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For the pork roast recipe, I substituted pork tenderloin as a roast would have been too much for two people. The recipe has a marinade that is made with maple syrup, Dijon mustard, low-sodium soy sauce, chile crisp (Momofuku Chili Crunch or similar), fresh ginger, fresh garlic, freshly ground black pepper, red pepper flakes, lemon zest and toasted sesame oil. For the meat you’ll need center-cut, bone-in pork loin (6-7 lbs.), neutral cooking oil, unsalted butter, apples (Pink Lady, Granny Smith or Jonagold) and heavy cream.
The pork tenderloin that I used was approximately one pound, therefore, half of the marinade recipe would suffice. The pork needs to marinate at least 8 hours and is brought to room temperature about one hour before cooking. For the tenderloin I let it sit on the counter for 30 minutes. The cooking process starts on the stove top by searing all sides of the pork in with neutral oil. I used a cast-iron skillet for the cooking process. Once the pork was seared, I added one cup of water to the pan before placing it in a preheated 400° oven for 10 minutes. The pork cooked to an internal temperature of 140° then rested on a cutting board until the internal temperature rose to 145°. I let the pan juices reduce a bit before stirring in some half and half, it’s what I had on hand, then strained the sauce into a pitcher. In a shallow fry pan, I sautéed the apples with some butter to serve alongside the pork. This was a wonderful meal. The cooking time adjustment I made was perfect. The marinade was delicious. The blend of ingredients made for an interesting flavor that wasn’t too spicy, yet infused plenty of flavor. The gentle heat was offset by the sweet tart flavor of the Honeycrisp apples I used (again, what I had on hand). Slightly reducing the pan juices then adding a bit of half and half made for a velvety sauce. The next dish we had were Pepper Jelly-Glazed Chicken Wings. I’ve never made them before, but the recipe from “Southern Living Magazine” had a sauce made with pepper jelly that sounded very interesting. Besides the wings and jelly, you’ll also need kosher salt, baking powder, onion powder, ground coriander, black pepper, apple cider vinegar, unsalted butter, crushed red pepper, bottled buttermilk ranch dressing and fresh cilantro for garnishing. I found it problematic to find a package of chicken wings that was more than one pound, yet less than five pounds. Fortunately, there was a store employee who located a package of organic chicken wings that was just over 1-1/2 pounds. I found it odd that the dry rub that was made with kosher salt, onion powder and ground coriander also called for baking powder. It turns out that its slightly alkaline mixture raises the chicken skin’s pH level giving you a crispy wing with better browning. Who knew? The wings need to sit in the refrigerator for 15 minutes with this mixture before cooking. The wings are placed on a wire rack that fits into a rimmed baking sheet. I would recommend lining the pan either with foil or parchment for easier cleanup. They’re baked in a preheated 450° oven for 25 minutes. While the wings bake, the pepper jelly and apple cider are cooked in a saucepan until the jelly melts. Once melted, butter and red pepper flakes are added then set aside. After the chicken wings cook for the prescribed time, a 1/4 cup of the mixture is brushed on the wings and continues cooking for another 18 to 20 minutes. At around the 15-minute point, I opened the oven and it was smokey from the jelly drippings on the foil. The smoke alarm started blaring and I decided to pull the wings from the oven. The remaining pepper jelly is poured over the wings, garnished with cilantro and served with ranch dressing. I couldn’t see purchasing a jar of ranch dressing just for this dish, so I found a recipe on the NYT Cooking app (The New York Times) and a recipe for Classic Ranch Dressing. Julia Moskin adapted Eleanore Park’s recipe, which is based on the recipe from Hidden Valley Ranch, a guest ranch in Santa Barbara, California. For the recipe you’ll need dried chives, dried parsley, dried dill, onion powder, garlic powder, salt, black pepper, dry mustard (optional), buttermilk powder (optional), either sour cream or mayonnaise and buttermilk. I used fresh chives, which are starting to come up in my garden box, and parsley from my cold frame. Instead of sour cream or mayonnaise, I used Greek yogurt. The dressing was full of flavor and scrumptious with the wings. The wings, wow, they were great! They were succulent and had layers of flavor from the glaze and ranch dressing. They were so easy to make, the perfect party appetizer. Also, to avoid a smokey oven, I might finish them off outside on the grill, but placing them on foil to prevent burning. The last recipe of the week was Chicken Schnitzel. I got home from babysitting about 4:45 and went into high gear to get dinner on the table. I started by making the cabbage-carrot slaw dressing made with spicy brown mustard, vegetable oil, bread-and-butter pickle brine, kosher salt and black pepper. I used a one-pound package of pre-shredded red cabbage and made my own matchstick carrots. The vegetables are tossed with the dressing along with finely chopped shallots and fresh parsley. Once the slaw was done, it was onto the chicken. The schnitzel is made with bone-less, skinless chicken breasts that are seasoned with salt and pepper. They’re dredged in flour, followed by an egg wash then dredged in panko breadcrumbs. The cutlets were shallow fried in vegetable oil until golden on both sides. I placed the finished cutlets in a low oven on a wire rack on a rimmed baking sheet while I finished the cabbage-carrot slaw. Using the same skillet, I wiped it clean, added a bit more oil to sauté the slaw with more pickle brine and salt until wilted. The cabbage-carrot slaw was used as a bed to place the cutlets on. Another winning dish! The flavor of the slaw was delightful. The combination of ingredients created a depth of flavor and the pickle brine (from my homemade pickles) gave it a nice twist. The cutlets were moist and tender and was a nice foil against the tartness of the cabbage. Are you looking for Shepherd’s Pie this weekend. Wegmans in Ocean Township carries Colman’s Shepherd’s Pie Mix. I swapped the ground lamb for ground beef (I’ve even used ground turkey) and used a frozen peas and carrot mix. For the water component, 400ml converts to closely to 1-2/3 cup. I made it for a friend of mine the other day, he and his wife had it for dinner tonight; only a small portion remains.
Maple-Chile Pork Roast
By Aleksandra Crapanzano The Wall Street Journal/Eating & Drinking March 9-10, 2024 Active Time: 1 hour Total Time: 1 day (includes marinating) Serves 6-8 For the marinade ½ cup maple syrup ½ cup Dijon mustard ¼ cup low-sodium soy sauce 1 teaspoon chile crisp, such as Momofuku Chili Crunch, or other chile oil 2 teaspoons minced ginger 3 cloves garlic, minced ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes 2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil Zest of 1 lemon For the pork and apples: Center-cut, bone-in pork loin roast (6-7 pounds) Neutral cooking oil, such as canola or grapeseed 3 tablespoons unsalted butter 6 apples, preferably Pink Lady, Granny Smith or Jonagold each cut into 6 segments ½ cup heavy cream
Donna’s Notes: As I was making this for just two people, I substituted one pork tenderloin. I reduced the ingredients for the marinade by half. I removed the pork tenderloin from the refrigerator 30 minutes before roasting. Using a 10-inch cast iron skillet, I browned the pork tenderloin. I added approximately a half cup of water to the pan. The skillet was placed in a pre-heated 400° oven for 10 minutes. Using an instant read meat thermometer, I cooked the meat to an internal temperature of 140°. I slightly reduced the pan juices before adding approximately ¼ cup of half and half. 
Pepper Jelly-Glazed Chicken Wings
By Catherine Jessee “Southern Living Magazine/Southern Living Test Kitchen Active Time: 30 minutes Total Time: 2 hours, 30 minutes Servings: 8 Ingredients 3 lb. chicken wings (flats and drumettes) 1 Tbsp. kosher salt 2 tsp. baking powder 1 tsp. onion powder 1 tsp. ground coriander 1/2 tsp. black pepper 1 cup hot red pepper jelly (from 1 [13-oz.] jar, such as Stonewall Kitchen) 2 Tbsp., plus 2 tsp. apple cider vinegar, divided 2 Tbsp. unsalted butter, cubed 1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper 1/2 cup bottled buttermilk ranch dressing Chopped fresh cilantro Directions
Classic Ranch Dressing
“Ranch Nation,” by Julia Moskin The New York Times, September 18, 2018 Recipe by Eleanore Park Adapted by Julia Moskin “The original dressing served in the 1950s at Hidden Valley Ranch, a guest ranch near Santa Barbara, Calif., was made mostly from dry herbs and aromatics. To recreate that taste, this recipe, from the “Ranch” cookbook (Dovetail, 2018) by Abby Reisner, with recipes by Eleanore Park, is made with garlic powder instead of garlic, dried parsley instead of fresh, and so on. It makes enough seasoning mix for about 4 cups dressing; you can mix it, store it, then add dairy as needed. If you don’t like the zip of mustard, try hot sauce or Worcestershire sauce instead — or simply omit for a milder taste. To make a thick dip instead of a pourable dressing, reduce the amount of buttermilk to ¼ cup. —Julia Moskin” Total Time: 15 minutes Yield: 4 to 5 cups dressing Ingredients FOR THE SEASONING MIX 1½ teaspoons dried chives 1teaspoon dried parsley 1 teaspoon dried dill 1tablespoon onion powder 1 teaspoon garlic powder 1 teaspoon salt ¼ teaspoon black pepper ¼ teaspoon mustard powder (optional) 2 tablespoons buttermilk powder (optional) FOR EACH CUP OF DRESSING ½ cup chilled sour cream or mayonnaise ½ cup chilled buttermilk Salt, to taste PREPARATION
Donna’s Notes: I made half the recipe with the following adjustments: substituted a small container of Greek yogurt for the sour cream and used fresh chives and parsley as it was what I had available.
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