Rootbeer Glazed Pork Chops

2 cups Root Beer
2 cups reduced veal stock (I also use any stock on hand)
Four 16 oz. Double cut bone in pork chops (again I use any I can get)
4 teaspoons of Emerils essence (you would have to make this but any kind of season all would work)
4 teaspoons olive oil
1 recipe Carmelized onions (below)

Make a glaze by combining the root beer and stock in a medium heavy saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium high heat. Reduce heat to low and simmer until reduced to a thick syrup about 1 hour. Remove from heat.

Preheat grill and pre heat oven to 425.

Season each chop on both sides with emeril's essence. Place on grill ( or high heat in fry pan) for 3 minutes. Turn each chop 1/4 turn to make grill marks if desired. Thurn over and grill the other side about 5 minutes.

Transfer to a baking sheet. Drizzle 1 teaspoon of the oil on each chop. Roast until cooked and internal temperature reads 150, about 12-15 minutes.

Place chops on four plates and drizzle with the glaze. Serve with mashed sweet potoatoes and camelized onions.

Carmelized onions
8 tablespoons butter (1 stick)
2 pounds tallow onions, peeled and sliced very thinly

Melt butter in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the onions and reduce heat to medium low and cook slowly. Site occasionally until caramelized, 45 minutes to 1 hour. Serve immediately.

This recipe is from Emeril Lagasse

Provwncal Rack of Lamb

Provençal Rack of Lamb
You can view the complete recipe online at: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/350228?mbid=ipapp


Provençal Rack of Lamb
2 garlic cloves
2 teaspoons chopped thyme
1 teaspoon chopped rosemary
3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
2 medium tomatoes, halved
1 (1-pound) frenched rack of lamb (4 to 8 chops, depending on size), cut in half
2 medium shallots, thinly sliced (1/3 cup)
2 medium boiling potatoes, peeled and sliced crosswise 1/4 inch thick
2 tablespoons water

Preheat oven to 400°F with rack in middle.
Mince and mash garlic to a paste with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Stir together with herbs and 1 tablespoon oil.
Put tomatoes cut sides up in an oiled small baking dish and drizzle with a third of garlic mixture. Roast until tender, 30 to 40 minutes.
Meanwhile, pat lamb dry and season with 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.
Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a 10-inch ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat until it shimmers. Brown lamb on all sides, 4 to 6 minutes total. Transfer lamb to a cutting board and discard oil from skillet.
Heat remaining tablespoon oil in skillet over medium heat and cook shallots and potatoes, stirring occasionally, until edges are browned, 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in water and half of remaining garlic mixture and remove from heat.
Rub remaining garlic mixture on fat side of lamb racks. Arrange lamb over potatoes and roast in oven until an instant-read thermometer inserted into center of meat (do not touch bone) registers 130°F for medium-rare, 20 to 25 minutes.
Let stand, loosely covered, 5 to 10 minutes. Serve with tomatoes.



Gourmet
October 2008
by Shelley Wiseman

Monday, October 18, 2010 - Curried Soup

Recipe: http://simplyrecipes.com/recipes/curried_potato_and_vegetable_soup/

INGREDIENTS

• 4 Tbsp butter
• 1 yellow onion, chopped
• 1/2 yellow bell pepper, chopped
• 1 large carrot, chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
• 1 teaspoon turmeric
• 2 teaspoons curry powder
• 1 teaspoon yellow mustard seed
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 lbs Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled, quartered, cut into 1/2-inch slices
• 4 cups chicken broth or vegetable broth (use vegetable broth for vegetarian option)
• 2 cups water
• 2 cups roughly chopped cauliflower florets (about 1/2 a head)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt (more to taste)
• 1 cup corn kernels (frozen is fine)
• 2 small yellow summer squash, roughly chopped
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves (or parsley) for garnish

METHOD

1 In a large pot (6-quart), melt butter over medium high heat. Add the onion, bell pepper, carrot and cumin seeds. Cook, stirring occasionally until the onions are soft and the bell pepper is lightly browned. Add the turmeric, mustard seed, and curry powder and cook for a minute more. Add garlic and cook 30 seconds more.

2 Add the potatoes, the broth, water, cauliflower, and salt. Increase the heat to high to bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-high or medium, enough to maintain a simmer. Let simmer uncovered for 20 minutes.

3 Add the corn and summer squash, cook for 10 minutes more, until the vegetables are cooked through. Use an immersion blender (or a regular blender) to purée about half of the soup. Adjust seasonings.

Garnish with chopped cilantro (or parsley, though cilantro is particularly good with this soup).

Serves 8.

Changes: I used ground cumin for cumin seeds, ground mustard for mustard seeds, and omitted summer squash.

I thought this was a good recipe.  Darren wanted more corn and carrots than cauliflower, so I might change the ratios next time.

Wednesday, October 13th, 2010 - Pork Tenderloin Medallions

Recipe: From The New Best Recipes cookbook under pork tenderloin, the sauce was an apple, onion, and sage mix with heavy cream and apple cider, sorry I don't want to type it out

I thought this was really good, but I should have seared the medallions for longer than 80 seconds like the recipe suggested.  I didn't pound them out, so they need more cooking time.  I would also double the sauce.  I need to learn this:  ALWAYS DOUBLE THE SAUCE.  I am a sauce person.

May 2011 Update:

300 g schwein charbonnade (6 pieces)
1 Braeburn apple
1 tbsp. unsalted butter
1 small onion
1/4 cup apple juice
3/4 cup chicken borth
1/4+ cup heavy cream


1. Heat pan for five minutes on 7 or 8.

2. Place paper towel on cutting board and place pork pieces on paper towel.  Cover with another paper towel and pat dry.

3. Add olive oil to pan and let sit for a minute.

4. Add salt and pepper to top of pork, put into the pan with tongs.  Add salt and pepper to the other side. When the bottom side is browned, turn the pork pieces over.  Wait until 80 seconds, then take the meat off the pan and put it onto the plate. Turn the heat down on the pan to 5.

4. Slice onion into thin slices.  Peel apples and cut into thin slices.

5. Add the butter to the pan and let it all melt.  Then add the onion and apple slices, laying them out evenly.  Cook until the bottom side of the apple turns brown, and then turn all the apple slices over, letting them cook another minute.

6. Measure out the apple juice, then add to the pan, coking about 2.5 minutes until the liquid reduces to a glaze.  Make the chicken broth.

7. Increase the heat and add the chicken broth, spices, and accumulated pork juices.  Cook another 3 minutes.

8.  Turn down the heat to medium and add the cream, let it cook for only a minute.  Add more salt and pepper.

9. Turn off the heat, and ddd back the pork pieces and coat them in the sauce and let it sit.