I often buy pork loin pieces (would they still be called chops?) from the grocery store. I like pork and these are always so pretty. Nice and lean, pink and shiny - how can a girl resist? But they're also very thin - maybe 1/2 an inch? And pork is a toughie because if you cook it too long it gets, well, tough. But if you don't cook it enough, it's a bad thing. Not as bad as pork used to be and not as bad as undercooked chicken, but still. You have to be in a safe range.
Well, tonight I think I solved the mystery. I cooked up my little pork maybe-chops and they ended up divine. No real recipe since ATK only has stuffed, smothered or thick-cut recipes. I actually borrowed the method loosely from a Marion Cunningham cookbook. She has a recipe for chicken thighs cooked in red wine vinegar that is possibly my favorite food ever.
I made it with a side of spinach, wilting it in the leftover pan juices, and got all artsy and arranged the spinach in a ring around the pork. It was very pretty. Too bad I forgot to take a picture.
It would also be lovely with some couscous. Maybe let the pork rest on top of the couscous so it'll absorb all the extra juices... Anyway, on to the recipe.
* Heat up a non-stick pan over medium-high heat until it's super hot
* Spray with Pam
* Salt four pork loin pieces on both sides, add to pan
* Leave in place for 3-4 minutes until nicely browned on one side
* Flip over and let brown for about 30 seconds to a minute (the time it takes to fill the measuring cup for the next step)
* Add 1/2 cup (ish) of water and a tablespoon (ish) of red wine vinegar
* Turn down heat a little and cover pan
* Let sit for a little bit, like the amount of time it would take to run upstairs and change into pajamas (I'm just sayin')
* Come back and check internal temperature
* If at least 140, remove from pan
* Let sit for 5 minutes (very, very important - if you cut into the pork too soon, the juices won't get a chance to redistribute and you'll end up with tough meat. plus you need to let the internal temp rise a bit more)
* Shove into mouth
So freaking good. Really moist and tender and richly flavored. Seemed almost like semi-poached pork, but I guess it was a quick braise? Either way, I'm a fan and will be making it often.
Showing posts with label ATK. Show all posts
Showing posts with label ATK. Show all posts
Monday, January 31, 2011
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
crab cakes & resolutions
I like to center my New Years resolutions things I wish I did more of anyway. One year, it was to not skip a concert at 9:30 just because I don't have someone to go with. 9:30 Club is a friendly place and it's easy to go by yourself and not feel alone. It was a fun resolution to keep and easy to keep up after the year passed.
This year I decided I would go to more restaurants. Doesn't have to mean going out to eat more often, but when I do, to try different ones. Sure, I love Marvin's mussels, but what else is good on U St? That sort of thing.
I'm also not opposed to starting a resolution late in the game or getting a head's start. My second resolution has become to make as many recipes from my new America's Test Kitchen cookbook as possible (and to generally use my cookbooks more). I had some leftover crab meat from Christmas Eve and decided to make crab cakes. A good Marylander, I first looked at the side of the Old Bay container, but then remembered that ATK had a crab cake recipe. And since they also call for Old Bay (a must in a good cake), I decided to give them a whirl.
In the past year or so, I've been very good about my mise en place. No more forgetting an important ingredient and I love using all my little ramekins!
Crab cakes are great because prep is so quick. Dump everything into a mixing bowl and then combine with a spoon or your hands. Couldn't be easier than that.
I originally was making these as appetizer so used one of my scoops to help make them all the same size
and lined them all up on a cookie sheet before smooshing them into little patties.
After a day's rest in the fridge (was only going to be a few hours, but then my friend called with a design emergency), I took them over to my sister's so I could share them for dinner. My brother-in-law then took over the cooking, browning them to perfection under the broiler.
I forgot to take a picture of the end result, but my empty plate speaks volumes!
I doubled the amount of Old Bay because I love it - and I don't really trust Yankee tastebuds for a Maryland dish. It would have been great as an appetizer, but as a main dish, I think I wouldn't have added quite so much - especially because I also put some in the tartar sauce. I used low-fat mayonnaise and the full amount of bread crumbs and shallots instead of green onions since that's what I had on hand. But I think I'd do it exactly the same next time because I love shallots. The recipe calls for a "green herb" and I used parsley. I'm not opposed to fancified crab cakes, but I was looking for something authentic.
Overall, I'm really happy with this recipe and with my New Year's resolution!
This year I decided I would go to more restaurants. Doesn't have to mean going out to eat more often, but when I do, to try different ones. Sure, I love Marvin's mussels, but what else is good on U St? That sort of thing.
I'm also not opposed to starting a resolution late in the game or getting a head's start. My second resolution has become to make as many recipes from my new America's Test Kitchen cookbook as possible (and to generally use my cookbooks more). I had some leftover crab meat from Christmas Eve and decided to make crab cakes. A good Marylander, I first looked at the side of the Old Bay container, but then remembered that ATK had a crab cake recipe. And since they also call for Old Bay (a must in a good cake), I decided to give them a whirl.
In the past year or so, I've been very good about my mise en place. No more forgetting an important ingredient and I love using all my little ramekins!
Crab cakes are great because prep is so quick. Dump everything into a mixing bowl and then combine with a spoon or your hands. Couldn't be easier than that.
I originally was making these as appetizer so used one of my scoops to help make them all the same size
and lined them all up on a cookie sheet before smooshing them into little patties.
After a day's rest in the fridge (was only going to be a few hours, but then my friend called with a design emergency), I took them over to my sister's so I could share them for dinner. My brother-in-law then took over the cooking, browning them to perfection under the broiler.
I forgot to take a picture of the end result, but my empty plate speaks volumes!
I doubled the amount of Old Bay because I love it - and I don't really trust Yankee tastebuds for a Maryland dish. It would have been great as an appetizer, but as a main dish, I think I wouldn't have added quite so much - especially because I also put some in the tartar sauce. I used low-fat mayonnaise and the full amount of bread crumbs and shallots instead of green onions since that's what I had on hand. But I think I'd do it exactly the same next time because I love shallots. The recipe calls for a "green herb" and I used parsley. I'm not opposed to fancified crab cakes, but I was looking for something authentic.
Overall, I'm really happy with this recipe and with my New Year's resolution!
Monday, January 10, 2011
retro cake
Yesterday was my niece's 2nd birthday party. For her birthday, I gave her some college-fund money, $2 fun money, a party dress and made her a cake.
Someone said that it looked straight out of 1986 and I totally agree. I just said that it was retro - much better than saying that my cake decorating skills are limited. Plus, who doesn't love those hard little candy decorations? They were always my favorite part of birthday cakes so I had to include them on Emerson's!
The color is because Emerson's favorite color to say is purple. The two Ps make it very fun. Pur-ple. Try saying it yourself - you'll love it.
The cake itself was a semi-fail. It tasted pretty good, but the layers didn't rise enough (the recipe had an option for a hand mixer, but I think I really needed a stand mixer to get enough air in there) so I ended up using three layers to make a decent-sized cake. And then the cake itself was just a little too dry for my taste, but then I'm a hard judge of my own food. If it was someone else's, I would have been praising it. The icing was really nice - just a simple buttercream, but not very sweet. It was a pain in the butt to make and even with the heat on full-blast, my kitchen was too cold and needed some heated towels to help it get smooth, but I liked the end result. Both recipes are from America's Test Kitchen.
My sister prepared a great spread for the afternoon party. Little heart-shaped sandwiches (PB&J, ham & cheese), macaroni and cheese, fruit and vegetables, Rice Krispy treats, chips and juice boxes.
It was a book-themed party with books stacked up on the buffet table and as a garland on the stairs. Super cute.
Emerson had a great time playing with her cousins and friends. She was great about sharing all of her toys and had a lot of fun opening her presents. She loves books so would stop and "read" each one as she opened them.
And then it was time for cake! This picture is a little blurry, but I love it because there are three generations of hands in it - my mom, my sister and Emerson.
I'm behind the camera, but am represented with the cake!
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
dinner last night
I made the BEST dinner last night. If I do say so myself ;)
Traffic was really light so I was home by 7:15. Kinda crazy because there was an accident on 395 tying up three lanes, but once I got past that, it was practically empty the rest of the way. But I was still pretty hungry by the time I got home. I had bought some tomatoes over the weekend and wanted to use them before they went bad and also had a thing of feta cheese that was calling out to me and there was no way I was ignoring that siren song!
My plan was to just chop up the tomatoes and toss them with some pasta and the feta and be done with it. But then I remembered my brand new America's Test Kitchen cookbook (yay Christmas!) and how I want to make as many recipes from it as possible.
So I pulled it out and looked up the recipe for Pasta Caprese and it was perfect. Of course, I used feta instead of mozzerella and I didn't have any basil. And I used two cloves of garlic instead of one. And a little less shallot. And I didn't measure the lemon juice (used 1/2 a lemon) or olive oil. But it was basically the same and phenomenal. I scarfed it down and portioned the rest for lunches this week. Today I ate my lunch at 11am because I made the mistake of trying it cold. And it was just as good so I finished it then and there. This would make an excellent pasta salad with maybe a few other vegetables thrown in for crunch.
Highly recommend - both the book and the recipe!
Traffic was really light so I was home by 7:15. Kinda crazy because there was an accident on 395 tying up three lanes, but once I got past that, it was practically empty the rest of the way. But I was still pretty hungry by the time I got home. I had bought some tomatoes over the weekend and wanted to use them before they went bad and also had a thing of feta cheese that was calling out to me and there was no way I was ignoring that siren song!
My plan was to just chop up the tomatoes and toss them with some pasta and the feta and be done with it. But then I remembered my brand new America's Test Kitchen cookbook (yay Christmas!) and how I want to make as many recipes from it as possible.
So I pulled it out and looked up the recipe for Pasta Caprese and it was perfect. Of course, I used feta instead of mozzerella and I didn't have any basil. And I used two cloves of garlic instead of one. And a little less shallot. And I didn't measure the lemon juice (used 1/2 a lemon) or olive oil. But it was basically the same and phenomenal. I scarfed it down and portioned the rest for lunches this week. Today I ate my lunch at 11am because I made the mistake of trying it cold. And it was just as good so I finished it then and there. This would make an excellent pasta salad with maybe a few other vegetables thrown in for crunch.
Highly recommend - both the book and the recipe!
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