Pork Tenderloin with Homemade Maple BBQ Sauce

1 Pork Tenderloin ( about 1 LB)

2 Tbsp Flour

1/4 tsp each Salt and Pepper

2 Tbsp Vegetable Oil

Maple BBQ Sauce:

1/2 Cup Chili Sauce

1/4 Cup Maple Syrup

1 tsp Cider Vinegar

1/2 tsp Dijon Mustard

1/4 tsp Chili Powder

1. Maple BBQ Sauce: In a bowl, combine chili sauce, maple syrup, vinegar, mustard and chili powder; set aside.

2. Trip any far from pork; slice pork on bias into 1cm. thick medallions. In bowl, tosspork with flour, salt and pepper to coat.

3. In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat; cook pork, in batches and turning once, for 6 minutes or until juices run clear when pork is piercd and njust a hint of pink remains inside. Serve with sauce.

**The directions don't say to but it would be nicer if the sauce was heated through. Also, feel free to add whatever spices you like to the tenderloin.

Shrimp in Fresh Tomato Mango Salsa

The Ingredients

4 Large Ripe Tomatoes - diced
4 Anaheim Chilies - roasted, seeded, chopped (I omitted this)
2 Large Sweet Mangos - chunked
15 cloves Garlic - chopped fine
1/2 Cup White Wine Vinegar
3/4 Cup Chopped Fresh Cilantro
Salt and Frank's Hot Sauce to taste
3 Tbsp. Avocado Oil (I used olive oil)
2 Medium Onions - peeled and chopped
2 Lbs Shrimp - trimmed, peeled and deveined.









In large bowl combine tomato, chilies, and mango, half the garlic, vinegar, cilantro salt and hot sauce. Cover and Chill.


In a large skillet heat oil - saute onion for 1 minute. Add remaining garlic and shrimp. Cook until the shrimp turns pink and remove from heat.


Gently fold mixture into cool salsa and serve over hot cooked rice. Garnish with springs of cilantro.


Serves 8-10

It is also nice over hot or cold rinsed pasta instead of rice.

Raspberry and Cream Cheese Tart

Delicious!

Sweet Pastry Crust:
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1/4 cup granulated white sugar
1 large egg, lightly beaten


Filling:
4 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 cup granulated white sugar
2 large eggs

3/4 cup light cream or half-and-half (coffee cream)
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
zest of 1 medium lemon or lime
1 cup - 1 1/2 cups fresh raspberries



Sweet Pastry Crust: In a separate bowl, sift or whisk together the flour and salt. Set aside. Place the butter in your mixer and beat until softened. Add sugar and beat until light and fluffy. Gradually add the beaten egg, beating just until incorporated. Don't over mix or the butter will separate and lighten in color. Add flour mixture all at once and mix just until it forms a ball. Don't overwork or pastry will be hard when baked.

Flatten dough into disk, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 20 minutes or until firm.

Have ready an 8 - 9 inch (20 - 23 cm) tart pan with removable bottom. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the pastry into an 11 - 12 inch (28 - 30 cm) circle that is about 1/8 inch (3 mm) thick. To prevent the pastry from sticking to the counter and to ensure uniform thickness, keep lifting up and turning the pastry a quarter turn as you roll (always roll from the center of the pastry outwards to get uniform thickness). To make sure it is the right size, take your tart pan, flip it over, and place it on the rolled out pastry. The pastry should be about an inch larger than pan.

When the pastry is rolled to the desired size, lightly roll pastry around your rolling pin, dusting off any excess flour as you roll. Unroll onto top of tart pan. Never pull pastry or you will get shrinkage (shrinkage is caused by too much pulling of the pastry when placing it in the pan). Gently lay in pan and with a small floured piece of pastry, lightly press pastry into bottom and up sides of pan. Roll your rolling pin over top of pan to get rid of excess pastry. With a thumb up movement, again press dough into pan. Roll rolling pin over top again to get rid of any extra pastry. Prick bottom of dough (this will prevent the dough from puffing up as it bakes). Cover and refrigerate for 20 minutes to chill the butter and to rest the gluten.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (205 degrees C) and place rack in center of oven. Line unbaked pastry shell with parchment paper or aluminum foil. Fill tart pan with pie weights, rice or beans, making sure the weights are to the top of the pan and evenly distributed over the entire surface. Bake crust for 20 to 25 minutes until crust is dry and lightly golden brown. Remove weights and cool crust on wire rack before filling.

Reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees (177 degrees C) and have oven rack in the center of the oven.

For Filling: In a food processor or electric mixer place the cream cheese and process until smooth. Add sugar and beat until incorporated. Add eggs, one at a time, and process until thoroughly combined. Add remaining ingredients and beat until well blended and smooth.
Place the tart pan on a larger baking pan. Carefully pour the filling into the pre-baked tart shell. Arrange the raspberries evenly around the tart shell and bake the tart for about 30 - 35 minutes or until the filling is set (test by gently shaking the pan). Transfer tart to wire rack to cool.

Serve warm or cold accompanied by softly whipped cream and fresh raspberries.

Refrigerate leftovers.


From Joy of Baking

Ginger Fried Beef

This was our Anniversary Supper. It was a new recipe and we both really enjoyed it. Not the most healthy (hence the 'fried' in the title) but yummy nonetheless!!

1LB Flank or Sirloin Steak (I used round steak)
2 Eggs, Beaten

3/4 Cup Cornstarch

1/2 Cup Water

Vegetable Oil

2/3 Cup Shredded Carrots

2 Tbsp. Chopped Green Onions

1/4 Cup Finely Chopped Fresh Ginger

4 Garlic Cloves, Chopped
3 Tbsp Soy Sauce

2 Tbsp Wine, Red or White (I used Red)

2 Tbsp White Vinegar

1 Tbsp Sesame Oil

1/2 Cup Sugar

Dash Crushed Chili Flakes (I omitted this)

Slice partially frozen steak across the grain into narrow strips. Mix beef and eggs. Dissolve cornstartch in water and mix with beef-egg mixture. Pour 1" of oil into Wok, heat to boiling hot, but not smoking. Add beef to oil, 1/4 at a time. Separate witha fork (or chopsticks if you're talented!)and cook, stirring frequently until crispy. Remove, drain and set aside. (This much can be done in advance.) Put 1 Tbsp oil in Wok. Add carrots, onion, ginger and garlic and stir briefly over high heat. Add remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. Add beef; mix well. Serve with steamed rice. Serves 4.

I followed these directions exactly. Next time I'll try adding less sugar - it wasn't too sweet, but it'd be better for my waist line!!