Rosemary Apricot Pork Tenderloin

     Mary Feller prepared this delicious recipe for dinner club a couple of months ago. Chef Jon Ashton’s herbal roasted pork tenderloin recipe, that includes a apricot glaze, appeared in Relish magazine. Mary followed his suggestion and served it with polenta. 

     When we prepared it we made a few minor adjustments to the recipe (adding step #2 and increasing the cooking time from 15 minutes to 20 to 30 — at the end of 15 minutes the tenderloin registered only about 110° when roasted at both Mary’s kitchen and ours as well).

Chef Jon Ashton’s Rosemary Apricot Pork Tenderloin    Yield: 8 servings

Prep 30 mins / Cook 20 mins

Barry uses a mortar & pestle to crush
dried rosemary.

2 pounds pork tenderloin

3 tablespoons olive oil

6 tablespoons finely minced rosemary

6 garlic cloves, minced

Coarsely ground black pepper

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup apricot preserves

3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

2 garlic cloves, pressed

1.  Preheat oven to 400°. 

2.  Use a sharp knife to remove the silverskin from the tenderloin.

Barry removes the tough membrane (silverskin) from the surface of the pork tenderloin.

3.  Brush pork with 1 tablespoon oil; sprinkle with rosemary, garlic, salt and pepper. Heat remaining 2 tablespoons oil in large ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Add pork and cook until brown on all sides, turning often, about 5 minutes. 

4.  Transfer pan to oven, and roast pork until meat thermometer registers 150°, about 20 to 30 minutes.

The tenderloin is ready to go into the oven.

5.  While pork roasts, combine preserves, lemon juice and garlic. Add a little water to thin sauce if needed.

Heating with melt the preserves but if they are still too thick, add a little water.

6.  Remove pan from oven and brush jam mixture over pork. Let rest 8 minutes. Cut crosswise into 1/4 -inch-thick slices.

7.  Serve on top of polenta. Drizzle sauce on top.

Recipe without photos:

Chef Jon Ashton’s Rosemary Apricot Pork Tenderloin    Yield: 8 servings

Prep 30 mins / Cook 20_ mins

2 pounds pork tenderloin

3 tablespoons olive oil

6 tablespoons finely minced rosemary

6 garlic cloves, minced

Coarsely ground black pepper

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup  apricot preserves

3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

2 garlic cloves, pressed

1.  Preheat oven to 400°. 

2.  Use a sharp knife to remove the silverskin from the tenderloin.

3.  Brush pork with 1 tablespoon oil; sprinkle with rosemary, garlic, salt and pepper. Heat remaining 2 tablespoons oil in large ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Add pork and cook until brown on all sides, turning often, about 5 minutes. 

4.  Transfer pan to oven, and roast pork until meat thermometer registers 150°, about 20 to 30 minutes.

5.  While pork roasts, combine preserves, lemon juice and garlic. Add a little water to thin sauce if needed.

6.  Remove pan from oven and brush jam mixture over pork. Let rest 8 minutes. Cut crosswise into 1/4 -inch-thick slices.

7.  Serve on top of polenta. Drizzle sauce on top.

Pumpkin Spice Smoothie —Breakfast in a Glass

    This is so good that I could drink it almost every morning.  It has taken the place of my other favorites: Chocolate Breakfast Shake and Chai Almond Smoothie -- at least for awhile.
      I particularly like to use a frozen banana in smoothies as it makes then really icy and thick. 

Pumpkin Spice  Smoothie   Makes one smoothie

1 frozen banana, cut into chunks

1 cup almond milk ( I used vanilla-flavored this a.m. so didn't need much additional sweetener)

1 tablespoon ground flax meal
1 tablespoon pumpkin puree (I used canned without added sugar or spices)

1/4 ground cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon ground ginger

1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/8 teaspoon ground cardamon
A squirt of agave syrup (a naturally low glycemic sweetener - it is 1½ times sweeter than sugar so just a little adds a lot of sweetness)
1 glass of ice

Put all ingredients in a blender;  blend until ice is finely chopped and frosty. 

Pecan-topped Pumpkin Pie — My Thanksgiving pie is ready!

The best of both worlds, this pie combines crunchy pecans with creamy pumpkin pie and all of the spices I associate with fall. Besides, it gave me an opportunity to try out my spring-loaded pie cutters from Williams-Sonoma . . . which work very well! My Thanksgiving pie is ready!

Pecan-topped Pumpkin Pie      Makes one 9" pie

Filling

2 eggs 


2/3 cup lightly packed brown sugar

½ teaspoon salt 



1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg

¼ teaspoon ground ginger


1 (15 oz.) can plain pumpkin pie filling (no sugar or spices included) or pumpkin puree

1 (12 ½ oz.) can evaporated milk

One 9” unbaked pie shell

1. Preheat oven to 425°.

2. Break eggs into a large bowl. Beat until blended. Stir in brown sugar, salt and spices until evenly blended. Then add pumpkin and milk, stirring until blended.

3. Pour pumpkin mixture into the unbaked pie shell.

4. Bake on bottom rack of oven just until crust is golden around edges, about 10 to 12 minutes. Reduce heat to 325° and continue baking until pumpkin filling seems set in center when lightly jiggled, about 45 to 50 minutes more. Add topping (recipe follows) the last 5 to 8 minutes that the pie is in the oven.

5. Cool on a cooling rack; refrigerate until ready to serve.

Topping

½ cup chopped pecans

2 tablespoons brown sugar

2 tablespoons soft butter

Mix all above ingredients together thoroughly. (I started with a spatula and then used my fingers to make sure the nuts did not clump together.)

Fun with my spring-loaded pie crust cut outs . . .

I added a few leaves to the edge of the crust.

I also baked leaves, acorns, pumpkins & turkeys to add the baked pie and other Thanksgiving desserts.

Recipe without photos . . .

Pecan-topped Pumpkin Pie      Makes one 9" pie

Filling

2 eggs 


2/3 cup lightly packed brown sugar

½ teaspoon salt 



1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg

¼ teaspoon ground ginger


1 (15 oz.) can plain pumpkin pie filling (no sugar or spices included) or pumpkin puree

1 (12 ½ oz.) can evaporated milk

One 9” unbaked pie shell

1. Preheat oven to 425°.
2. Break eggs into a large bowl. Beat until blended. Stir in brown sugar, salt and spices until evenly blended. Then add pumpkin and milk, stirring until blended.
3. Pour pumpkin mixture into the unbaked pie shell.
4. Bake on bottom rack of oven just until crust is golden around edges, about 10 to 12 minutes. Reduce heat to 325° and continue baking until pumpkin filling seems set in center when lightly jiggled, about 45 to 50 minutes more. Add topping (recipe follows) the last 5 to 8 minutes that the pie is in the oven.
5. Cool on a cooling rack; refrigerate until ready to serve.

Topping

½ cup chopped pecans

2 tablespoons brown sugar

2 tablespoons soft butter

Mix all above ingredients together thoroughly. (I started with a spatula and then used my fingers to make sure the nuts did not clump together.)

Very Simple — Fall Beet Salad

I needed a quick salad so chopped up some pickled beets (preserved from our summer garden produce), about a half of a small onion, some chives, and then drizzled all of that with lemon olive oil and lemon balsamic vinegar. It was a nice combination of flavors and a colorful addition to our meal.

Fall Beet Salad/Relish   Makes about 4 servings

About 1 to 1½ cups chopped pickled beets

About ½ of a small yellow or white onion

About 3 to 4 tablespoons chopped fresh chives

Salt and pepper to taste

Lemon EVOO (extra virgin olive oil) – enough to lightly drizzle over salad

Lemon Balsamic Vinegar – enough to lightly drizzle over salad

Combine all ingredients and toss. Ideally, allow to set for an hour or so to allow flavors to meld.

Add salad/relish to a dish and pass. Or plate, adding a spoonful of salad to a lettuce leaf.

We purchased our speciality olive oil and balsamic vinegar at The Tasteful Olive in Overland Park, Kansas.

Pumpkin-Pecan Pancakes

November is pumpkin month so it seemed appropriate to have pumpkin pancakes for breakfast this morning. I used our homemade mix, added a little pumpkin and spice and a few chopped pecans. We served them with butter and maple syrup and they were delicious!

Hmmm – there’s still pumpkin left so guess we’ll have pumpkin pancakes at least one more time.

Pumpkin-Pecan Pancakes     Makes about 7 pancakes

1 cup homemade baking mix, or use a commercial pancake mix

¾ cup cold water

1/3 cup canned pumpkin ­— plain without added sugar or spices (extra pumpkin can be frozen for later use if you are not going to use it right away

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

¼ teaspoon ground ginger

¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg

1 tablespoon brown sugar

1/3 cup chopped pecans

Nonstick vegetable cooking spray

Butter & maple syrup

1.     In a medium bowl, whisk pancake mix, water, pumpkin, spices, brown sugar and chopped pecans until just blended (do not over mix; mixture should be lumpy).

This is a relatively thick pancake batter.

2.     Spray a heavy griddle with nonstick spray and heat griddle over medium heat. Pour ¼ cup of batter onto hot griddle to form each pancake.

3.     Cook for about 2 minutes or until bubbles appear, then turn pancakes over and cook for about 2 minutes longer.

Bubbles have formed and the pancakes are ready to turn.

They need to cook for a few more minutes after they've been flipped.

4.     Serve with butter and maple syrup. (Bacon and eggs are good with them, too.) 

(Barry waits patiently while I take a photo!)

Recipe without photos . . .

Pumpkin-Pecan Pancakes     Makes about 7 pancakes

1 cup homemade pancake mix, or use a commercial mix

¾ cup cold water

1/3 cup canned pumpkin ­— plain without added sugar or spices (extra pumpkin can be frozen for later use if you are not going to use it right away

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

¼ teaspoon ground ginger

¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg

1 tablespoon brown sugar

1/3 cup chopped pecans

Nonstick vegetable cooking spray

Butter & maple syrup

1.     In a medium bowl, whisk pancake mix, water, pumpkin, spices, brown sugar and chopped pecans until just blended (do not over mix; mixture should be lumpy).

2.     Spray a heavy griddle with nonstick spray and heat griddle over medium heat. Pour ¼ cup of batter onto hot griddle to form each pancake.

3.     Cook for about 2 minutes or until bubbles appear, then turn pancakes over and cook for about 2 minutes longer.

4.     Serve with butter and maple syrup.

Baklav Rounds -- recipe as it appear in 2012 Taste of Home Christmas cookbook edition

My complimentary copy of Taste of Home’s 2012Christmas Cookbook arrived about a month ago. A recipe I submitted appears on p. 121 and I am posting it below. It is a recipe that I prepared for a Christmas tea at the Kirby House restaurant several years ago.

Baklav Rounds

Prep: 40 min.   Bake: 20 min. + standind  

Yield: 32 cookies

In need of a sweet treat that I could prepare ahead, I streamlined a recipe I found online. These crispy, flaky little rounds were the result. They were a big hit at an elegant tea I catered. Meta West * Abilene, Kansas                                                           
1 cup suagr

¾ cup water

10 orange peel strips (1 to 3 inches)

Filling:

   1½ cups walnut pieces

   ½  cup  slivered almonds

   ¼ cup sugar

   1 teaspoon almond extract

   ½  teaspoon ground cinnamon 

   ½  teaspoon ground cloves

18 sheets phyllo (fillo) dough (14-inch x 9-inch sheet size)

¾ cup butter, melted

     In a large saucepan, bring the sugar, water and orange rind (or substitute orange syrup); bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 30-35 minutes or until thickened. Strain and discard peel; set aside.

     In food processor, combine the  walnuts, almonds, sugar, almond extract, cinnamon and cloves; process until finely chopped.

     Place one sheet of phyllo on work surface, brush with butter. (Keep remaining phyllo covered with plastic wrap and a damp towel to prevent it from drying out.) Sprinkle with about 1/3 cup of the nut mixture. Repeat layers twice.

     Roll up jelly-roll style, starting with a long side. Brush roll with butter. Trim edges. Cut into 16 slices, about ¾ in. each. Repeat with ramining phyllo, butter and filling.

     Bake in 350 oven for 10 minutes, Gently turn cookies over; bake 10-15 mintues longer or until golden brown. Cool for 5 minutes before removing from pans to wireracks over waxed paper.

     Spoon half of the syrup over cookies. Let stand for 15 minutes. Drizzle with remaining syrup. Cool completely.

TO MAKE AHEAD: Prepare as direted. Freeze in a single layer on sawec paper-lined baking sheet. Once frozen, package in freezer bags, separating layers with waxed paper. Theaw in a single layer before serving.

Links to my other recipes for appeared in previous Taste of Home’s holiday cookbook:

2011 edition — Polenta Spoons with Caramelized Mushrooms

2010 edition — Mini Cheese Balls