Brown Sugar Spiced Pork Tenderloin with Whipped Sweet Potato

Two of my best friends and I went up to wine country this weekend for a couple free tastings, taking advantage of our respective wine club memberships. Wine country is never a bad idea... charcuterie boards, photo ops, the best kind of nature. And all the wine. First stop was Ram's Gate. 

I spotted a kale tree in their garden, which is apparently a thing.

The charcuterie board though... all local everything, including chocolate toffee bark. The star of the board in my eyes was the chicken liver mousse, and that's not usually my thing. 

Followed by a pumpkin and ricotta ravioli, #becausefall.

The last stop was Scribe, which I've written about many times on this blog. It never disappoints. 

The best part about this visit was that I already know I'm coming back in two weeks for the pick up party! 

Gratitude journal entry: I'm grateful to be able to visit California's wine country whenever I want. It is always worth the 45 minute drive away. 

So that dinner I was gonna make on Friday got rescheduled to Sunday. Sundays can be tough. I find myself fighting three separate fronts: the need to complete all life admin duties (laundry, groceries, eating vegetables, cleaning my apartment). Or the opposite desire, to hide under the covers as the Sunday Scaries wash over you (or simply taking advantage of the "day of rest"). And lastly FOMO (fear of missing out), the need to take advantage of your day off, be social, participate in Sunday Funday. I don't know what a successful balance looks like, but at least I'll eat well tonight and I have clean clothes to wear in the morning. 

This pork loin recipe is not new to the Plate either, but it's been a while. 

Brown Sugar Spiced Pork Loin

Rub Ingredients:
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 pork tenderloins (2 1/2 lb. total), each tenderloin cut into two chunks
2 tablespoons olive oil

Glaze ingredients:
1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
2 tablespoons finely chopped garlic (about 6-8 cloves)
1 tablespoon tabasco sauce (or Sriracha)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a small bowl, stir together salt, pepper, cumin, chili powder, and cinnamon, then coat the pork with the spice rub. Heat the oil in an ovenproof 12-inch heavy skillet that is ovenproof (I used my cast iron skillet) over medium high heat until the oil is hot and rippling. Brown the pork, turning, about 4 minutes total. Leave pork in the skillet. If you don’t have an ovenproof skillet, brown the pork in a skillet and transfer it to a foil-lined baking pan (like a 9X13-inch). I’ve done both and either method works great.

Stir together the brown sugar, garlic, and Tabasco and pat on top of each tenderloin. Roast in the middle of the oven until a thermometer inserted diagonally in center of each tenderloin registers 140, about 25 minutes. Let pork stand in the skillet at room temperature for 10 minutes. The temperature will rise to about 155 while standing. Slice on the diagonal and serve, spooning the sauce from the skillet on top of the pork.

For the whipped sweet potatoes, I just roasted (2) whole yams at 400 for 45 minutes, until very soft. Mashed them in a bowl with a fork and added a few tablespoons coconut water to thin it out and a dash of cumin and chili powder.  

Kale, Goat Cheese, Apple & Sausage Stuffed Delicata Squash / Olive Oil & Sea Salt Brownie Cookies

We made it to Friday, team. Great work out there. Do you ever wonder if you might not make it? It’s kind of a silly fear, but every Friday there is a unanimous feeling of relief. This makes Friday evening the perfect time for a “treat yourself” meal (read: healthy and filling dinner, glass of wine and decadent dessert).  

My homie, Quin and I discussed the menu during our lunch break, while walking through Nordstroms in the zoo that is Westfield Mall. Look who found me and needed a home in the purse section:

Plus, a 25% off Tory sale doesn’t happen every day.

But I digress. Dinner had to be fall themed, as we are both obsessed with all things fall. For dessert, the chocolaty goodness of Something Swanky’s brownie cookies topped with TJ’s pumpkin ice cream (To. Die.)  For wine, Merlot.

Cheers to making it to the other side!

Kale, Goat Cheese, Apple & Sausage Stuffed Delicata Squash

2 delicata squash, halved and seeded
olive oil
salt and pepper
½ cup quinoa
1 spicy Italian sausage, removed from casing, crumbled and cooked
1 onion, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
½ teaspoon dried sage
pinch cayenne
pinch nutmeg
1 Honey Crisp apple, diced
1 cup kale, chopped
2 tablespoons white wine
2 ounces goat cheese
red pepper flakes
¼ cup panko crumbs
2 tablespoons parmesan

To prepare squash, preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place halved and seeded squash on a baking sheet and drizzle with a touch of olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast in a preheated oven for 25 minutes.

In a small sauté pan, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add turkey sausage and onion, cooking until sausage is cooked through and onions are soft about 10 minutes. Add garlic and cook 1 minute more. Stir sage, nutmeg, cayenne, salt and pepper into the sausage mixture. Add chopped kale, apple, and white wine. Give a good stir and then cover pan with a lid for 3-5 minutes, stirring a few times, until kale is starting to wilt and most of the moisture has evaporated. Remove filling from the stove and let cool 10 minutes.

Lastly, stir in goat cheese until mixed through and add salt and pepper to taste. Divide mixture among 4 halves and top with panko crumbs and parmesan cheese. Bake for 20 minutes until squash is cooked through.

Recipe inspired from Mountain Mama Cooks.

Portland for the Weekend

I had an impromptu trip to Portland this past weekend to visit my mama, John and little Stelly Bean.

 

It was a much needed chill-out. Lots of cooking, walking, coffee drinking and chatting over glasses of wine. And maybe a little shopping…including but not limited to an iPad mini <3 Gotta love the no-sales-tax thing. So far, my favorite perk of the iPad is the camera. It kicks my Cannon’s butt. Below are some of the meals we had over the weekends with links to the recipes:

Fig old fashioned with balsamic, orange and maple from The Kitchn.

The salad of the month from Food & Wine.

Shredded chicken tacos with black bean, corn, avocado and tomato salsa.

Slow-cooked pulled pork sandwiches with eastern North Carolina barbecue sauce and simple slaw and a side of Southern caviar.

Slow Cooker Pulled Pork

1 tablespoon butter
2.5 lbs. boneless pork shoulder
1 TBS Cajun seasoning
1 medium onion chopped
4 cloves garlic crushed
2 cups water (or 1 cup beef/chicken stock + 1 cup water)
2 cups chicken or beef broth
1 TBS liquid smoke

brioche buns
barbecue sauce
simple slaw (cabbage, plain yogurt, lemon juice, salt and pepper)

Cut the pork into large chunks, season and brown on all sides in the melted butter. Transfer to slow cooker. Add onion and garlic to pan, cook for a few minutes till tender. Stir the liquid into pan, scrape bottom. Pour everything into slow cooker and add liquid smoke. Cover and cook till tender, 9-10 hours on low. Remove from cooker--shred pork serve on brioche buns with slaw and whatever barbecue sauce you like best. *My fav is an eastern North Carolina vinegar based bbq sauce.

Heavenly banana cake, a China's Plate oldie.

Anecdote: I had an authentic Portlandia experience when ordering a cup of coffee on Saturday morning. While waiting in line at the corner coffee shop, two men were debating the best, most New Jersey-style (apparently the home of the original bagel) bagel shops in town, which led to the best/most creative donut shop debate shortly after. I ordered my medium cup of regular coffee, and was told the entire life story of not only the coffee beans, but the story of ownership of forest where the coffee bean trees grow and the dates of the 2-3 day long harvest when beans are picked at their prime – completely unsolicited. I responded with: wow. no room for cream, thanks.

Keep Portland weird xo

Pulled Pork Sandwich & Mango Soft-Serve

This Memorial Day felt like summer vacation used to feel. A random weekday with nothing better to do than go to the pool. As you’d expect, a family was having a cook out in the park next to the pool and it smelled amazing. So I decided today was a perfect day to try my hand at barbecue.
I always thought pulled pork had to take hours and hours, and cook in some kind of outdoor pig smoking chamber. Apparently not! All you need is a big pot, and a couple hours to look over the pork shoulder as it simmers away.

Cutting the pork into large pieces cuts the cook time down a ton, and it definitely didn’t take away from the tenderness.

It might look strange but that’s just the chicken bullion. I followed this recipe and would definitely make it again.

For a light and refreshing dessert on this 95 degree day, I attempted mango creamsicles.


I adapted mine from Bon Appetit’s Peach and Cream popsicles…but either the consistency of the mangos or the not-so-cold freezer forced me to make it soft serve.

Definitely not the end of the world because it was still SO good.

Mango Soft-serve:

2 mangos, diced
1/4 cup sugar
1 vanilla bean
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup Greek yogurt
splash of milk

Make a quick simple syrup by adding the water, sugar and vanilla bean to a pot and cook until sugar is dissolved. Throw out vanilla bean and cool the syrup. Once cool, add all ingredients to a blender, then freeze in cups or ramekins for individual desserts.

Spicy Sausage, Kale & Goat Cheese Gratin

Monday (actually, Tuesday) night dinner was at our apartment this week so I took the opportunity to make this recipe my mom had sent me. It takes a little bit of elbow grease but it’s a luxurious product. Everyone went back for seconds, so I think they would agree with me. To go with the entre, I made roasted garlic potatoes, Caroline brought the wine, Caitrin and Lauren made Asian slaw and Mary Scott and Kat made key lime pie.
I’m a wee bit upset that there are no leftovers, but I’m stuck with a bunch of kale so that’ll be my next project.

The panko, parmesan and basil crust on top was definitely my favorite part.


Soon I won’t be able to make anything this heavy and luxurious for a while when the weather warms up but on (hopefully!) the last cold day of spring it was perfect.

Ingredients:

2 T. olive oil

1 lb fresh spicy Italian sausage (casings removed)

1/3 cup dry, white wine

2 bunches Lacinato kale (also called dinosaur or Tuscan) stemmed and cut into 1 inch

wide strips

½ cup (1 stick) butter

1/3 cup flour

2 cups milk

5-6 oz goat cheese

1 cup freshly grated Parmesan

1 cup Panko bread crumbs

2 T minced fresh basil

3 T melted butter

Preheat oven to 350
In a large heavy bottom sauté pan heat the olive oil over medium high heat. Break up and brown the sausage for about 5 minutes. Add the wine and cook a couple minutes until it reduces then lower heat to medium. Stir in kale one handful at a time. Cook the kale stirring it in with the sausage until it begins to wilt and turn bright green. Add all of it and remove from heat—do not overcook the kale.

In a large saucepan melt butter over medium heat. Whisk in the flour to form a roux. Slowly add the milk whisking constantly to get rid of any lumps. Bring the mixture to a simmer whisking frequently—reduce heat to a gentle simmer for 10 minutes. Crumble the goat cheese into the sauce—whisk until smooth. Taste—and if it needs a few shakes of crushed red pepper flakes—add a bit. Pour over the kale mixture and stir well. Spoon the mixture into a shallow 2-quart baking dish.

In a medium bowl combine the melted butter/bread crumbs/parmesan/fresh minced basil. Spread this topping evenly over the kale mix. Bake the gratin until the topping is golden brown and the filling is bubbling—about 30 minutes. Cool for about 4 minutes before eating.

(Recipe adapted from Noelle Carter—printed in the Oregonian)

Boys for Dinner

Because I've been known to use their laundry machines, and cooking for people is kind of my new favorite thing, I invited Evan's roommates over for dinner. I had a leftover pork loin in the freezer from the last time I made Brown Sugar Spiced Pork Loin, and it was so good the first time I just made that one again. I bought the groceries ahead of time (even took a trip to Trader Joe's during work today) so I would have plenty of time for prep when I got home. Since timing is the hardest part of cooking, especially with guests coming over, I find it helpful to plan out the meal on a mini timeline so everything finishes at the same time and nothing is forgotten. 

~Menu~

Garlic Mashed Potatoes

(Leftover) Sweet Potato Chowder

Roasted Brussel Sprouts

Brown Sugar Spiced Pork Loin

Pound Cake with Blueberry Sauce and Whipped Cream

I also find it helpful to prep as much as possible before actually cooking anything. I got the grating cheese, dicing, sauce making, cream whipping and spice rub mixing all done before I even turned on the oven. 

I really liked these Brussel sprouts, a recipe of Ina Garten's, which were super simple with very few ingredients. 

All you need is:

1.5 lbs Brussel sprouts

3 tbsp olive oil

3/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

3 tbsp grated Parmesan Reggiano (I added this per my mom's suggestion, so good)

Preheat oven to 400, slice Brussel sprouts in half and coat with olive oil, salt and pepper. Spread on a pan and roast for 35-40 minutes, shaking the pan a few times to brown the sprouts evenly. 

Just like the first time I made the pork, I coated it in the spice rub, browned it in a pan with olive oil, coated with brown sugar mixture and roasted for 25 minutes at 350 degrees.

Sometimes it pays to cut corners, as I did with the mashed potatoes. Buying the frozen ready-to-mash potatoes saves so much time and effort AND you can still doctor them up as you like. I sautéed a clove of minced garlic in a tablespoon of butter in a pan for a couple minutes, and added it to the finished mashed potatoes. 

Boy dinner parties are fun too, just with very different topics of conversation. 

Dessert was my favorite part (thank you to Evan's mother for sending us back with leftover pound cake!). I put a carton and a half of blueberries into a pot with the juice from half a lemon and 1-2 tbsp of sugar over medium heat for almost 10 minutes, until the mixture was syrupy and dark purple. Also, I whipped some whipping cream with a drop of vanilla and 2 tsp of sugar to put on top. I think everyone was really happy with the results. 
And I was happy when they did the dishes :)

Pork Loin Sammies

For how much I love cooking, its weird to think I really only started cooking seriously about a year ago with Sunday dinners. I even remember my first meal, goat cheese and basil stuffed chicken courtesy of Ina Garten. The year leading up to that I became glued to the Food Network. So eventually my super-suggestible personality thought I want to do that! I've been hooked ever since. 

 I see now, after attempting to cook a homemade meal most nights of the week, that it takes a lot of work and time. No wonder my mother would act exasperated on nights when I would complain about the menu. It's hard to come up with creative, fresh dishes every night! Personally, I love the process (I know, ask me in 15 years) but it feels like a tasty puzzle I get to come up with and put together with a very rewarding result. 

The reward tonight was that I had put in all the effort yesterday and just needed a couple things to throw this meal together immediately after work. 

Most likely there will be 2 to 3 more mini-meals to follow tonight, but this was a yummy way to finish up the pork loin. It was simply fresh (still warm in the bag!) French bread, Dijon mustard, tomato slices and sliced pork loin. 
D-lish!
Shifting into lazy-gear for the rest of the night...my favorite kind of Friday :D 

Brown Sugar Spiced Pork Loin

Google Reader has become my addiction. It is the home to all of my beloved blogs that I follow religiously. From food to interior design to DC-related blogs. Just today blogging had a high rate of return by informing me (okay, a friend who then told me) that a place down the street from my office was giving away free crepes for their grand opening. The place was called Muncheez Mania, cheesy name but I wasn't about to turn down free crepes. I got a nutella crepe, which would have been near perfect except that they threw in corn flakes which were stale. It ended up having a strange, chewy consistency. BUT it was free, so no one was too upset. 

Another instance of blogs brightening my day was when I stumbled upon the recipe I made for dinner tonight: Brown Sugar Spiced Pork Loin. It was actually a lot easier to make than I thought. The combination of a spice rub + brown sugar glaze was ridiculously delicious and made the house (err, apartment) smell glorious. I served it with garlic mashed potatoes, balsamic broccoli and mango slices. Per Evan's request, this one will be added to the rotation. 

Brown Sugar Spiced Pork Loin

Rub Ingredients:
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 pork tenderloins (2 1/2 lb. total), each tenderloin cut into two chunks
2 tablespoons olive oil

Glaze ingredients:
1 cup packed dark brown sugar
2 tablespoons finely chopped garlic (about 6-8 cloves)
1 tablespoon tabasco sauce

Method:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a small bowl, stir together salt, pepper, cumin, chili powder, and cinnamon, then coat the pork with the spice rub. Heat the oil in an ovenproof 12-inch heavy skillet that is ovenproof (I used my cast iron skillet) over medium high heat until the oil is hot and rippling. Brown the pork, turning, about 4 minutes total. Leave pork in the skillet. If you don’t have an ovenproof skillet, brown the pork in a skillet and transfer it to a foil-lined baking pan (like a 9X13-inch). I’ve done both and either method works great.

Stir together the brown sugar, garlic, and Tabasco and pat on top of each tenderloin. Roast in the middle of the oven until a thermometer inserted diagonally in center of each tenderloin registers 140, about 25 minutes. Let pork stand in the skillet at room temperature for 10 minutes. The temperature will rise to about 155 while standing. Slice on the diagonal and serve, spooning the sauce from the skillet on top of the pork.

Recipe & picture credit: My Kitchen Cafe