Pork Tenderloin with Balsamic Fig Relish and Acorn Squash with Butter Sauce

I recently purchased Cooking Light's new cookbook, Fresh Food Fast. The idea behind the cookbook is the recipes are only 5 ingredients and take 15 minutes to prepare. I'm a big proponent of clean eating and cooking with fresh organic seasonal foods so a five ingredient approach is perfect for me. This book has come in handy during this busy holiday season. This pork tenderloin dish was really easy to make and I loved the combination of flavors. I'm a big fan of figs and they paired perfectly in this dish. As suggested I served this with a side of acorn squash with butter sauce. It was hard to believe this dish was so fast to make.

Pork Tenderloin with Balsamic Onion-Fig Relish

1 (1-pound) pork tenderloin, trimmed
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Cooking spry
8 dried Mission figs
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons water
1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce
1 (8-ounce) container refrigerated prechopped onion (I used one red onion)

1. Preheat oven to 425.

2. Sprinkle pork evenly with salt and pepper; coat with cooking spray. Heat a medium sized cast iron skillet or other ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add pork; cook 4 minutes or until browned on all sides, turning occasionally.

3. While pork browns, coarsely chop figs. Combine vinegar, 2 tablespoons water and soy sauce in small bowl. When pork is browned, remove pan from heat. Add figs, onion, and vinegar mixture to pan, stirring to loosen brown bits.

4. Bake, uncovered at 425 for 15 minutes or until a thermometer registers 160. Stir onion mixture; cover pan loosely with foil. Let stand 5 minutes before slicing. Yields: 4 servings

Acorn Squash with Butter Sauce

1 acorn squash (about 1 1/2 pounds)
1/3 cup water
1 tablespoon butter
2 tablespoons maple syrup
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon salt

1. Pierce squash several times with a sharp knife; place on paper towels in microwave oven. Microwave on High 1 minute. Cut squash in half lengthwise. Discard seeds and membrane. Cut each squash half lengthwise into 4 wedges. Pour 1/3 cup water into an 11x7 inch baking dish. Place squash, cut sides up, in pan. Cover with plastic wrap, turning back 1 corner to vent (do not allow plastic wrap to touch food). Microwave on High 10 minutes or until tender.

2. Place butter in a small microwave safe bowl. Cover and microwave at High 20 seconds our until butter melts. Stir in syrup, nutmeg, and salt. Spoon sauce over squash wedges. Yield: 4 servings.

Barefoot Blogger's Bread Pudding

I'll preface this post by saying I'm not a bread pudding fan. If given a choice of desserts it is probably the last one I would pick. My husband on the other hand loves bread pudding. So when I saw this months Barefoot Blogger pick from Peggy of Pantry Revisited, I knew at least one person in our house would be happy to eat this dessert if I made it. The recipe was very simple to assemble but be prepared, this recipe uses almost a whole carton of eggs! I thought the dish was good but didn't fit my idea of a traditional bread pudding. To me it was more like a french toast casserole. My husband thought it was good but said he prefers the traditional bread pudding. He also missed the hard sauce that usually accompanies a bread pudding. I would make this dish again but it would be part of a brunch buffet.

Croissant Bread Pudding

• 3 extra-large whole eggs
• 8 extra-large egg yolks
• 5 cups half-and-half
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 6 croissants, preferably stale, sliced horizontally
• 1 cup raisins (I used dried cranberries)
  

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the whole eggs, egg yolks, half-and-half, sugar, and vanilla. Set the custard mixture aside. Slice the croissants in half horizontally. In a 10 by 15 by 2 1/2-inch oval baking dish, distribute the bottoms of the sliced croissants, then add the raisins, then the tops of the croissants (brown side up), being sure the raisins are between the layers of croissants or they will burn while baking. Pour the custard over the croissants and allow to soak for 10 minutes, pressing down gently.

Place the pan in a larger one filled with 1-inch of hot water. Cover the larger pan with aluminum foil, tenting the foil so it doesn't touch the pudding. Cut a few holes in the foil to allow steam to escape. Bake for 45 minutes. Uncover and bake for 40 to 45 more minutes or until the pudding puffs up and the custard is set. Remove from the oven and cool slightly. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Source: Ina Garten, The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook, Clarkson, Potter, 1999.

Sugar Topped Molasses Cookies

I can't think of a better way to start off the holiday baking season than these cookies. I really like the nice punch of spice that distinguishes these cookies from ordinary gingerbread cookies. These cookies pair perfectly with hot chocolate or hot tea and the sugar coat adds a nice sparkle finish to the cookies.

Sugar Topped Molasses Cookies

2 1/3 cups all-purpose flour 2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice pinch cracked or coarsely ground black pepper
3/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature

1 cup light brown sugar

1/2 cup molasses (not blackstrap)

1 large egg

1/2 cup sugar, for rolling

Whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, ginger, cinnamon, allspice and pepper. Working with a stand mixer, preferably fitted with a paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat the butter on medium speed until smooth and creamy. Add the brown sugar and molasses and beat for 2 minutes or so to blend, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Add the egg and beat for 1 minute more. Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the dry ingredients, mixing until the flour and spices disappear. If some flour remains in the bottom of the bowl, to avoid over-beating the dough, mix in the last of the dry ingredients by hand with a rubber spatula. You'll have a smooth, very soft dough.

Divide the dough in half and wrap each piece in plastic wrap. Freeze for 30 minutes, or refrigerate for at least 1 hour. (The dough can be kept refrigerated for up to 4 days.) Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Line two baking sheets with parchment or silicone mats. Put the sugar in a small bowl.

Working with one packet of dough at a time, divide it into 12 pieces, and roll each piece into a smooth ball between your palms. One by one, roll the balls around in the bowl of sugar , then place them on one of the baking sheets. Dip the bottom of a glass into the sugar and use it to press down on the cookies until they are between 1/4 and 1/2 inch thick. Bake the cookies one sheet at a time for 12 to 14 minutes, or until the tops feel set to the touch. Remove the baking sheet from the oven and, if the cookies have spread and are touching, use the edge of a metal spatula to separate them while they are still hot.

Transfer the cookies to a rack to cool to room temperature. Repeat with the second batch of dough. Yield: about 24 fairly large cookies (I got a few more)

Storage: The cookies will keep for at least 1 week in the cookie jar. Wrapped airtight, they can be frozen for up to 2 months.

Source: Dorie Greenspan, Baking From My Home to Yours, Houghton Mifflin Harcour, 2006.

Pumpkin Banana Mousse Tart

All I can say about this dessert, is absolute show stopper! I was a bit skeptical about the banana in this dish but it really isn't a strong component and actually just serves to mellow the pumpkin flavor a bit. I loved the graham cracker crust with the pumpkin, for me a far better compliment than a traditional pie crust. This tart is not too sweet, not too heavy and the filling has the perfect velvet like texture. I know this dish will have a regular spot at our future Thanksgiving dinners.

Pumpkin Banana Mousse Tart

For the crust:

• 2 cups graham cracker crumbs (14 crackers)
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 pound (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted

For the filling:

• 1/2 cup half-and-half
• 1 (15-ounce) can pumpkin puree
• 1 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
• 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 3 extra-large egg yolks
• 1 package (2 teaspoons) unflavored gelatin
• 1 ripe banana, finely mashed
• 1 teaspoon grated orange zest
• 1/2 cup cold heavy cream
• 2 tablespoons sugar

For the decoration:

• 1 cup (1/2 pint) cold heavy cream
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• Orange zest, optional

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Combine the graham cracker crumbs, sugar, cinnamon, and melted butter in a bowl and mix well. Pour into an 11-inch tart pan with a removable bottom and press evenly into the sides and then the bottom. Bake for 10 minutes and then cool to room temperature.

For the filling, heat the half-and-half, pumpkin, brown sugar, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a heat-proof bowl set over a pan of simmering water until hot, about 5 minutes. Whisk the egg yolks in another bowl, stir some of the hot pumpkin into the egg yolks to heat them, then pour the egg-pumpkin mixture back into the double boiler and stir well. Heat the mixture over the simmering water for another 4 to 5 minutes, until it begins to thicken, stirring constantly. You don't want the eggs to scramble. Remove from the heat.

Dissolve the gelatin in 1/4 cup cold water. Add the dissolved gelatin, banana, and orange zest to the pumpkin mixture and mix well. Set aside to cool.

Whip the heavy cream in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a whisk attachment until soft peaks form. Add the sugar and continue to whisk until you have firm peaks. Carefully fold the whipped cream into the pumpkin mixture and pour it into the cooled tart shell. Chill for 2 hours or overnight.

For the decoration, whip the heavy cream in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment until soft peaks form. Add the sugar and vanilla and continue to whisk until you have firm peaks. Pipe or spoon the whipped cream decoratively on the tart and sprinkle, if desired, with orange zest. Serve chilled.

Source: Ina Garten, Barefoot Contessa Family Style, Clarkson Potter, 2002.

Barefoot Blogger's November Recipes

I'm finally catching up on my November posts for the Barefoot Bloggers. I have already made and previously posted both of the recipes chosen for this month.

Thanks to Lisa of Lime in the Coconut for picking the Company Pot Roast. Its a simple and comforting meal for a cold fall evening. It pairs nicely with Ina's Baked Potatoes with Yogurt and Sour Cream.

Thanks also to Suzie of Munch and Nibble for picking Ina's creme brulee recipe. Although, Suzie picked Ina's original version, I previously made Ina's Raspberry Creme Brulee which is the same basic formula with a few changes to spices and liquor. The raspberry creme brulee is one of my all time favorite desserts. For a classic creme brulee, this is my go to recipe.

Cranberry Fruit Conserve

I have to admit for many years I was not a fan of whole berry cranberry sauce or fresh cranberry relish. When I host Thanksgiving I always serve both whole berry and jellied cranberry sauce since there always seems to be fans in both camps. This recipe has changed my opinion of whole berry sauce. Simple combination of flavors produces an fantastic result. The combination of citrus juices adds a wonderful depth of flavor. Ina recommends using this for day after Thanksgiving sandwiches and I can see why. I can't imagine finding another recipe I would like better than this one.

Cranberry Fruit Conserve

• 1 (12-ounce) bag of fresh cranberries, cleaned
• 1 3/4 cups sugar
• 1 Granny Smith apple, peeled, cored, and chopped
• 1 orange, zest grated and juiced
• 1 lemon, zest grated and juiced
• 3/4 cup raisins
• 3/4 cup chopped walnuts or pecans

Cook the cranberries, sugar, and 1 cup of water in a saucepan over low heat for about 5 minutes, or until the skins pop open. Add the apple, zests, and juices and cook for 15 more minutes. Remove from the heat and add the raisins and nuts. Let cool, and serve chilled.

Source: Ina Garten, Barefoot Contessa Parties, Clarkson Potter, 2002.

Triple Cheese Stuffed Mushrooms

I've been looking for a good stuffed mushroom recipe and this one is definitely a winner in that category. I think you could easily vary the cheeses in this recipe and even add sausage, bacon, or pancetta to make them truly over the top. These were a perfect starter for our Thanksgiving meal.

Triple Cheese Stuffed Mushrooms

48 med. white mushrooms (2 lbs)
1 package (10 oz) frozen chopped spinach, thawed
4 oz feta cheese, crumbled
2 oz cream cheese, softened
1/2 c. finely chopped green onions
Salt
1/2 c freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1. Preheat oven to 350. Using damp paper towel, wipe mushroom caps clean; remove and discard stems or save for another use. In colander squeeze liquid out of spinach until dry.

2. In large bowl, mix spinach, feta, cream cheese, green onions, and 1/4 teaspoon salt until well combined. Fill each mushroom with heaping teaspoon spinach mixture, tip with Parmesan.

3. Transfer to 15 1/2 by 10 1/2 jelly-roll pan; bake 20 minutes or until mushrooms are tender and filling is golden brown.

Source: Paula Deen, Good Housekeeping Magazine, November 2009.