Since we got our counter tops, we have been really cooking up a storm. It started with me and making batches and batches of baby food and baby/adult food. Cooking is really so much more enjoyable when you can boil water in less than an hour and when your plywood counter top isn't growing mold.
Sometime I will drink 3 cups of tea just so I can put the kettle on.
For the past two weeks, it has been Marc's turn to get the cooking bug. This is what he whipped up on this normal, boring Wednesday night:
(recipe from Epicurious)
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| Isn't our counter top the perfect photo backdrop? |
3 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme plus fresh thyme sprigs for garnish
- 1 1 1/4-pound pork tenderloin
- 3 large shallots, each cut into 6 wedges through stem end, peeled
- 3 unpeeled small Bosc or Anjou pears, quartered, cored
- 4 teaspoons butter, room temperature
- 2 teaspoons all purpose flour
- 1 1/2 cups low-salt chicken broth
- 3/4 cup pear nectar
Preheat oven to 475°F. Mix oil, garlic, and chopped thyme in small bowl. Rub mixture over pork, shallots, and pears. Heat large ovenproof nonstick skillet over mediumhigh heat. Add pork and shallots; brown on all sides, turning, about 7 minutes. Transfer shallots to platter. Transfer pork to baking sheet (do not clean skillet). Roast pork until thermometer inserted into center registers 145°F, about 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, add pears to same skillet and cook over medium-high heat until brown on cut side, turning once or twice, about 4 minutes. Transfer pears to platter (do not clean skillet).
Mix butter and flour in small cup. Add broth, pear nectar, and butter mixture to same skillet; boil until sauce thickens, scraping up browned bits, about 7 minutes.
Slice pork; arrange on platter. Surround with pears and shallots. Drizzle sauce over pork. Garnish with thyme sprigs.
Instead of the pear nectar he just used some pear puree he made for Franca on Saturday. He also did roasted potatoes with rosemary. Delish!
(I can highly recommend two baby food cookbooks:
Top 100 Baby Purees: 100 Quick and Easy Meals for a Healthy and Happy Baby by Annabel Karmel)
ooo...I've made this one a bunch of times when we have guests over and it's perfect every time. I love the sauce and actually make extra now.
ReplyDeleteLooks delicious! We do one with peaches and love it.
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