Sunday Nite Dinner » cognac http://sundaynitedinner.com Sun, 24 Jul 2011 05:37:41 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 en hourly 1 Roasted Five-Spice Pork Tenderloin http://sundaynitedinner.com/roasted-five-spice-pork-tenderloin/ http://sundaynitedinner.com/roasted-five-spice-pork-tenderloin/#comments Wed, 28 May 2008 05:13:14 +0000 Chuck http://sundaynitedinner.com/roasted-five-spice-pork-tenderloin/ a

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Roasted Five-Spice Pork Tenderloin with Sticky Rice Risotto

Our friends, Jerry and Gabriel, are moving to Seattle in a few weeks. To give them a proper send off, we had them over for dinner last night. For SND, actually Monday night dinner, Hungry Bear and I made...

Well, we didn't actually make the bouchons. We were up in Napa over the weekend and picked up some goodies from Bouchon Bakery. Sometimes it's just easier to pick up dessert than to make it yourself.

We made the roasted five-spice pork tenderloin by modifying a recipe from Susanna Foo. The main changes were adding an habanero pepper and increasing the quantity of Chinese five-spice. Not knowing how much heat Jerry and Gabriel could handle, I only used half an habanero without many seeds. It turns out my heat conservatism was unnecessary. They love really spicy food and added some of my habanero chili garlic sauce to the pork. If I had only known.

The tenderloin was moist and flavorful with the bold fragrance of five-spice. We all enjoyed dinner immensely and the next time Jerry and Gabriel are in town, I'll really crank up the heat for them!

Roasted Five-Spice Pork Tenderloin

Roasted Five-Spice Pork Tenderloin Recipe


SND Note: Whisky or brandy can be substituted for cognac. The habanero or Thai chili peppers are optional. Add as many hot peppers as you can handle.

Ingredients
  • 2 teaspoons coriander seeds
  • 5 tablespoons canola oil
  • 4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
  • 3 jalapeno peppers, stemmed and thinly sliced
  • 1 habanero pepper or 2-3 Thai chili peppers (optional)
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons kosher salt
  • 3 tablespoons cognac
  • 2 tablespoons honey
  • 1 tablespoon Chinese five-spice powder
  • 3 1-pound pork tenderloins, fat and silverskin removed, rinsed and dried
Directions
  1. Place the coriander seeds in a small dry skillet and toast over medium heat, tossing and stirring constantly, until they darken slightly and become fragrant. Transfer to a small bowl to cool.
  2. Heat 3 tablespoons of oil in a small skillet over high heat. Add the garlic and chili peppers and cook, stirring often, until soft, about 1-2 minutes. Add the salt, liquor, honey, and toasted coriander seeds and mix well. Remove from the heat and puree in a mini processor or blender. Transfer to a large bowl and mix in the five-spice powder.
  3. Add the tenderloins to the bowl and rub spice mixture all over. Cover and marinate in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours, or overnight.
  4. Preheat the oven to 425°F. Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons oil in a large ovenproof skillet over high heat. Sear the tenderloins until well browned on all sides, 3-5 minutes per side.
  5. Transfer the pan to the oven and roast for 10 minutes, or until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center of tenderloin reaches 155°F; the meat should still be pink inside. Remove from the oven, cover with aluminum foil, and let stand for a few minutes to allow the meat to absorb the juices, then slice and serve.

Makes 6-8 servings

[Adapted from Susanna Foo Fresh Inspiration]

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Tags: , , , , , , , ]]> http://sundaynitedinner.com/roasted-five-spice-pork-tenderloin/feed/ 12 Veal Chops with Morel Mushrooms http://sundaynitedinner.com/veal-chops-morel-mushrooms/ http://sundaynitedinner.com/veal-chops-morel-mushrooms/#comments Tue, 06 May 2008 05:22:13 +0000 Chuck http://sundaynitedinner.com/veal-chops-morel-mushrooms/ a

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Sunday Nite Dinner Roundup

The SND kitchen is officially open again. We just cooked our first big meal in the new digs. To christen the place, Hungry Bear and I wanted to make a decadent multi-course dinner to celebrate the end of our moving process. We tossed around a few ideas for the main course, including braised pork belly, but went with veal chops with morel mushrooms. I couldn't pass up making the fantastic morel sauce. So, we created the menu as...


Chicken and Duck Mousse with Peppercorns 
with a sweet French baguette and cornichons

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Red Butter Lettuce with Baby Vegetables
carrots, radishes, cherry tomatoes, avocados and lemon Dijon vinaigrette

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Veal Chops with Morel Mushrooms 
served with roasted parsnips purée and sautéed asparagus

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Chocolate Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Frosting
topped with mini M&Ms, chocolate nibs or crushed pistachios


2004 Bezinger Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon

We picked up the liver mousse last week at the Serramonte Farmers' Market and saved it for this occasion. And this past Saturday, we bought the baby vegetables and some fresh morels at the Ferry Building Farmer's Market. In our first SND post, we made the chocolate cupcakes with peanut butter frosting, so I thought it was fitting to make the dessert again.

The veal chops on their own are really good, but they're even better with a morel sauce made with cognac, dijon mustard and coconut cream. Yes, I said wrote coconut cream. Eric Ripert's recipe calls for crème fraîche, but we substituted coconut cream for two reasons. First, we have many cans of coconut milk in our pantry. Second, one of the SNDsters is a little lactose intolerant, so we try to minimize dairy products whenever possible.

Dinner was fabulous and fun. The liver mousse was a great starter and the salad with baby vegetables was much needed with this heavy meal. The veal chops and morels were delicious and no one missed the crème fraîche. The sweet parsnips purée paired well with the rich morel sauce. All in all, it was a very successful Sunday nite dinner. However, we're still getting a feel for the new stove and figuring out where the the best lighting is for photos.

Next up on SND is the recipe for these chocolate cupcakes with peanut butter frosting.

Chocolate Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Frosting

SNDsters: Garry, Karen, Jane, Mark, Hungry Bear, Chuck


Veal Chops with Morel Sauce Recipe


SND Note: The original recipe calls for 1/2 cup of crème fraîche. We substituted it with coconut cream because our pantry was full of cans of coconut milk. Coconut cream is the thicker top layer when the cream and coconut liquid separates in the can. In the original recipe, the veal was also served with an herb butter sauce. We felt the morel sauce was rich enough for the dish.

Ingredients
  • 6 tablespoons of canola oil
  • 1 pound morel mushrooms, cleaned, halved if large
  • 2 tablespoons shallots, minced
  • 1 tablespoon garlic, minced
  • 1 tablespoon flat-leaf parsley, chopped
  • 6 thick-cut veal chops
  • 1/2 cup Cognac
  • 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
  • 3-4 tablespoons unsweetened coconut cream
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Directions
  1. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large ovenproof sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add the morels and sauté until they are tender and give up their liquid, about 5 minutes. Add the shallots, garlic and parsley and sauté until softened, about 3 minutes. Set aside.
  2. Preheat oven to 400°F (204°C). Generously season veal chops with salt and pepper on both sides. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in two large ovenproof sauté pans over high heat. Add 3 chops to each pan and sear until golden brown on both sides, about 3-4 minutes per side. Place the pans into the oven to finish cooking the veal, about 5-6 minutes, or until desired doneness. Transfer the chops to a plate.
  3. Deglaze the pans with Cognac, scraping up any browned bits on the bottom of the pan, then combine the liquid into one pan. Add Dijon mustard and stir to incorporate. Add the coconut cream, mushrooms, and any juices from the resting chops and bring to a boil. Adjust seasons to taste. To serve, place one chop on each plate and spoon the morels over the veal chops.

Makes 6 servings

[Adapted from A Return to Cooking by Eric Ripert | Michael Ruhlman]

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