Cravings are a double edged sword. On the positive side,
cravings help narrow the spectrum of possibilities for what I am looking to cook
or eat. On the other hand, they can lead me astray from what might otherwise be
a healthy decision. The other night, I felt both edges of that that sword, as my
fellow foodie friend, Dave and I got together to cook, both of us with a
hankering for pork. While I tend to be more “cook whatever I’m inspired by in
the grocery store,” Dave prefers planning the meal and shopping for specific
ingredients. We split the difference and settled on a pork loin with something and
a bacon topped frisee salad dressed somehow. Our trek to the grocery store and
rummaging through our respective refrigerators produced a mango, apples, onions,
and shallots. Good to go.
We were cooking at Dave’s apartment, whose kitchen is not
large, so the both of us, imitating professional chefs, kept declaring “behind!”
as we passed chopped and prepped ingredients from cutting board to pan. It
started with me cutting locally grown apples into match sticks, chopping onion
and shallot, and slicing mango into small cubes while Dave crisped thick-cut, applewood
smoked bacon, which I also chopped. We used the grease from the bacon coated
both the pans for the pork loin and the
onions. The loin, after being seared in a pan and flavored simply with salt and
pepper, was put in the oven at 350 until an internal temperature of 150 was
reached. It was then evacuated and wrapped in foil to rest before being sliced on
the bias and topped with a mango chutney. The chutney had been reducing from
when the pork originally went in, combining onion, mango juice, and fresh mango
with a little lemon, salt and pepper. The chutney thickened and was dapped atop
the pork.
The salad was assembled just before service. The frisee,
apple, and bacon were tossed together in a large mixing bowl and plated. The aforementioned
shallot was sautéed in the bacon grease and once translucent, we added balsamic
vinegar and fresh ground pepper. The salad didn’t feel dressed enough, so to
finish the creation, we poached an egg for each of us and crowned the
vegetation. The runny center cascaded down the lettuce providing an unctuous
mouthfeel to the crunchy components.
The dinner itself was spent is nigh silence as we consumed
our creation, but conversation picked up quickly thereafter as we turned our
attention to demolishing one another in Super Smash Brothers. What a great
night.
Mango Chutney
·
1 whole onion, chopped
·
1 T Bacon grease (or duck fat, or clarified
butter)
·
1 mango, peeled and cubed
·
6 oz mango juice
·
Salt and pepper to taste
Sautee onion in fat until translucent, add mango and mango juice
and reduce until consistency of honey
Frisee Salad
·
2 heads frisee lettuce, rinsed and pulled apart
·
4 slices bacon, cooked crispy and chopped
·
1 medium apple (sweeter is better, fuji or pink
lady would work well)
·
1 shallot, chopped fine
·
1/3 C bacon grease
·
1 egg per person, poached with runny center
·
1/3 C balsamic vinegar
Mix apple, chopped bacon, and lettuce in large mixing bowl.
Brown shallot in bacon grease then remove from heat, add balsamic and mix, then
toss over salad mix. Top with poached egg and fresh ground pepper.
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