Pan-Seared Pork Tenderloin with Cranberry-Port Sauce

So, I know I clicked through this meal pretty quick. Here’s the general recipe, in order. If you have any questions—email me, or ask in the comments. I don’t assume I was so clear in my instructions that it all made good sense!

Ingredients:
Pork Tenderloin (remember—pork chops, chicken breast, steak—all of those will work)
Kosher Salt and pepper
Oil

Cranberry-Port Sauce:
1 shallot, finely diced
Dried Cranberries
Port
Chicken Stock (any low-sodium chicken stock will work)
Butter
1. Add salt and pepper to the meat, and allow it to come to room temperature.
2. Set sauté pan on medium high heat. Add 1 tbsp oil (enough to barely coat the bottom of the pan).
3. Sear the meat on all sides. Don’t be afraid to just leave it alone! You want a good crust on each side. After it has a good crust, you can turn down the heat so it doesn’t burn.
4. When cooked to your liking (shoot for 140 degrees internal temp), put meat on plate to rest while making the sauce.
5. Add shallots to pan (medium heat) and sauté, scraping the fond (browned bits) from the bottom of the pan. Now add the cranberries.
6. Add Port—around 1/2 cup at first. Keep scraping fond off the bottom
7. Add stock—about 1/2 cup.
8. Reduce liquid at by half, at a rapid boil.
9. Add 1/4 cup butter; mix thoroughly into sauce.
10. Add salt, pepper, or any of the other ingredients to taste.
Slice the meat (if any juices have accumulated in the resting plate, add those to the sauce!) and top with the sauce.

Yum! And remember--it's a process, not a set of directions. So think of it as Sear, Deglaze, Reduce.

Mac-n-Cheese, Please!

Sorry about the delay in getting this recipe up. Real life annoyingly gets in the way of the good stuff—ever noticed that?

Just couple notes for this Mornay sauce. You’re going for a proper consistency as much as an actual amount. If you’ve got too much, I’m willing to bet you’ll find a use for this pretty quickly.

Bechamel or Veloute
• 1/4 Cup finely diced aromatics (onion, shallot, leek, celery, carrot, etc)
• Salt, pepper, and any spices you might desire
• 3 Tbsp Butter
• 3 Tbsp Flour (more, if necessary)
• 1 Quart milk or chicken stock

Saute aromatics in a slight bit of oil on medium heat. Once they start to soften, melt in butter.
Add flour and blend in. You may need to add in extra flour to achieve a fairly dry mixture. Try not to brown the roux, though a little extra color never hurt anybody.

Add liquid a very little bit at a time. Start with 1/2 cup increments, and fully blend roux with the liquid each time you add more.

You want a consistency akin to heavy cream—or a bit thicker. Taste, and adjust seasonings.

Mornay
Add 3 to 4 cups of cheese, off heat, and stir until blended. Any cheese that grates well will work just fine. We used Jack, Cheddar, and Swiss.

Add in 1lb of cooked pasta, and you’ve got Mac-n-cheese. Serve it Kraft style (out of the pan, over the sink. What—you know you’ve done it!), or top with bread crumbs--preferably panko--mixed with a little melted butter and bake until the topping is crispy.

Fresh Pico de Gallo Recipe

This is a perfect 'measure by eye' recipe. We all know what we want Salsa or Pico de Gallo to look and taste like. So add in more or less of what you want. And feel free to add in extra ingredients--black beans, corn, avocado, peaches, mango--whatever you're excited about. If you need ideas, just look at the prepared Salsa aisle at the supermarket. And, experiment, because you know what you like better than anyone else!

Ingredients:
--6 to 8 Roma Tomatoes, diced small
--1 medium onion (red, or a sweet variety), diced small
--1-2 medium jalapeno chiles, diced very small
--1/2 bunch cilantro, chopped (more or less, depending on your taste)
--Salt and Pepper
--Fresh lime juice, about a 1/4 cup (preferably from a real lime!)
• Mix together all the chopped ingredients; add salt and pepper to taste; then add lime juice.