One of the great things about Derek's potential participation in MasterChef is the fact that he is now keen on trying out new recipes and new methods of cooking - just in case he makes it! I get to reap the benefits of this endeavor, serving as the key taste tester due to my wonderful critiquing skills and the fact that I'm typically the only other person dining with him!
His latest inspiration has stemmed from his recent purchase, Thomas Keller's Ad Hoc at Home.
Thomas Keller is the well known chef of French Laundry, Napa Valley's Three Michelin Star restaurant. I haven't been lucky enough to eat there yet but one day...yes one day...I'll have to save up some more pennies in my piggy bank before that happens. For those of us who are not as financially secure, he opened up another restaurant up in wine country - Ad Hoc - this one focusing more on home cooking cuisine - done perfectly. The interesting thing about this restaurant is that he serves up just one menu per night at around $50 for a four course meal - appetizer, entree, cheese, dessert. I sound like a frequent guest at this establishment when I haven't even been there once either. However, I feel well acquainted with the style and focus of the restaurant having perused the hefty cookbook adorned with photos and simple explanations of techniques. For a home cook who wants to learn how to cook perfectly executed, fairly simple recipes, this is a great book.
All three components of the meal came from Ad Hoc at home and seemed relatively simple. Brined Pork Tenderloin with Caramelized Fennel and Polenta.
I found the following recipe online claiming to be the Ad Hoc recipe...so I'm assuming this is just about how Derek prepared it.
Ad Hoc Brined Pork Tenderloin
Pork Brine
(from Ad Hoc at Home)
3 T honey
6 bay leaves
2 fresh rosemary springs
1/4 oz fresh thyme sprigs
1 oz fresh flat leaf parsley sprigs
6 cloves garlic, crushed with the skin left on
1 T black peppercorns
1/2 c kosher salt
4 c water
1 pork tenderloin, silverskin removed)
Bring all the ingredients to boil. Stir and boil for 1 minute, until the salt is dissolved. Cool completely before adding the pork. (If you want to cool your brine quickly put the pot in a large bowl of ice and it'll do the trick.) Put the pork tenderloin and brine in a bowl just big enough to hold them. Let sit in the fridge for 4 hours (apparently 4 hours is the optimal time for brining...any more time left in the brine would potentially make the pork too salty so this is certainly not a "prepare ahead of time - i.e. overnight" recipe.)
Now to cook the brined pork.
INGREDIENTS:
1 T canola oil
salt and pepper
1 T unsalted butter
1 garlic clove, crushed
3 fresh thyme sprigs
1 fresh rosemary sprig
4 - 5 slices cured (preserved) lemon slices
sea salt
Remove the pork from the brine, rinse it and pat it dry. Let the pork sit at room temperature for 30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 350 F.
Heat the olive oil over medium-high heat in a large skillet. Salt and pepper the pork. Put the pork in the hot skillet and cook until golden brown on all sides, about 6 minutes. Add the butter, garlic, thyme, rosemary and lemon slices. Cook for another two minutes basting the herbs, lemon and garlic with the juices in the pan.
Move the pork to a roasting pan with a rack set in it. Lay the lemon slices across the top of the pork, overlapping them a little. Top with the thyme, rosemary and garlic. Roast for 20 minutes, until the pork registers 135-140 on an instant read thermometer.
Let the pork sit for 15 minutes before slicing to serve.
The components are simple but I can confidently say that this was the very best pork tenderloin that I have ever had. Derek made an apple compote to accompany the pork consisting of chopped and peeled green apples, currants, sugar...then adding a special kick with some apple brandy. Cooked down until the apples are not crunchy and the flavors have melded.
The pork itself was extremely flavorful and juicy and oh my goodness - just simply perfect. Long gone are the days where you have to cook your pork to 160 degrees. Please, do not do that, that will ruin any potential that the meat has. This recipe brought out every ounce of potential that the little loin had. I was trying to put my finger on how to describe the flavor and came to a cross of roasted chicken and dark meat turkey. Dark meat because it was so juicy and flavorful, roasted chicken because it picked up so much of the herb and lemon goodness. Really, quite fantastic.
Served with the pork and apple compote were polenta and caramelized fennel. Polenta is polenta, I've had it before and with some cream and butter, you can't go wrong...I certainly ate it up.
The fennel, though, was a preparation that I had never had before and will certainly make again. Derek removed the tougher outer segments of the fennel bulb and quartered the bulbs. The fennel was blanched briefly as a first step - this may have happened before or after the cutting of the fennel into segments. After letting the blanched fennel rest, Derek coated them in EVOO, salt and pepper...simple. Then with some canola oil in a pan, he (or I...I actually did this part) cooked the fennel over medium heat turning the fennel pieces every few minutes to make sure to get a nice caramelization on each side. The whole cooking time was about 12 minutes or so - until they are nice and tender but still keep their shape.
These were fantastic.
The whole meal was - and it was just a Tuesday night. Knowing that at least one of my friends probably popped a Lean Cuisine in the microwave for dinner that night...well that makes me feel extremely lucky to be a guinea pig for a potential MasterChef.
His latest inspiration has stemmed from his recent purchase, Thomas Keller's Ad Hoc at Home.
Thomas Keller is the well known chef of French Laundry, Napa Valley's Three Michelin Star restaurant. I haven't been lucky enough to eat there yet but one day...yes one day...I'll have to save up some more pennies in my piggy bank before that happens. For those of us who are not as financially secure, he opened up another restaurant up in wine country - Ad Hoc - this one focusing more on home cooking cuisine - done perfectly. The interesting thing about this restaurant is that he serves up just one menu per night at around $50 for a four course meal - appetizer, entree, cheese, dessert. I sound like a frequent guest at this establishment when I haven't even been there once either. However, I feel well acquainted with the style and focus of the restaurant having perused the hefty cookbook adorned with photos and simple explanations of techniques. For a home cook who wants to learn how to cook perfectly executed, fairly simple recipes, this is a great book.
All three components of the meal came from Ad Hoc at home and seemed relatively simple. Brined Pork Tenderloin with Caramelized Fennel and Polenta.
I found the following recipe online claiming to be the Ad Hoc recipe...so I'm assuming this is just about how Derek prepared it.
Ad Hoc Brined Pork Tenderloin
Pork Brine
(from Ad Hoc at Home)
3 T honey
6 bay leaves
2 fresh rosemary springs
1/4 oz fresh thyme sprigs
1 oz fresh flat leaf parsley sprigs
6 cloves garlic, crushed with the skin left on
1 T black peppercorns
1/2 c kosher salt
4 c water
1 pork tenderloin, silverskin removed)
Bring all the ingredients to boil. Stir and boil for 1 minute, until the salt is dissolved. Cool completely before adding the pork. (If you want to cool your brine quickly put the pot in a large bowl of ice and it'll do the trick.) Put the pork tenderloin and brine in a bowl just big enough to hold them. Let sit in the fridge for 4 hours (apparently 4 hours is the optimal time for brining...any more time left in the brine would potentially make the pork too salty so this is certainly not a "prepare ahead of time - i.e. overnight" recipe.)
Now to cook the brined pork.
INGREDIENTS:
1 T canola oil
salt and pepper
1 T unsalted butter
1 garlic clove, crushed
3 fresh thyme sprigs
1 fresh rosemary sprig
4 - 5 slices cured (preserved) lemon slices
sea salt
Remove the pork from the brine, rinse it and pat it dry. Let the pork sit at room temperature for 30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 350 F.
Heat the olive oil over medium-high heat in a large skillet. Salt and pepper the pork. Put the pork in the hot skillet and cook until golden brown on all sides, about 6 minutes. Add the butter, garlic, thyme, rosemary and lemon slices. Cook for another two minutes basting the herbs, lemon and garlic with the juices in the pan.
Move the pork to a roasting pan with a rack set in it. Lay the lemon slices across the top of the pork, overlapping them a little. Top with the thyme, rosemary and garlic. Roast for 20 minutes, until the pork registers 135-140 on an instant read thermometer.
Let the pork sit for 15 minutes before slicing to serve.
The components are simple but I can confidently say that this was the very best pork tenderloin that I have ever had. Derek made an apple compote to accompany the pork consisting of chopped and peeled green apples, currants, sugar...then adding a special kick with some apple brandy. Cooked down until the apples are not crunchy and the flavors have melded.
The pork itself was extremely flavorful and juicy and oh my goodness - just simply perfect. Long gone are the days where you have to cook your pork to 160 degrees. Please, do not do that, that will ruin any potential that the meat has. This recipe brought out every ounce of potential that the little loin had. I was trying to put my finger on how to describe the flavor and came to a cross of roasted chicken and dark meat turkey. Dark meat because it was so juicy and flavorful, roasted chicken because it picked up so much of the herb and lemon goodness. Really, quite fantastic.
Served with the pork and apple compote were polenta and caramelized fennel. Polenta is polenta, I've had it before and with some cream and butter, you can't go wrong...I certainly ate it up.
The fennel, though, was a preparation that I had never had before and will certainly make again. Derek removed the tougher outer segments of the fennel bulb and quartered the bulbs. The fennel was blanched briefly as a first step - this may have happened before or after the cutting of the fennel into segments. After letting the blanched fennel rest, Derek coated them in EVOO, salt and pepper...simple. Then with some canola oil in a pan, he (or I...I actually did this part) cooked the fennel over medium heat turning the fennel pieces every few minutes to make sure to get a nice caramelization on each side. The whole cooking time was about 12 minutes or so - until they are nice and tender but still keep their shape.
These were fantastic.
The whole meal was - and it was just a Tuesday night. Knowing that at least one of my friends probably popped a Lean Cuisine in the microwave for dinner that night...well that makes me feel extremely lucky to be a guinea pig for a potential MasterChef.
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