Roni came on the market. Way so many years ago. 1958 to be exact. It was a time when food producers were coming up with just the beginnings of boxed mixes. Cake mixes had been around for awhile, but not much of anything else. I thought the rice mixture was quite good. Tasty for such an easy combination in a box. But then the food police told us about sodium, and I began noticing how much was in lots of the foods I purchased. There still is a lot of sodium in many prepared foods. I started avoiding those products, especially after the medical experts told us we were only supposed to consume a max of 2,000 milligrams a day. It’s easy to consume double or triple that if you eat out and/or eat pre-packaged foods. Because Rice-a-Roni was so high in sodium I stopped buying it. By the way, it’s now owned by Quaker Oats.

Beginning in the late 1960’s I started avoiding nearly all packaged and ready-made foods altogether, in favor of making things myself, adding only fresh food, fresh vegetables, my own herbs and spices. And I’ve continued to adhere to that with only a few exceptions. There are a couple of cake mixes I do use for some family favorites. I do buy an occasional frozen vegetable, some Trader Joe’s mixes (that contain no additives or preservatives). And once in awhile I buy Pillsbury biscuits because I have one recipe that is just so good and easy. I try to buy organically fed meat. Sometimes I buy organic produce. Not always, depending on the quality or freshness of it.

Having done a search for this posting today, I discovered that the combo of rice and pasta is an Armenian thing. I thought it was Italian, but no. The founders of Rice-a-Roni actually created it from something served to them by an Armenian neighbor. Thus, the rice boxed mix was born. And why they must add so much sodium to it is beyond me. But they sure enough do.

Because I always walk right past that boxed mix section in my grocery store, I’d forgotten all about the rice/noodle combination until a recipe was printed in my local food section last week. Labeled Carrie’s Rice, it is identical to hundreds of other pilaf recipes out there on the internet. Some add mushrooms, garlic, maybe some dill weed, pine nuts perhaps, but they all contain noodle-type pasta or orzo, white rice, butter, onion and chicken broth. Some recipes brown only the pasta; others brown both pasta and the rice. If you use low-sodium chicken broth, as I did, you’ll likely want to add some salt to it. And you can vary the amount of butter. Many recipes call for a full stick of butter for 1 cup of rice and 1 cup of pasta. I cut it down by half, and think that was still too much. So I’ve reduced the amount even more in the recipe below. It’s a very quick side dish. The kids will like it, and since you’re doing all the cooking of it, you know exactly what’s in it. Unadulterated rice, pasta, butter and canned broth. Maybe some onion, and/or garlic too.

Armenian Rice & Noodle Pilaf

Serving Size: 6

1 cup long-grain rice – raw

1 cup vermicelli – broken into small bits, or thin linguine

1/2 cup onion – chopped

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

3 cups low-sodium chicken broth

1 cup mushrooms – cleaned, sliced [optional]

3 tablespoons pine nuts – toasted, garnish

2 teaspoons fresh dill — minced

Salt and pepper to taste

1. In a heavy skillet or saucepan melt butter, then add pasta, rice and onions. Stir and cook until the mixture is lightly browned. Add mushrooms at this point, if using, and cook them for about 2 minutes.

2. Add broth all at once, bring to a simmer, cover and cook over very low heat for about 20 minutes, until rice is completely cooked, but not mushy. Taste for seasonings (salt and pepper). Garnish with pine nuts and dill, if using. Serve immediately.

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If you don’t know it already, I’m crazy about soups. I make them all four seasons of the year, although in our hottest months, I must say it doesn’t always appeal as much. This is a hearty one – for those times when you want something to fill your stomach. And if you need a really quick throw-together soup, here’s your e-ticket. I didn’t have quite all the ingredients on hand (I rarely buy frozen vegetables, let alone the “mixed vegetable” type) but I was in a hurry to get a meal on the table. My DH had invited a friend for dinner, and we were going to a concert right after dinner, so it needed to be a casual meal and one that I could prepare, serve and clean up quickly.

If you have all the mirepoix ingredients on hand (onion, celery and carrots), use that. I bought the quart-sized already-chopped one at Trader Joe’s. You render some bacon, add shallot, the mirepoix, a little flour to thicken, some thyme and ground bay leaves, some chicken broth (or fish broth, or vegetable stock . . . whatever you have), a load of milk, then add the potatoes, the vegetables (I bought an “Italian mixed vegetable” package at the grocery store that contained green beans, carrots, asparagus, red bell pepper, soybeans and corn). Cook until the potatoes are just barely cooked through, then you add the shrimp and cook just a short time. I added a splash of heavy cream and garnished with some Italian parsley. Done.

As I’m typing this it’s 95 outside, and even with the A/C on, I’m uncomfortable. Preparing hot soup over a hot stove on a hot night is not my idea of fun. But I didn’t have anything on hand in the freezer that seemed appropriate. Nor did I want to do a full-on dinner with a meat, veg and salad or something else. That seemed like way too much work. My dear friend, Linda, came up to visit (an overnight stay) the day before, and I was enjoying catching up with her, rather than doing food prep in the kitchen. Once she left I dashed to the market and bought what I needed before our other guest arrived. We were delighted to have this friend come by; it’s just that I was very pressed for time and knew I couldn’t do a very elaborate meal. Sometimes, though, those are the best.

In my view, adding bacon to almost any kind of soup just gives it a lot more character. More depth of flavor. Period. So, even though I’d not made this soup, I was sure it would be delicious. And indeed it was.

Shrimp, Bacon & Vegetable Chowder

Serving Size: 5           

4 slices bacon — chopped

2 medium shallots — peeled, minced

2 medium onions — peeled, chopped

2 whole carrots — peeled, chopped

2 stalks celery — chopped

12 ounces frozen mixed vegetables

3 medium potatoes — cubed small

1 teaspoon thyme

4 cups 2% low-fat milk

1 cup chicken broth

1/2 cup heavy cream – optional, or half and half

1 pound shrimp — I use large ones, chopped

1/4 teaspoon ground bay leaves — or use one leaf and remove before serving

Salt and pepper — to taste

1.  Render the bacon in a very large, heavy soup pot (I use Le Crueset cast iron) until golden brown.  Remove and drain and paper towels.

2.  In bacon fat remaining in pan, add shallots and onions.  Sauté for about 5 minutes, then add carrots and celery.  Continue cooking until some of the vegetables have slightly caramelized on the bottom, stirring every minute or two.

3.  Add the chicken broth, milk, thyme and bay leaves.  Bring to a simmer.  Watch carefully as it can boil over quickly.

4.  Add potatoes and mixed vegetables and reduce heat.  Simmer until potatoes are just about cooked through.

5.  Add salt and pepper to taste - taste it to be sure it’s to your satisfaction.  Add the shrimp and the reserved bacon and continue to cook at a very low heat for about 3-4 minutes until the shrimp is opaque and cooked through.  Do not overcook.  Add the heavy cream, heat briefly, then scoop into soup bowls.  Sprinkle top with chopped Italian parsley and serve.

Per Serving (main course servings): 449 Calories; 17g Fat (34.6% calories from fat); 33g Protein; 41g Carbohydrate; 6g Dietary Fiber; 190mg Cholesterol; 537mg Sodium.  Exchanges: 1 Grain (Starch); 3 Lean Meat; 3 Vegetable; 1 Non-Fat Milk; 3 Fat.

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Last Friday came and went, and I totally forgot I was going to write up a brief post about the one-year anniversary of my blog. Here’s what this blog-writing has done for me:

1. I didn’t know I was going to enjoy the writing part so much. Maybe I really am a frustrated journalist, or something. I surprise myself sometimes with how much I can write about one little recipe. Now, ask me to write something about politics, or air quality, or to write a short story, and I’d likely develop night terrors.

2. Making and eating some of my old favorites have been a real joy. You know, the comfort kind of food we made back in the 60’s and 70’s. And since my daughter Dana reads my blog every day, who grew up eating those favorites, it’s given me a fun connection with her I certainly didn’t predict! Even her husband reads my blog - for a guy who doesn’t cook much, I’m tickled that he enjoys reading my posts.

3. Lights, camera, action! The blog made me buy a light so I could photograph better. I was really unhappy with the state of my food photos until it arrived on the scene. Learning more about my camera has been a good thing. I’d never read the manual, really, so now I know how to do very close photos. I don’t stage them as well as many other food bloggers, but my photos are passable, I do believe.

4. Making friends, albeit long-distance and via email only, with people here in the U.S. of A. and around the world has added a lovely dimension to this whole blogging business. If you haven’t read The World is Flat, blogging is just one cog in that level playing field (most of it related to world economies) we’re all a part of.

5. My husband wouldn’t be able to tease me - if I didn’t have a food blog - about how I whisk every plate of food over to the photo corner just before we sit down to eat. He loves exaggerating about how I slide a plate past his nose and then it disappears.

6. My routine - certainly if I didn’t have this blog I’d be more carefree with my morning time. I rise, dress, breakfast, blog. Some mornings there’s a detour to the gym in that routine.

7. The writing does take some time - probably more than I’m willing to admit. Time that I probably should be cleaning windows, paying bills or filing. It does take about an hour for me to write up a recipe (if it’s not already in my MasterCook file), export it to text, upload the photo, go to Picnik and manipulate it, add titles and my copyright, write the story text in Word, spellcheck it, copy and paste it to my WordPress wysiwig editor window, upload the final photo, format the story for font size and add italic emphasis here and there, correct the posting date and time, add categories and tags, enter the trackbacks. Then I upload the PDF recipe onto FileDen, where I store all of my printable recipes, enter the link back into the story. THEN, I still have to enter the links into my Recipes page for both story and PDF. And then it gets posted. Whew!

8. But overlying all of it is the FUN I have doing this. If a blogger doesn’t have fun, she/he wouldn’t do it. Trust me on that one.

I do thank all of you who read my blog, near and afar. It makes my day. Since I’ve moved my blog to this new site, lots of my readers haven’t migrated over. Don’t know why. I still have more people looking at my old site. Presumably with time that will change.

A friend, who lives on an actual small farm just a few miles from us (we mostly live in a suburb of several small cities, but we do have some lovely homes that are also zoned for livestock, horses, etc.). We actually live on county property, not city, so technically we could have chickens too. Fortunately none of our neighbors have begun raising any livestock to date.

So, this friend Fay has a bunch of chickens, and when they’re laying, she’s overwhelmed with eggs, so she gives them to everyone she knows. She dropped off a dozen lovely brown eggs for us. I hadn’t made specific plans for dinner, so I gave my DH a choice: an omelette or a big green salad (we’d had a nice lunch out that day, so wanted something lighter). He chose the former, and I concurred.

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Several years ago I was confused about a lot of the (east) Indian cooking spices and methods, so when Suneeta Vaswani taught a class at Sur la Table, I signed up. She was a delightful teacher. Very informative and easy to understand. Among the things she made at that class, this was the standout in my book. It happens to be a favorite in her family. My recollection is that she mentioned whenever she’s off teaching classes her husband always wants this – if he can have this available for his dinner, he’s a happy man. So, it’s a staple in her freezer. I also bought her Easy Indian Cookbook, which I’ve used several times. I don’t cook Indian food very often, although my DH and I both like it very much. She’s recently published a new book, which is already going for a 2nd printing apparently.

Truly, this dish is simple. Really simple. First you get out the sauté pan you’ll use (make sure you have a lid to fit this one) and the ingredients are mixed right in the pan itself and allowed to sit for half an hour before cooking. It’s merely a mixture of nonfat yogurt, a bit of cornstarch, minced ginger, garlic, a Serrano chile pepper and salt. You roll the chicken thighs around in this thick mixture and let it sit. Just like that. Then you put the pan over the heat on the range, and begin slowly cooking the chicken. It does not get browned, just heated and slowly cooked. Then, at the end, you actually sauté some cracked peppercorns for about a minute, then those get poured into the sauce. Garnish with some cilantro and you’re done, except for spooning some of the scrumptious sauce over basmati rice. Oh, is that ever good, I’ll tell you.

The yogurt separates during the cooking process – it is a little off-putting when you see it, but the sauce comes together in the end. You can cook this without a lid, but how much sauce you get depends on how much the fluid evaporates. You’ll need to be your own judge about that. I like the sauce, but the nonfat yogurt is the thinnest, and doesn’t firm up much. That’s why I’ve been using Greek (strained, thicker) yogurt for this the last several times. I prefer it because it sticks better to the chicken (see photo), but it’s likely not traditional.

Indian Pepper Chicken 

Recipe By:  Suneeta Vaswani

Serving Size: 8

12 whole chicken thighs without skin — bone-in preferred

2 cups nonfat yogurt

2 teaspoons cornstarch

1 tablespoon minced ginger

1 tablespoon minced garlic

1 whole serrano pepper — sliced in half

2 teaspoons salt

2 cups fresh cilantro — chopped

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 tablespoon black peppercorns — freshly cracked

1.  Rinse chicken and pat dry.  In a large saucepan stir together the yogurt, cornstarch, ginger, garlic, chilies and salt.  Add chicken and mix well, then allow to sit in the pan for about 30 minutes, at room temperature.

2.  Cover the pan and bring it to a boil over medium heat.  Reduce the heat and simmer, shaking the pan occasionally and turning pieces once to ensure even cooking, about 30-35 minutes.  The yogurt will curdle - don’t worry, that’s how it should be, and it will be fine when it’s finished.  If there is too much liquid, increase the heat and leave pot uncovered to reduce it down.

3.  Reduce heat, shaking pan occasionally, until there is about 1 cup of liquid and the chicken is fork tender and no longer pink inside.  Stir gently if needed.  Scatter the chopped cilantro on top.

4.  In a very small saucepan heat oil over medium heat.  Add the cracked peppercorns and cook (sizzling) for about 1 minute.  Pour this into the chicken pot (it will sizzle more when it hits the liquid) and stir gently.  Remove from the heat and let stand for 5 minutes before serving.

Per Serving: 196 Calories; 8g Fat (35.6% calories from fat); 24g Protein; 7g Carbohydrate; 1g Dietary Fiber; 87mg Cholesterol; 669mg Sodium.  Exchanges: 0 Grain (Starch); 3 Lean Meat; 0 Vegetable; 1/2 Non-Fat Milk; 1/2 Fat.

Cook’s Notes: I’ve used both bone in and boneless thighs. Also have used non-fat and full fat yogurt too. I prefer the Greek yogurt (it’s thicker) although it doesn’t make as much sauce. Don’t be disturbed by how the yogurt separates during the cooking process – the water separates from the milk solids, but will be reabsorbed as it cooks. And, if you happen to freeze this, make sure there’s enough sauce to completely cover the meat - keeps better that way. If you don’t like the heat, eliminate the chile pepper and the cracked pepper, although I think you’d lose a lot of the personality of this dish by doing that.

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At a recent cooking class, my friend Cherrie and I watched the chef prepare these puff appetizers. We looked at one another and whispered, no, we wouldn’t be making these things. Mind you, we hadn’t tasted them yet. Too much work, we said. Hah. One bite and we were both hooked. These little guys are nothing but small rounds of puff pastry topped with a bit of caramelized onion, some shredded gruyere and a sprinkle of fresh sage. It was the caramelizing of the onions that seemed to us to infer too much work.

Having caramelized onions many times, it’s not really all that difficult. Just takes a bit of time to get them to that honeyed succulence released from their internal cells. The onions could be made ahead, but the rest of the prep must be done just before baking. You might glance at this recipe and think the same thing we did – ah, too much work – but you’ll be missing out if you do.

Caramelized Onion and Sage Puffs

Recipe By: Deb Buzar, professional chef

Serving Size: 24

1 package frozen puff pastry sheets — thawed

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

2 medium sweet onions — thinly sliced

1 teaspoon sugar

3/4 cup gruyere cheese — grated

2 tablespoons fresh sage — chopped

freshly ground black pepper

1.  Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

2.  On a lightly floured surface, or between sheets of plastic wrap, roll out the puff pastry to flatten any rough spots.  Using a 2-inch fluted cutter, cut out rounds from each pastry sheet.  Place the rounds on a parchment (or Silpat) lined baking sheet and place in the refrigerator until the rest of the ingredients are ready.

3.  In a heavy bottomed saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat.  Add the thinly sliced onions and cook, stirring until wilted.  Reduce the heat and cook, stirring frequently, until the onions develop a rich golden color.  DO NOT burn - they want to be just a golden color.  Add the sugar and continue cooking until the onions are the color of brown sugar.  Remove from the heat and set aside.

4.  Spread a small dollop of onions on each pastry round.  Add a little sprinkle of chopped sage on top, then sprinkle with grated cheese.  Add pepper to taste.

5.  Bake the puffs for about 15 minutes, or until the pastry is golden brown and the cheese has melted.  Allow to cool a few minutes before serving.

NOTES: If you use too much onion or cheese, it will be too heavy and the puffs won’t rise as they should. As you cut out the pastry circles, press straight down – don’t twist as you cut, as that will prevent the pastry from rising as well.

Per Serving: 80 Calories; 6g Fat (62.2% calories from fat); 2g Protein; 6g Carbohydrate; trace Dietary Fiber; 5mg Cholesterol; 38mg Sodium.  Exchanges: 1/2 Grain (Starch); 0 Lean Meat; 0 Vegetable; 1 Fat; 0 Other Carbohydrates.

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So many people discount parsnips. They look at them in the grocery stores and think they look like anemic carrots, and pass them by. But they’re actually sweeter than carrots, and have a really delicious flavor when roasted. I simply forget about using them, so was delighted to be served them recently. This recipe is quite easy – whether or not you have all the fresh herbs to add at the end or not. It’s obviously better with the compound butter, but if all you have is butter alone, make these anyway.

All that’s required is to cut up the carrots and parsnips into thin squarish matchsticks, toss them with a tad of olive oil, roast them in a hot oven for about 40 minutes, toss with butter and herbs and you’re DONE.

I liked them so much I created a dinner around them a few nights later. We were having the last dinner with our son-in-law, Todd, before he left to drive home to his family. So I decided to have a really special dinner. Here’s what I prepared:

Ribeye Steaks with Amazing Glaze – these steaks, oh my, oh so good. I’ve posted about these before, have made them several times. A marinated and grilled steak, served with the thick red wine-based reduction.

Roasted Asparagus – baked at 450 for about 8-9 minutes, tossed with olive oil, S & P

Applesauce Spice Cake with Caramel Icing - I posted about this recipe a few weeks ago. It was much enjoyed by everybody who tasted it. Very moist, wonderful caramel icing.

and THIS:

Roasted Carrots & Parsnips with Shallot Herb Butter

Recipe By: Deb Buzar, professional chef

Serving Size: 6

5 large carrots — peeled

4 large parsnips — peeled

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

COMPOUND BUTTER:

1/4 cup unsalted butter

2 tablespoons shallots — minced

2 tablespoons chives — minced

1 1/2 teaspoons rosemary — minced

1 1/2 teaspoons thyme — minced

1 clove garlic — minced

1.  Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat the oven to 450 degrees.

2.  Cut the carrots and parsnips into 2 1/2 inch matchsticks, about 1/4 inch width.  Put them in a large bowl; toss with the oil, then sprinkle with salt and pepper and toss again.

3.  Transfer vegetables to a 10 x 13 inch Pyrex dish and roast, stirring ever 15 minutes, until nicely browned, about 40-45 minutes. 

4.  Meanwhile, make the compound butter: combine the butter, shallot, chives, rosemary, thyme and garlic in a small bowl and stir well.  Add butter to the roasted vegetables and toss them to coat well.  Serve immediately.

Per Serving: 272 Calories; 15g Fat (47.6% calories from fat); 3g Protein; 35g Carbohydrate; 10g Dietary Fiber; 21mg Cholesterol; 508mg Sodium.  Exchanges: 1 1/2 Grain (Starch); 1 1/2 Vegetable; 3 Fat.

There was a time when I was a younger woman, maybe still a teen and even a young adult, when I had no interest whatsoever in the few old antique type things my parents had in their home. Like the antique cabinet that I do have (but I’ll save that story for another day), or particularly all of the mix and match fancy plates my mother used now and then. Only on holidays were the plates removed from the cupboards in the dining room to grace the table for a holiday meal. My mother must have sold one group of plates – she didn’t even remember them from my recollection – so maybe they were a figment of my imagination. They were the only dinner sized plates my mother used for these sit-down-at-the-dining-room-table special occasions. They had cut work around the outside edge, and I recall having an occasional pea or something fall through the kind of lattice-like edge.

 

After my paternal grandparents died, my dad saved a few things from their house – likely my mother had something to do with the plates – like a big gnarled bed and dresser, a 5-foot high mirror on a stand, the music cabinet I now have, one painting that has an interesting story (another day also). Oh yes, there was also a rather ornate silver (plated) tea service, which I finally gave away some years ago because it was completely and solidly black from improper storage. I tried numerous times to clean it up, and never was able to make a dent (ha, so to speak) in the black tarnish. If I’d paid to have it dipped, am certain it would have lost all its plate. At the time I had no place to display it. Nor funds to have it re-plated. Never, likely, would have used it. I kind of wanted to make a lamp out of the cream pitcher – thought that would be a clever use of it. But the solid black tarnish kept me from pursuing that idea. I hope somebody else was able to do something with it.

But, let’s get back to the plates. My paternal grandmother, as I have mentioned here before, enjoyed baking and regularly entertained some of her lady friends on an afternoon, for some tea, coffee and a cake of some kind. I remember looking at her loose-leaf recipe book after she passed away. It contained only desserts, all clipped from magazines. Very elaborate affairs they were, layers of cake, meringues, frosting, fillings, etc. (a King or Queen would have approved, I’m sure.) There weren’t any recipes for salads, or meat dishes. Or vegetables. She died when I was still quite young, so I don’t have many memories of her. But, what did eventually get handed down to me were all of her dessert plates.

 

Sometime after I reached adulthood, I began to like dishes, plates, serving pieces. That kind of thing. I don’t know what happened. Maybe it was nothing more than realizing I liked entertaining, and at the time I had nothing except my 1962 wedding dishes. It wasn’t until my parents moved into a retirement home that some of the dishes finally came to live with me. The furniture piece became mine a long time ago because it didn’t really fit with my parents’ style or décor. I never did want the huge bedroom set (a double bed . . . who sleeps in a double bed anymore? . . . we certainly don’t). The large mirror was mine for some years too, but without the stand. It got lost somewhere along the way. So it leaned onto a wall, but finally it didn’t fit with my décor either.

 

What brought this subject to mind was an article by Sarah B. Coffin in Martha Stewart Living magazine. It was a monthly feature called “Object Lesson,” and subtitled “dessert plates bedecked with blooms bring the fanciful forms and vibrant colors of spring right to the table.” A lovely sage-green painted wall in Martha’s house was decorated with a randomly placed group of about 18 plates. Every one different. Some color rimmed. Some medium sized, others larger. A real conglomeration of color and style. I studied the photo. None were even similar to my collection of dessert plates, but then, hers were mostly current designs by Vera Wang and Kate Spade. They’re not antiques at all. A second photo with a rosy pink background showed a similar collection of plates. All with pink in them. This looked much like my collection, which all contain some pink, various flowers. According to the article, in studying the history of dessert plates, in the late 18^th century, an array of desserts was reserved for honored guests of monarchs, aristocrats, and later, wealthy merchants. Large dessert arrangements connoted power and wealth. Porcelain finally found its way to European tables (from China) in the 17^th century, but was rare and costly. But revered because porcelain allowed the use of color and naturalistic decoration (flowers, leaves) and were considered appropriate for dessert.

 

According to the article, in 1742, Meissen, the German porcelain manufacturer, originated the idea of special dessert plates and produced small pierced plates. They were accompanied by compotes and other centerpieces and figurines. I have one small compote (see picture). Most of my plates are Haviland from France. In reading about this, I came across a really interesting online history of Haviland in Limoges. The Haviland family is American, and after years of trying to work with the French artisans, the family established their own factory in Limoges, France. It rocked the industry there, because Haviland had specific ideas about what would be manufactured and exported to America. Altogether new and different designs. Very interesting reading, if you happen to be intrigued by it. I have a new perspective and appreciation for my Haviland ware, made in Limoges.  Over the years they created nearly 60,000 patterns. Can you imagine? E-Bay has an extensive section for Haviland Limoges, in case you’ve always wanted to buy or sell some pieces. I also have some of these dessert plate sets from Germany; another from Austria. But most are Haviland.

 

So, I treasure my dessert plates. I have mixed groups. Three or four of this, six of those, maybe 12 of one design. I think about my grandmother nearly every time I use them. You’ve seen photos of some of these plates now and then on my blog – always a dessert of course, because I try to use them whenever I can. Even though many of these are gilded with gold, usually I do put them in the dishwasher. I try to use the newer drawer dishwasher we have, that has a special setting for crystal and china. I don’t use these often enough to worry about the gilding and what the detergents do to them. I determined some years ago that if I always saved these dishes for a special occasion, I’d almost never use them. So they’re out, in close-by cupboards so I can reach them easily. I’ll bet you have some in your cupboards too. They’d probably love to see the light of day. To have some lovingly made dessert sit upon them. So you and others can admire their beauty.

 

I do like variety in dishes. Probably too much, according to my DH, who swears if I come home with another plate or dish, he’s going to. . . going to . . . well, I don’t know what. If I do buy much of anything I almost have to sneak it in. It isn’t about the money; he says we don’t NEED more plates. I say what’s NEED have to do with it? It’s not about need, it’s about WANT. Or LIKE. I do have a problem, though, with where to PUT any more dishes. We’re about full-up around here. If something comes in, something else has to go out. I’m working on it.

It seems like it’s only been in the last year or so that I’ve become enamored with preparing beef tenderloin for guests. Probably my reluctance in years past was that I truly didn’t know how to roast it. More specifically, I didn’t know how to prepare it perfectly. Then, of course, there’s the cost factor. It is one of the most expensive cuts of meat out there. I wasn’t about to invest in a $50 roast to serve an overcooked, tough, or dry piece of meat to guests.

My mother, bless her heart, a product of the depression, probably never, EVER purchased or roasted a tenderloin. Growing up, even when we went out to dinner I wasn’t allowed to order steak (too expensive). For many years my mother and I shared a meal, even when we went out, in order to save money. I so well remember when I was about 17 or 18, I finally asked my mother if I could have my very OWN steak, on those occasions when she’d buy T-bones to grill at home.

Mostly, though, my mother would buy a rump roast and bake that for guests. With no sauce. It had nothing to elevate it to something edible, in my book. Rump roasts are one of those that need dry heat, but when you’re done, it’s nothing but a very dry piece of meat. And not all that tender, either. I would venture to guess that I may have made a rump roast once in my complete adult life. It was just as I’d remembered. Dry, tough, like shoe leather.

I believe I ate chateaubriand for the first time when I was in my mid-20’s. I thought it was heavenly, but it was never in the budget to buy it to prepare at home, and here I am in my 60’s and it’s still elusive, a bit.

But, this last week I was served a beef tenderloin that came from a regular grocery store. I was positively amazed how tender and delicious it was. Usually when I buy meat – especially for a company dinner – I go to a meat market, or an upscale grocery store, and will pay top dollar. It’s possible this particular roast from a grocery store was a fluke, but I’m going to have to try them and see if it’s their normal quality. (It happened to have been Albertson’s, in case anyone is interested.)

As I’ve mentioned before in my blog, I’m in love with meat thermometers – the newer kinds that measure both oven and meat temps. I can rely on it telling me when the meat has just reached the right temp.

Now let’s get to the recipe. This roast is seasoned, browned, then crusted with a pile of fresh herbs before baking in the oven. You use the same saute pan to prepare the cabernet wine sauce. Then you make a horseradish cream sauce too. The meat needs to rest a bit before you slice it up to serve, so there’s plenty of time to prepare the wine sauce and the horseradish cream. That’s it. It was just scrumptious. Certainly not low in calorie, however. But if you’d like a foolproof recipe for tenderloin, this is it.

Herb Crusted Beef Tenderloin

Recipe By: Deb Buzar, professional chef

Serving Size: 10

5 pounds beef tenderloin

1 teaspoon salt — or to taste

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper — or to taste

HERB CRUST:

2 tablespoons Italian parsley — minced

4 teaspoons rosemary — minced

2 teaspoons thyme — minced

2 teaspoons fresh garlic — finely minced

CABERNET SAUCE:

1 medium shallot — minced

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup dry red wine

1 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth

1 tablespoon light brown sugar

2 tablespoons unsalted butter — softened

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons fresh thyme — minced

CREAMY HORSERADISH SAUCE:

1/2 cup heavy cream

1/4 cup prepared horseradish

1/8 cup mayonnaise

1/2 teaspoon dry mustard

1 dash freshly ground black pepper

1.  Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Take the meat out of the refrigerator and cover loosely, about 1 hour prior to roasting (to take the chill out of the meat, for better roasting).  Trim the meat as necessary, to remove ALL silverskin.  Season the meat to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper no more than 30 minutes before cooking.  If salted too long before roasting, the salt will take some moisture out of the meat.

2.  In a small bowl combine the pepper, parsley rosemary, thyme, garlic and mix well.  Set aside.

3.  In a large sauté pan large enough to hold the meat, over medium high heat, add olive oil to coat the bottom of the pan.  Add beef and brown on all sides.  Do not burn the meat because you use the brown bits in the sauce, but keep temp below that level.  Transfer meat to a shallow roasting pan.  Rub meat with herb and garlic rub and insert a thermometer in the middle of the meat.  Roast until the meat registers the desired temp: 125-130 for rare, 135-140 for medium rare, and 150-155 for medium, about 25-40 minutes.

4.  Let the roast stand 15-20 minutes before carving.

5.  CABERNET SAUCE: To the same sauté pan as you browned the meat, add the shallot and salt.  If there is not enough fat in the pan, add just a teaspoon or two.  Return to medium-low heat and cook until softened, about 4 minutes.  Stir in the wine, scraping up the browned bits.  Add the broth and sugar, bring to a simmer, and cook until the mixture is reduced by two-thirds, about 8 minutes.  Pour any accumulated beef juices into the simmering sauce.  Knead softened butter and flour together with your fingers (or a fork) as tough you are making pastry.  Add little bits of this mixture into the hot liquid, whisking constantly, until the ingredients are well blended and the sauce is thickened to your satisfaction.  Do not make the gravy too thick - it should be a thin sauce.

6.  Do not boil the sauce, but simmer long enough just to dispel the floury taste.  Add thyme just before serving.  Pour a small amount of gravy on each serving.

7.  CREAMY HORSERADISH SAUCE: Whip cream with a mixer until stiff peaks form.  Gently fold in remaining ingredients.  Serve a dollop of this alongside the beef.

Per Serving: 754 Calories; 62g Fat (74.6% calories from fat); 43g Protein; 5g Carbohydrate; 1g Dietary Fiber; 185mg Cholesterol; 430mg Sodium.  Exchanges: 0 Grain (Starch); 5 1/2 Lean Meat; 0 Vegetable; 0 Non-Fat Milk; 8 1/2 Fat; 0 Other Carbohydrates.

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Seems like I’m really into pork lately. Particularly that lean one, the tenderloin. I’m so glad I have a stable of recipes I can turn to, to make this lean piece of meat tasty and delicious. This one is no exception.

Now some people think a tenderloin will serve just two people. I think it will serve closer to three people as long as you have other side dishes. Each tenderloin should weigh about a pound. If it’s smaller than that, obviously, it will serve fewer people. For this recipe, you’ll get about 9 slices (3/4 of an inch thick) from each tenderloin. The tapered end slices will be smaller, of course. So gauge the servings appropriately.

I do highly recommend using a meat thermometer for this – and remove the pork from the oven at 150°. The recipe indicates 155°, but I prefer it slightly pinker than that. Plus, it continues to cook while it rests the 5-10 minutes before slicing.

The sauce is what makes this dish. The Port wine adds a nice succulence to the taste. And the addition of Mission figs (dried) is just wonderful. Then you throw in the rosemary and cinnamon into it, and it just has this lovely rounded complexity of flavors going on. Rosemary is a very strong, pungent herb, but in this it seems to mellow somehow. Be sure to remove all the leaves from the sauce before blending it.

Although you can use cheap Port for this recipe, it’s not recommended. If, however, that’s all you have, be sure to use a less-sweet one (the recipe calls for Tawny). The other types will make the sauce overly sweet. If you don’t like figs, try dried cranberries instead.

Pork Tenderloin with Fig & Port Sauce

Recipe By: Phillis Carey, cooking instructor

Serving Size : 5

SAUCE:

2 1/2 cups Port wine — tawny, not too sweet

1 1/4 cups chicken broth

8 whole dried figs — black Mission, coarsely chopped [or cranberries]

2 sprigs fresh rosemary

2 whole cinnamon sticks

1 tablespoon honey salt and pepper to taste

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 cup chicken broth

PORK:

2 large pork tenderloin — 2 1/4 pounds total

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons fresh rosemary leaves — chopped

1 tablespoon salt

1 1/2 teaspoons fresh ground pepper

3 tablespoons parsley — chopped for garnish

1.  SAUCE: combine port, broth, figs, rosemary, cinnamon sticks and honey in a medium saucepan.  Bring to a boil and cook until reduced by half, about 30 minutes.  Discard herb sprigs (yes, get all of those rosemary pieces out of there) and cinnamon sticks.  Transfer to a blender and puree until smooth.  Season sauce to taste with salt and pepper.  The sauce can be made ahead one day.

2.  PORK: Preheat oven to 400°.  Trim tenderloins of all fat and silverskin.  In a small bowl combine the olive oil, rosemary, salt and pepper.  Rub all over the pork.  Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and brown pork well on all sides (4 of 5).  Transfer pork to a parchment (or silpat) lined baking sheet and roast for 20 minutes or until internal temp reaches 150° degrees.  Remove from oven, tent with foil and allow to rest for 5-10 minutes.

3.  To the skillet with pork drippings, add the chicken broth and bring to a boil, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan.  Continue to cook down to about 1/2 cup of broth.  Add the reserved port sauce from above and stir to warm through.  Remove from heat.  Stir in the butter until melted, then place in pitcher to serve with the pork.

4.  SERVING: Slice pork in about 3/4 inch slices (you’ll get about 9 slices per tenderloin), place on hot platter or plates and serve with sauce.  Garnish with parsley.

Per Serving: 529 Calories; 17g Fat (36.3% calories from fat); 23g Protein; 43g Carbohydrate; 7g Dietary Fiber; 78mg Cholesterol; 1680mg Sodium.  Exchanges: 1/2 Grain (Starch); 3 Lean Meat; 0 Vegetable; 1 1/2 Fruit; 2 1/2 Fat; 0 Other Carbohydrates.

NOTES : Highly recommend using a meat thermometer for this.  Phillis recommends taking out the pork at 155.  I prefer 150.  Don’t be concerned that if it’s pink it may contain trichinosis. That little bug is killed at 137 degrees.

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