Cooking for Alan – Dinner #4 Main Course
Cooking for Alan Dinner #4 continued…
Menu
French 75 Champagne Cocktails
Spicy Sweet Potato Empandas
Pinot Grigio and Pinot Noir
Apple Pecan Feta Spinach Salad
Cider Roasted Pork Tenderloin with Roasted Plum Chutney
Sauteed Shredded Brussels Sprouts
Apple Pie Bars with French Vanilla Ice Cream
Roasted Plum Chutney
Ina recommends serving the pork with a lovely sweet and tart roasted plum chutney. This was another dish I was able to make the day before. Refrigerate and then bring to room temperature right before serving alongside the pork. I always find ways to make as many parts of the meal ahead of time. This allows you to enjoy the rest of the cooking on the day of the dinner.
Cider-Roasted Pork Tenderloin with Shredded Brussels Sprouts
Most food lovers would agree that pork and apples are a great combination. So I took one of my favorite cuts of meat (pork tenderloin) and marinated it in hard apple cider. This is another of those PLAN AHEAD dishes that require marinating for 8 hours or overnight. I tossed everything in a zip top baggie around 9:00 am and roasted them off at 7:00 pm. This marinade with aromatics infused the pork with amazing flavor and helped it turn out tender and juicy. Click here for Ina’s recipe.
My guests and myself are brussels sprout fans. I usually saute them in bacon fat and finish roasting in the oven. But tonight’s recipe called for shredding them in the food processor. Unless you really enjoy slicing, you will want to trim the ends and throw them into the tube of your processor. It took me only a few minutes to slice up about 2 pounds worth of sprouts. Then all that is left is sauteing them in butter and olive oil. I modified the recipe slightly by taking 1/2 cup of balsamic vinegar and reducing it until it was thick and syrupy. At the very end of cooking I swirled the reduced vinegar into the spouts adding a great salty/sweet finish to these crisp-tender veggies. Click here to learn how to make these delicious veggies.
