Herb-Marinated Loin of Pork

Pay no attention to the crappy pictures. I could blame my camera, but the fault really lies with me. If I don't take the time to get a decent picture, it's because I'm so ready to eat! This recipe is perfection! Enjoy.

Herb-Marinated Pork Loin
from Barefoot Contessa's Back to Basics Cookbook

Ingredients

• 1 lemon, zest grated
• 3/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (4 to 6 lemons)
• Good olive oil
• 2 tablespoons minced garlic (6 cloves)
• 1 1/2 tablespoons minced fresh rosemary leaves
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme leaves
• 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
• Kosher salt
• 3 pork tenderloins (about 1 pound each)
• Freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Combine the lemon zest, lemon juice, 1/2 cup olive oil, garlic, rosemary, thyme, mustard, and 2 teaspoons salt in a sturdy 1-gallon resealable plastic bag. Add the pork tenderloins and turn to coat with the marinade. Squeeze out the air and seal the bag. Marinate the pork in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours but preferably overnight.

When you're ready to cook, build a charcoal fire or heat a gas grill. Brush the cooking grate with oil to prevent the pork from sticking. Remove the tenderloins from the marinade and discard the marinade but leave the herbs that cling to the meat. Sprinkle the tenderloins generously with salt and pepper. Grill the tenderloins, turning a few times to brown on all sides, for 15-25 minutes (depending on the heat of the coals) until the meat registers 137 degrees (I may have let it go a little longer - 145, 150) at the thickest part. Transfer the tenderloins to a platter and cover tightly with aluminum foil. Allow to rest for 10 minutes. Carve in 1/2- inch thick diagonal slices. Season with salt and pepper and serve warm, or at room temperature with the juices that collect in the platter.

Sunday Dinner - Salmon with Dill Cream Sauce

We had this for dinner tonight. Noone really appreciated this but me. It always makes me laugh when I'm the only one ooh-ing and ahh-ing over the food I make and everyone else's reaction is lackluster. I tried to explain that what made the dish was the creamy dill sauce, especially when it soaks into the rice, but they wouldn't listen.

My mom served asparagus a lot when I was a kid. I didn't like it then. I thought it sounded more like the name of a Sesame Street character than a vegetable. I also thought it's name made the vegetable sound rather unappealing. But I've changed my tune since then. I've blogged about this meal before, but this is a "do-over" because I made some changes to the dill cream sauce that I'm rather pleased with. And I'll never stop campaigning for more rice pudding-lovers. There just isn't enough of us out there.

Salmon. The way my Aunt Becky taught me. I am forever in her debt. This time I used the panini grill, per my Dad's suggestion, which I really liked, but Bobby prefers the broiler method, so the seasoning on the salmon gets kind of blackened.

Dill Cream Sauce

1 large garlic clove, smashed with 1 tsp kosher salt to make a paste
2 Tbs butter
1/2 cup white wine
3 Tbs chopped fresh dill, divided
1 cup creme fraiche (I didn't have enough time to make my own creme fraiche yesterday, but I wanted the tangy flavor, so I just mixed 2/3 cup whipping cream and 1/3 cup sour cream vigorously with a whisk- I'm sure the creme fraiche would have been better, but I was still very happy.
salt and pepper

(The original recipe called for 1 tsp Dijon style mustard. I left it out because I was afraid I wouldn't like it as much with as I did without.)

Serve salmon over white rice with dill cream sauce drizzled over the top.

Oh, and I almost forgot the asparagus! This is so easy and so good! I tossed the asparagus with lemon juice, olive oil, kosher salt, pepper, and then I sprinkled it with fresh parmesan. I roasted it in the oven at 400 degrees for about 20 minutes.

And then, of course, the rice pudding. I got Sophie to eat one bite, but the rest will be for me. (Franny and Bobby aren't fans of the stuff. They are crazy!)

Best Roasted Chicken I've ever made with Root Beer Ice Cream

I've been making roast chicken for a long time. I always use Ina's recipe and I'm never fully satisfied. It always ends up tasting kind of greasy. I have an abundance of fresh thyme and oregano growing in pots on my deck and I thought a thyme-oregano roasted chicken recipe was in order. I combined Ina's with this other recipe I found online and here's what I came up with:

Lemon Roasted Chicken

• 1 5lb whole chicken, rinsed
  
• 2 lemons
• 1 bunch of fresh thyme
• 1 handful of fresh oregano
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
  
• Kosher salt
• Freshly cracked pepper
• 1 head of garlic
  

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Carefully rinse chicken with cold water. Take cloves of garlic from the head of garlic and mince. Chop half of the time and oregano (leave the rest to stuff inside the cavity.) Mix minced garlic with the juice from the lemons, chopped thyme, chopped oregano, and olive oil. Rub evenly over the entire bird. Carefully, lift the skin over the breasts and rub the mixture directly on the breast meat. Next, sprinkle the salt and pepper all over the entire bird. Salt and pepper the inside of the chicken as well. Place the lemon rinds, remaining thyme (including stems) and remaining oregano inside the cavity of the chicken along with the rest of the garlic head, sliced in half, cross-ways.

Place chicken on a rack inside dish. Truss the chicken. Place the meat thermometer in the thickest part of the thigh, making sure not to touch bone. Roast uncovered for 1 1/2 hours or until thermometer reads 170 degrees. I start basting the bird after 2 hours and repeat every 1/2 an hour after that. If you want crispy skin, stop basting for the last hour of cooking time. Remove from the oven and let the bird "rest" for at least 10 minutes before carving. Enjoy!

The root beer ice cream wasn't available for photographs due to the fact that it was consumed much too quickly by the four of us. I got the idea from Natalie and Ray and I am forever in their debt because of it!

Root Beer Ice Cream

2 large eggs
3/4 cup sugar
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup half and half
1 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2-3/4 tsp root beer extract (taste as you add. You want it to be just right!)

Whisk the eggs in a mixing bowl until light and fluffy, 1 to 2 minutes. Whisk in the sugar, a little at a time, then continue whisking until completely blended, about 1 minute more. Pour in the cream, half and half, milk and extracts and whisk to blend.

Transfer the mixture to an ice cream maker and freeze following the manufacturer's directions.