Bacon Roasted Pork Loin

Bacon is magical. It takes something that is already delicious (a pork tenderloin) and makes it truly wonderful. The bacon gets nice and crisp on the outside, while the pork on the inside remains incredibly moist and tender. This is truly the best pork tenderloin I have ever tasted. Even the next day, when I put the tenderloin, sans bacon, on a salad, the meat was so amazing and perfect. This dish looks beautiful, and is super easy to make, the prep takes about 5 minutes. So the next time you need to special up a dish, remember, bacon makes it better.

Bacon Roasted Pork Loin:
2 pork tenderloins, 1 lb each
6 slices of center cut bacon, or other thick sliced
Salt, Pepper
1/2 tsp of rep pepper flakes
2 large onions
3 cloves of garlic

Pre-heat the oven to 425 degrees. Season the pork tenderloins with salt and pepper. Push them together and wrap the bacon around the tenderloins. Place in a 9 by 13 baking dish bacon seam side down, sprinkle with red pepper flakes. Chop onions and garlic and and add to dish. Roast for 20 minutes, then lower heat to 350 and continue roasting until cooked just too 140 degrees, about 10-15 minutes. Broil for a few minutes to crisp the bacon. To serve slice in between the bacon slices.

Happy Eating.

Maple Apple Pie

It has been awhile since I made a pie, and with the changing of the seasons it seemed like a perfect opportunity to make an apple pie. Now that the orchards are back open and the super market is stocked with 12 kinds of apples, at least, it is apple baking season. It's also almost crafting season, so to ease back into that cool weather hobby, I decided to do a little cooking-crafting combo, by replacing the usual lattice top, with leaf cut outs. I made the cut outs from card stock and then "traced" them onto the rolled out pie dough with a sharp knife. And voilà, you have a leaf-topped Maple Apple pie.

Don't forget to check out my entry for Project Food Blog and vote for me!



Pie Crust (makes 2 crusts, or one double crust:
2 1/2 cups of flour,
2 sticks of unsalted, cold
1 tsp of salt
2 tbsp of sugar
1/4 cup of vodka, cold
1/8 cup of water, cold

In a large bowl or food processor mix together flour, salt and sugar. Cut butter into pieces and add to the flour. Toss so the butter is coated. Either pulse in the food processor or rub the butter into the flour with your fingers, until the mixture is coarse and crumbly. Add vodka and water and pulse until a dough forms, or mix with your hands until a dough forms. Separate the dough in half and roll each half into a ball. Refrigerate for about 30 minutes. Roll out and fit to a pie pan, Add excess to the ball for the top half, roll out and cut into shapes, or lattice and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. (Adapted from Cook's Illustrated)


Maple Apple Filling:
3 lbs of apples (granny smith), peeled and cored
1/4 cup of flour
1 tbsp of corn starch
1/4 cup of maple syrup
1/4 of brown sugar
2 tsp of cinnamon
1 tsp of nutmeg
1/2 tsp of salt
3 tbsp of butter
1 egg

Pre-heat the oven to 425 degrees, put the oven rack in the lower third of the oven. Dice apples and put in a large bowl. Add flour, corn starch, sugar, syrup, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt, toss to combine. Pour mixture into the bottom pie crust and pat down. Cut the butter into little pieces and sprinkle over the top. Beat egg in a small bowl. Brush the lattice strips or cut outs with egg wash and top the pie with them. Bake for 20 minutes, then lower the heat to 350 degrees, bake until the filling is bubbling and pie is golden, about an hour. If the pie starts to brown to quickly cover with foil and continue backing. Also, the pie filling may bubble over a bit, so place tray underneath while baking. Let cool, serve and enjoy.

The pie, about to go into the oven:



Fresh out of the oven:



Happy Eating.

Onion Lager Soup

It's fall. It's time for lazy, cool Sunday's spent snuggled up watching football and movies (an epically relaxing combination). When the cold weather hits, or even the moderately cool weather, I instantly become a soup fiend. Can't get enough of the warm comfort. There is nothing so homey and wonderful as a hot bowl of soup on a cool or rainy day, well unless you stuff that soup with crusty bread and top it with caramelized cheese. Enter the onion soup, so many variations, so many choices. What kind of cheese? What kind of stock? Wine or Beer? What kind of onion? There are endless permutations to play with. This time I went with four different members of the onion family, beef stock, beer, and Fontina (with a splash of Parmesan) and I ended up with a delicious and hearty Sunday lunch.



Onion Lager Soup (serves 4):
1 giant boiler onion
2 medium yellow onions
2 large leeks (or 3 medium)
1 Medium shallot
1 tbsp of olive oil
1 tbsp of sugar
1 can or bottle of lager (I used Yuengling, for you East Coasters)
4 cups of beef stock
2 tbsp of Worcestershire sauce
1 tbsp of soy sauce
Salt, Pepper
Half a loaf of French Bread
4 oz of Fontina cheese
4 tbsp of Parmesan cheese

Heat the oil over medium heat. Slice the onions, leeks, and shallots. Add to the oil, stir in the sugar and a little salt and pepper. Cook covered, stirring occasionally, until onions are soft and translucent, about 15 minutes. Add the beer, and raise heat to high, cook uncovered until the beer is about half gone. Add the stock, soy sauce and Worcestershire sauce and bring to a boil. Salt and pepper to taste. Pre-heat the boiler. Reduce to a simmer and cook for about 20 minutes. Chop the bread into large croûton sizes and toast under the broiler for about a minute (be careful they burn fast). Divide the bread between bowls (oven safe bowls), then top with the cooked soup.



Grate the cheese. Top each bowl with about an ounce of Fontina and a tbsp of Parmesan (more or less to taste). Put bowls on a baking dish (in case of dripping and to make removal easier) and put under the broiler for 3-4 minutes until cheese is melted and golden.



Serve and Enjoy!



Happy Eating.

Squash Soup

Welcome to fall!! So it's not completely official yet, but as the air is crisp, I needed a jacket this morning, and I got a butternut squash in my CSA, I am going with it. I am so excited for the return of my favorite season. Pumpkins, Ginger snaps, apples, and some wonderfully delicious squash soup!



Squash Soup:
1/2 garlic head
1 butternut squash
2 medium turnips
3 leeks
1 onion
1 shallot
1 tbsp of olive oil
1 tsp garam masala
1 tsp corriander
2 tsp curry powder
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp cloves
1 tsp chilli powder
4 cups of low sodium beef or vegetable broth
Salt, pepper

Pre-Heat the oven to 375 degrees. Peel and wash the turnips and poke with a fork in repeatedly (like you would to a potato). Poke the squash with a fork as well. For the garlic, peal as much of the outer layer off as you can while keeping the head in tact. Cut off the top exposing the cloves, but leaving the bottom in tact so that the head stays together. Drizzle top with a little olive oil, and sea salt. Line a baking sheet with tinfoil and roast the garlic, squash and turnips for 45 minutes. During the last 15 minutes dice the shallots, leeks and onions, this does not have to be precise. Heat a tbsp of olive oil in a large pot on medium-low. Add shallot, leeks, onion and spices. When the Roasted veggies are done (garlic lightly browned, squash and turnips tender) let them cool for about 5 minutes. Peel and roughly dice the squash, the skin will come right off. Add to the onion mixture, add peel about half the garlic and add in to the pot. Chop the turnips and add as well and cook for 10 minutes. Add stock bring to boil and then simmer for 10 min. Puree in batches, using a blender or food processor. Strain the soup by passing through a pasta strainer, pushing down soup with the back of a spoon. Heat until desired temperature. Serve with plain yogurt or sour cream and toasted piece of bread with goat cheese.

Happy Eating