2 large potatoes, peeled and cut into thirds
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
6 boneless porkchops
2 tablespoons dried sage
8 cloves garlic, peeled
4 slices prosciutto (can use thin ham slices)
4 tablespoons butter, finely diced
4 dried apricots
extra virgin olive oil
6 strips pancetta, each 1/2 inch thick (can use bacon)
Preheat the oven to 425˚F/200˚C
Put the potatoes in a pot of salted water and bring to a boil. Give potatoes 3 minutes then drain them and allow them to steam dry.
Put a tablespoon sage, 4 cloves garlic, prosciutto/ham, butter, apricots, salt and pepper to taste in the workbowl of a food processor. Process until all ingredients are finely chopped and pasty. Set aside.
Place a tablespoon of the sage mixture in the center of the boneless pork chop. Roll up and tie with a piece of kitchen string. Repeat. Roll each pork chop roll in the remaining tablespoon of sage. Set aside.
Slice pancetta or ham into thin pencil-size strips. Put them in a large roasting pan with potatoes and the remaining cloves of garlic. Drizzle with a little olive oil and put the pan in the oven.
Ten minutes later, put a frying pan on the burner and let it get very hot. Add a teaspoon olive oil and put in the seasoned pork chop rolls. Try for 10 minutes or until golden on all sides. Remove the pan of potatoes from the oven and nest the pork chop rolls on top. Return the pan to the oven for 10-15 minutes more. The internal temperature of the pork chops should reach 165˚F on an instant read thermometer. If not, heat some more. Remove pan from oven and serve.
When I saw Ina Garten make a chocolate tier cake for her wedding anniversary, I thought, How easy is that? After careful planning to make sure I had the right size pans, I melded together Rose Levy Beranbaum’s Chocolate Domingo Cake recipe (two recipes) and Ina’s Chocolate Buttercream Frosting (one recipe). I had one cake layer leftover and about three cups of icing. If you’re going to make this icing recipe, halve it or freeze the left overs.
So I made this cake for my sister-in-law’s 25th wedding anniversary. For this cake, I wanted a simple home-made effect so I swirled the frosting and tossed large pinches of silver dragées on top. This is the first time I’ve ever tried a tiered cake. I admit it made me nervous but now that I’ve done it, I think I can do it again. I’m up for the next challenge. How easy is that?
Chocolate Domingo Cake (adapted from The Cake Bible)
Have at room temperature:
42g unsweetened cocoa
160g cup sour cream (I used plain low-fat yogurt)
2 large eggs (3 oz.)
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
156g sifted cake flour
200g superfine or caster sugar
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
200g unsalted butter, softened (7 oz.)
Preheat oven to 350˚F. Grease inch springform pan, bottom lined with a waxed paper circle, greased again and then floured.
Cake Baker’s Note: I also made another recipe of this cake and divided the layers between two 7-inch springform pans. One I used to make the top tier, the other I reserved for another use (i.e. snacking!).
In a medium bowl, whisk together the cocoa, sour cream or yogurt, eggs, and vanilla until smooth.
In a large mixing bowl, combine all the remaining dry ingredients and mix on low speed for 30 seconds to blend. Add the butter and 1/2 the cocoa mixture all at once. Mix on low speed until the dry ingredients are moistened. Increase to medium speed and beat for 1 1/2 minutes. Scrape down the sides. Gradually add the remaining cocoa mixture in 2 batches, beating for 20 seconds after each addition. Scrape down the sides.
Cake Baker’s Note: It’s so easy to overmix this cake. Stop frequently to scrape down the sides. Don’t count the scraping time in the beating time.
Scrape the batter into the prepared pan(s) and smooth the surface with a spatula. The pans will be about half full. Tap the pans lightly on the counter to dislodge any air bubbles. Bake 30-40 minutes or until a tester inserted near the center comes out clean, and the cake springs back when pressed lightly in the center.
Cool the cake in the pan on a rack for 10 minutes. The cake should start to shrink from the sides of the pan as it cools. Loosen the sides of the cake with a small metal spatula just to be sure the cake is not sticking to the pan sides. The top of the cake will be rounded but will become flat on cooling. Invert onto a greased wire rack and remove the paper liner. Re-invert so that the top is up and cool completely before frosting. The finished height will be 1 1/2 inches.
Frost each cake separately. Place the smaller cake on a cardboard round and carefully place it in the middle of the larger cake. I used a pancake turner to do this. I eye-balled where I wanted to place the cake but you can, to be more precise, use the smaller cake pan to mark the top of the frosting on the larger cake just where you want to place the smaller tier.
To reuse frozen frosting, let it come to room temperature first then whip it. I had this frosting in the freezer since December 22nd and it still tastes good. 🙂
I got this recipe from Epicurious and adapted it here using dried cherries instead of frozen, and seasoning the meat with more than just coriander. I like coriander but the taste can be bland. The only thing I’d change next time is to add a half cup of stock to make more sauce because after the wine was reduced, there was hardly any liquid left. Lest you worry that the meat is undercooked, it continues cooking during the “resting period” and the temperature rises from 145 degrees another 20 degrees when you take the tenderloins off the heat. You do not want to overcook this. The meat turned out tender and moist (fully cooked) with the sweet taste of cherries and the caress of thyme. I served this with cauliflower rice.
2 pork tenderloins (2 lb total)
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
Salt and pepper to taste
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, thinly sliced into rings
10 sprigs thyme
1 1/4 cups dry red wine
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon sugar
1 1/4 cup dried cherries
1 tablespoon cold unsalted butter
In a small bowl, mix the coriander, onion and garlic powders, salt and pepper. Rub into the pork tenderloins.
Heat oil in a large 12” skillet. Reduce heat to medium. Fry the tenderloins 5 minutes on each side for 20-25 minutes or until each tenderloin registers 145˚F on an instant read thermometer. Using a pair of tongs, transfer pork to a cutting board, and let stand 10 minutes. Do not discard the browned bits in the pan.
To the skillet, add onions and thyme and cook until softened and lightly golden, about 2 minutes. Add wine, vinegar, sugar. Bring to a simmer and cook, scraping up any browned bits and stirring frequently until liquid is reduced, about 4 minutes. Stir in the cherries, 3/4 teaspoon salt, and cook 1 minute more. Remove from heat. Add the butter and swirl skillet to combine. Pull out thyme sprigs, season with salt and pepper to taste.
Slice pork into 1/2 inch thick slices and transfer to a large platter. Spoon sauce over the top and serve. Or serve the sauce on the side, if desired.
Cauliflower Rice
1 head cauliflower
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 stalks scallion, minced
3 cloves garlic, minced
salt and pepper
Lime wedges, for serving
Pull off the outer leaves and core the cauliflower. Wash and let it drain or pat dry with paper towels. In a food processor, pulse half the cauliflower until it is the size of short grain rice or cous-cous.Remove to a bowl and process the remainder.
Heat the oil in a 12 inch deep skillet or wok. Reduce heat to medium and stir fry the scallion and garlic until it is soft, about 2-4 minutes. Add the cauliflower and cover. Uncover and turn the cauliflower occasionally, browning it. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve with lime wedges.
1 pound white fish fillets
1/4 cup unsalted butter
1 lemon
1 large lime
1 tablespoon fresh grated ginger
2 teaspoons sugar
salt and pepper to taste
5 ounces spinach, washed and trimmed
1/4 cup water
Basmati rice, optional
Rinse then dry the fillets on paper towels. Cut each fillet in half.Cut half the lemon and half the lime into thin rounds. Juice the lemon and lime. Grate the ginger.
In a small bowl put the juice, lemon and lime rounds, ginger and sugar. Combine and set aside.
In a large skillet, melt the butter. Sauté the fillets until they are just cooked through, about 2 minutes on each side. It’s cooked when the fish turns opaque. Add the lemon-lime mixture and gently combine. Taste and adjust seasoning.
In a large dish, place the spinach and water. Microwave on high heat for about 2 minutes or until the spinach is just wilted. Place the fish and sauce on top of the spinach. Serve with basmati rice, if desired.
Foodie Joanie 