Paint the Plate Red (Perfectly)

 

Appetizer:

Crab Dip - T & J

Main:

Cumin Roasted Cauliflower with Yogurt Sauce - L & T

Root Vegetable Gratin - J & K

Brined Pork Tenderloin - B & A

Dessert:

Red Wine Chocolate Cake with Cream and Cherries - Z & K

Red Wine Chocolate Cake with Cream and Cherries

 For the Cake  

Note:  I used almond extract in the topping instead of Vanilla to up the cherry flavor

Cake Ingredients

12 tablespoons (170 grams) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 1/2 cup (390 grams) firmly packed dark brown sugar
1/2 cup (100 grams) white granulated sugar
3 large eggs, at room temperature
1 1/2 cup (354 ml) red wine
2 teaspoon (10 ml) vanilla extract
2 cups + 2 tablespoons (266 grams) all-purpose flour
1 cup (82 grams) Dutch cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon table salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon 

Cream Topping Ingredients

1 cup mascarpone cheese
1 cup (236 grams) chilled heavy or whipping cream
1/4 cup (50 grams) granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon almond extract

Method

Make the cake: Preheat the oven to 325°F. Line the bottom of a 9-inch round cake pan with parchment, and either butter and lightly flour the parchment and exposed sides of the pan, or spray the interior with a nonstick spray. 

In a large bowl, on the medium speed of an electric mixer, cream the butter until smooth. Add the sugars and beat until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the egg and yolk and beat well, then the red wine and vanilla. Don’t worry if the batter looks a little uneven. Sift the flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon and salt together, right over your wet ingredients. Mix until 3/4 combined, then fold the rest together with a rubber spatula. 

Spread batter in prepared pan. 

Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean. The top of the cake should be shiny and smooth, like a puddle of chocolate. Cool in pan on a rack for about 10 minutes, then flip out of pan and cool the rest of the way on a cooling rack. 

This cake keeps well at room temperature or in the fridge.

Make the topping: Whip mascarpone, cream, sugar and extract together until soft peaks form — don’t overwhip. Dollop generously on cake. It can be covered and refrigerated for up to 4 hours.

Cherry Sauce Source

Ingredients

2 cups frozen or fresh sweet cherries
½ cup sugar
1 pinch salt 
1 lemon 
1 Tbsp cornstarch 
3/4 cup water 

Method 

Place a medium-sized pot over medium heat. Add cherries, sugar, salt, and 1/2 cup of water. Stir to incorporate and bring the mixture to a soft boil.

Use a vegetable peeler to zest the lemon in long strips. Then juice the lemon. Add the zest and just 1/2 tablespoon of the lemon juice to the pot. Stir to incorporate.

In a separate bowl, mix the cornstarch into the remaining 1/4 cup of water until it is completely dissolved and creates a slurry. Add the cornstarch slurry and stir until incorporated. Boil the sauce for at least one more minute to activate the cornstarch.

Continue to stir until the syrup in the cherry sauce is bubbling softly and has thickened enough to coat the back of a spoon. Take the cherry sauce off the heat, allow it to cool, and remove the strips of lemon zest. It will thicken as it cools. Enjoy!

Crab Dip

 Source

Ingredients

1 lemon
3 tablespoons tomato paste
1 tablespoon honey
1 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons thinly sliced chives
1 tablespoon seeded and minced sweet red cherry pepper (from a jar of vinegar packed sweet cherry peppers)
2 teaspoons 'Rub with Love' Crab Cake Mix, plus more to taste
1 hard-boiled egg, finely chopped
1 pound fresh Dungeness crabmeat, picked over for bits of shell and cartilage with claw meat and large pieces of crab left whole (1 lb of canned crab also works!)

Ideas for serving:

Toast points, rye cocktail bread, pita chips, pretzles, potato chips, crackers, celery, carrots, etc

Method

Grate the zest from the lemon, measuring out 2 teaspoons.

Cut the lemon in half and squeeze, measuring out 1 tablespoon of juice and removing any seeds. (Reserve the rest of the lemon for seasoning the dip with more juice later.)

Put the lemon zest and juice in a large bowl, add the tomato paste and honey, and whisk together until smooth.

Whisk in the mayonnaise, chives, cherry pepper, and Rub with Love Crab Cake Mix. Using a rubber spatula, gently fold in the egg.

Add the crabmeat to the bowl and toss it with the dressing.

Season to taste with more Crab Cake Mix and more lemon juice if needed.

Set a bowl of crab dip on a large platter and surround it with potato chips for dipping.

Cumin Seed Roasted Caulifower with Yogurt Sauce

Source 

Cumin Seed Roasted Cauliflower with Yogurt, Mint and Pomegranate

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil (plus more for oiling the pan)
3 to 3.5 lbs fresh cauliflower
2 teaspoons whole cumin seeds
1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus additional
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1,5 cups plain yogurt 
1/2 cup crumbled feta (optional)
Chopped fresh mint leaves, for serving
Pomegranate seeds from 1 pomegranate, for serving

Method

Preheat oven to 425°F. Oil a large baking sheet or roasting pan.

Cut your cauliflower into bite-size florets (no need to make them all evenly sized.  Toss florets with 2 Tbs olive oil, cumin seeds, salt and pepper and spread out on prepared tray. Roast for 20 to 30 minutes, until cauliflower is tender and its edges are toasty.

Prepare feta-yogurt sauce by blending yogurt with feta in a food processor until smooth. 

To serve:  Dollop yogurt on cauliflower then sprinkle dish with mint and pomegranate seeds. 

Ombre Root Vegetable Gratin

 Source (check out the photo)!

Ingredients

Unsalted butter, for greasing 
2 cups heavy cream
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 small shallot, minced
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 3/4 cups freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese (5 ounces), divided
1 pound red beets, peeled and sliced on a mandoline 1/16 inch thick
1 pound sweet potatoes or garnet yams, peeled and sliced on a mandoline 1/16 inch thick
1 pound Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and sliced on a mandoline 1/16 inch thick
1 pound turnips, peeled and sliced on a mandoline 1/16 inch thick

Method

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Lightly butter a 9- x 13-inch baking dish. In a medium bowl, whisk the cream with the garlic, shallot, salt, nutmeg, and pepper. Stir in 1 cup of the grated cheese.

In a large bowl, gently toss the beets with one-fourth of the cream mixture. Arrange the beets in the baking dish in an even layer, overlapping them slightly. Scrape any remaining cream from the large bowl over the beets. Repeat this process with the sweet potatoes, potatoes, and turnips, using one-fourth of the cream mixture for each vegetable. Press a sheet of parchment paper on top of the turnips, then cover the dish tightly with foil.

Bake the gratin for about 1 hour and 30 minutes, until the vegetables are tender. Uncover and top with the remaining 3/4 cup cheese. Bake until golden on top, about 15 minutes longer. Transfer the gratin to a rack, and let cool for at least 15 minutes before serving.

Brined Pork Tenderloin

Brined Pork Tenderloin - A Thomas Keller recipes From Ad Hoc at Home

Brine the Pork (about 4 hours before serving)

Pork Brine

1/2 cup honey
18 bay leaves
6 fresh rosemary springs
3/4 oz fresh thyme sprigs
3 oz fresh flat leaf parsley sprigs
18 cloves garlic, crushed with the skin left on
3 T black peppercorns
1 1/2 c kosher salt
12 c water
3 pork tenderloins (silverskin removed)

Method

Bring all the ingredients except the pork tenderloin to boil. Stir and  boil for 1 minute, until the salt is dissolved. Cool completely before adding the pork. (If you want to cool your brine quickly put the pot in a large bowl of ice).

 Put the pork tenderloin and  brine in a bowl just big enough to hold them. Let sit in the fridge for 4 hours (4 hours is the optimal time for brining...any more time left in the brine would make the pork too salty).

Cook the Pork

Ingredients

1 T canola oil
salt and pepper
1 T unsalted butter
1 garlic clove, crushed
3 fresh thyme sprigs
1 fresh rosemary sprig
4 - 5 slices cured (preserved) lemon slices
sea salt

Method

Remove the pork from the brine, rinse it and pat it dry. Let the pork sit at room temperature for 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Heat the olive oil over medium-high heat in a large skillet. Salt and  pepper the pork. Put the pork in the hot skillet and cook until golden brown on all sides, about 6 minutes. Add the butter, garlic, thyme, rosemary and lemon slices. Cook for another two minutes basting the herbs, lemon and garlic with the juices in the pan.

Move the pork to a roasting pan with a rack set in it. Lay the lemon slices across the top of the pork, overlapping them a little. Top with the thyme, rosemary and garlic. Roast for 20 minutes, until the pork registers 135-140 on an instant read thermometer.

Let the pork sit for 15 minutes before slicing to serve.