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Roast Pork Tenderloin with Mustard-Tarragon Sauce

This is a simple, yet very elegant dinner recipe. I've made this for people who like very plain food (no sauces, etc.) and they absolutely raved about this. I think you will enjoy it.

Ingredients

1 cup dry white wine

6 garlic cloves, pressed

1/4 cup olive oil

2 Tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh rosemary

1 Tablespoon coarsely chopped fresh thyme

8 whole allspice, crushed

2 12-ounce pork tenderloins (or you can use a pork roast as well)

5 Tablespoons Dijon mustard, divided

3/4 cup heavy cream

1/2 cup low-salt chicken broth

2 Tablespoons chopped fresh tarragon

Preparation

Mix wine, garlic, oil, rosemary, thyme, and allspice in a large resealable plastic bag. Add pork and turn to coat. Marinate at lest 30 minutes and up to 1 hour, turning bag occasionally.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees Farenheit. Remove pork from marinade and place on rack on rimmed baking sheet; discard marinade. Spread 3 Tablespoons of the mustard all over the pork. (Yes, this is a bit messy.) Roast until thermometer inserted into thickest part of pork registers 145 degrees Farenheit, about 25 minutes. Transfer pork to platter and let stand 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, boil the cream, broth, tarragon and remaining 2 Tablespoons mustard in a heavy medium saucepan until reduced to about 1 cup, whisking occasionally (takes about 10 minutes). Season sauce to taste with pepper.

Slice pork crosswise into rounds and serve with sauce.

I usually purchase roasts for this recipe and then I make sandwiches with the leftovers. It really is quite yummy. I hope you like this!

Awesome Tacos

Why buy packaged taco seasoning when you can make your own?! This recipe is not for the faint of heart. It is pretty darn spicy, but if you like a tamer taco, just omit the jalapeno and the cayenne pepper.

Ingredients

2 tsp. chili powder

1 1/2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. cornstarch

1 tsp. ground cumin

1/2 to 1 tsp. cayenne pepper or hot paprika

1/4 cup (or even slightly less) finely chopped fresh onion

1 clove garlic minced

1 jalapeno pepper finely chopped

1-1/2 pounds ground turkey, chicken or beef

1 can Rotel diced tomatoes with green chilis or cilantro (you can also use salsa)

Mix the dry ingredients together in a small bowl and set aside. Put about 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet, add chopped onion, garlic and jalapeno pepper and cook until onion is transparent (about 10 minutes). Add 1 to 1-1/2 pounds of ground turkey (or chicken or beef if you prefer) and cook until meat is brown. Add the dry ingredients and mix until meat is well covered. Add the Rotel tomatoes and simmer for about 25 minutes or so. 

Make-up your tacos and enjoy! I think you'll find that this has much more flavor than the store bought packages.

Beef Tenderloin with Fennel and Rosemary and Creamy Mustard Sauce

This is an incredibly elegant meal that is very easy to prepare. Your guests will rave about it. The recipe calls for beef tenderloin, but you can make this with any type of beef roast (obviously, the better the cut of meat, the more successful the recipe).

Ingredients

1 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil

1 Tbs. finely chopped fresh rosemary

1 1/2 tsp. ground fennel seed

1 tsp. kosher salt; more to taste

1/2 tsp. freshly cracked black pepper

2 1/2 to 3 lb. beef tenderloin roast, excess fat trimmed

1/2 cup creme fraiche (you can use whipping cream if you have to)

2 Tbs. Dijon mustard

2 tsp. fresh lemon juice

Directions

Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat the oven to 375 degrees Farenheit. 

In a pestal, grind the fennel seed (this releases the flavor) and add the salt and pepper. Pour this dry mixture into a small glass bowl and add the olive oil and chopped fresh rosemary to make a paste. Pat the beef dry with paper towels and rub the paste all over the surface of the meat. If necessary, tie the roast at 1 1/2 inch intervals. (The roast can be seasoned and refrigerated up to 4 hours in advance.)

Put the roast on a rack on a small, rimmed baking sheet or in a shallow roasting pan. Roast until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the center reads 120 degrees F for rare, 125 degrees to 130 degrees F for medium rare, or 135 degrees for medium, about 40-50 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk together the creme fraiche, mustard and lemon juice. Season lightly with salt to taste.

Transfer the roast to a carving board (preferably with a well for collecting juices) and let it rest, uncovered, for 10 to 15 minutes before carving it into 1/3 to 1/2 inch thick slices. Serve the beef, passing the mustard sauce at the table (the leftovers make an excellent sandwich and you can use the mustard sauce as the condiment). 

Hope you enjoy this great recipe. It is one of my favorite ways to prepare beef.

The Silvano

This is a true Italian pizza recipe that we acquired from our dear friend and great chef, Silvano, who lives in Monza, Italy.

Ingredients

4-5 thin slices of the very best prosciutto
Fresh mozzarella
Great olive oil
Chopped romaine lettuce
pizza crust (not cooked)

Directions

Place pizza dough on a pizza spatula. Sprinkle a small amount of olive oil on the crust. Place slices of fresh mozzarella on the pizza dough. Layer the prosciutto over the mozzarella. Add a couple handfuls of the romaine lettuce. Bake in the oven at 500 degrees farenheit for about 7 minutes (watch constantly so that you don't overcook). Pull the pizza out of the oven and add a little more lettuce on top and sprinkle some more olive oil.

Voila - enjoy a wonderful and unique pizza. It is awesome and your guests will rave about it (I promise).

If you need help with making the dough, here's a recipe Make sure you do this first!:

Ingredients:
Approximately 3 cups flour
2 teaspoons yeast
3/4 cup warm water
1 egg

Place the flour into a glass bowl. Add the yeast to the warm water and let it sit (it should foam and if it doesn't you either have the water too hot or too cold). Once the yeast and water mixture has formed a good foam (about 5 minutes), add it to the flour along with the egg. Hand mix the ingredients into a ball and let the ball sit in an oiled glass bowl to rise for about a half hour (minimum). Take the dough, cut it in half and spread it out to make two round pizzas. I do this one at a time. Preheat oven to 500 degrees farenheit.

Tim's Salsa

This is a great salsa recipe that our very good friend, Tim, has provided me. Hope you enjoy it!

Ingredients

3 cans S&W stewed Mexican style tomatoes (14.5 oz. cans)

2 cloves garlic

1 jalapeno (seeds removed)

1 pack green onions (usually use about 6-8 of them)

3/4 cup fresh chopped cilantro

2 fresh limes

Reserve the juice from the 3 cans of tomatoes. Place drained tomatoes into blender and do a very quick blend (about 2 seconds) so that tomatoes are chunky but not too smooth. Place the tomatoes into a bowl. Put about 3/4 cup of the reserved tomato juices into the blender. Add finely chopped garlic cloves and the finely chopped jalapeno, puree. Add the puree mixture to the tomatoes. Finely chop the green onions and the cilantro. Add to the tomatoes. Squeeze the juice of the 2 limes over the salsa. Stir together and let sit for a few hours in the refrigerator.

Makes a big batch, now just get the chips and some friends and enjoy!!