What list? Or, Tenderloin for Christmas Dinner.

The List has been ignored due to the need to blow one's nose, nap and worry about things.

BUT, Christmas is Christmas, and the dinner must be special. And we had:

BEEF TENDERLOIN!

I have no photo to show you, but the recipe is:

1 lb. fresh mushrooms
1 T plus 1 t butter, divided
1 t lemon juice
1 (6 lb) beef tenderloin, well trimmed
Cooking spray
2 t minced fresh rosemary
1 t fresh ground pepper
1/2 cup dry sherry

Clean mushrooms; remove stems and reserve for another use. Combine 1 T butter and lemon juice in a large skillet. Place over medium heat until hot. Add mushrooms to skillet, cap sides down, and saute for 2 minutes or until lightly browned. Add sherry to skillet; cover and cook for 2 minutes. Remove mushrooms and keep warm while reserving sherry mixture.

Trim fat from tenderloin. Fold until 3-4 inches of small end. Place on a rack coated with cooking spray; place rack in a shallow roasting pan. Have beef at room temperature. Sprinkle with rosemary and pepper.

Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes. Reduce heat to 375 degrees and bake for an additional 10 minutes.

Place mushrooms around tenderloin; pour sherry mixture over them. Bake for an additional 10 minute or until meat thermometer registers 140 degrees (rare) to 160 degrees (medium).

Place on a serving platter, over loosely with foil and let stand for 10 minutes before slicing. Arrange mushrooms around meat.

Yield: 12 servings.

Highly recommended.

Served with roasted acorn squash, green salad and Yorkshire pudding.  Wine pairing:  2007 Fitzpatrick's Syrah.

The list - first update

I am working my way through my recent list of recipes to try (see the list here).

I have tried two so far:

Asian pear, persimmon, almond salad - FANTASTIC. Basic instructions are to add very thin slices of persimmon and Asian pear to greens, sprinkle with toasted almond slices, and dress with a lime and oil dressing that had a little salt and a little cayenne and a big spoonful of honey. Terrific flavors, and the colors of the persimmon against the green is very festive.

Coffee-braised spoon lamb - Not a hit. Not bad, not disliked, but we all agreed that we wanted to taste the lamb more than we could. And maybe my coffee was too strong, because it tasted a little heavy on the coffee to me. And coffee is not a taste I usually think there is too much of. This is the FIRST recipe I have tried in this cookbook that I do not want to make again.


Both of these recipes are from the Sunset Best Recipes 2010 magazine pictured above. It is not available from Amazon, but I link it so that you can know what it looks like; if you ever see it, I recommend it heartily.

Next up:
Bean and chicken taquitos (same cookbook)
Flank steak and red onion (unknown source)
Chicken in a pot: the garlic and lemon version (from Around My French Table)
Long and slow apples (from Around My French Table, too.)

Cornbread stuffing: the jewel in the Thanksgiving crown

Hallelujah! My friend Aimee sent me the recipe for my favorite Thanksgiving food. I made three copies of the recipe, plus I am posting it here, so I will never have to imagine going without cornbread/sausage/apple stuffing...ever again.

Martha Stewart's Cornbread Stuffing with a few changes

1/2 cup dark raisins
1/2 cup brandy
2 cups chopped onions
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 pound (1 stick) unsalted butter
1 pound bulk pork sausage
1/2 cup chopped shallots
1 1/2 cup chopped tart apples
1 cup chopped celery
Corn bread, cut into cubes and left overnight
1 can water chestnuts, sliced and diced
1/2 cup snipped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 T dried sage leaves
2 t dried marjoram leaves
1 t dried thyme leaves
1/4 t ground cloves
1/8 t cayenne pepper
2 t coarse kosher salt
1 t freshly ground black pepper
2 eggs beaten


Soak the raisins in the brandy overnight. In a large skillet, saute the onions and garlic in the butter over medium heat until soft, about five about 5 minutes. Add the sausage and shallots, cook until sausage is brown, about 10 minutes. Stir in the apples and celery; cook until soft,about 10 minutes. Drain. Combine corn bread cubes, raisin mixture, sausage mixture,and remaining ingredients except eggs. Toss; stir in eggs.

I do not stuff the turkey; I cook this on a baking sheet until it is slightly browned and a bit crunchy on top. Pack it tightly on the baking sheet...this allows for a crunchy layer on the top and a moist layer underneath. I will at least double this so we have plenty of leftovers. The mingling of the flavors makes leftovers extra yummy.

The new cooking list

My plans for cooking in the next few months include:

Bean and chicken taquitos (SBR)
Cheez-it-ish crackers (AMFT)

Asian pear, persimmon, almond salad (SBR)
Couscous salad (AMFT)

Cheese-topped onion soup (AMFT)
Provencal vegetable soup (AMFT)

Coffee-braised spoon lamb (SBR)
Shot-and-a-beer pork stew (SBR)
Flank steak and red onion (?)
Gratin Parmentier (from dear friend Marcia)
Spicy Thai noodles (from my recipe box)
Cousin Jack pasty (from Mom's recipe box)
Chicken in a pot: the garlic and lemon version (AMFT)
Chicken tangine with sweet potatoes and prunes (AMFT)


Pumpkin pancakes (Libby's label)
Oatmeal bran breakfast cookies (TBB)
Ginger shortbread (TBB)


Plum kuchen (from Mom's recipe box)
Long and slow apples (AMFT)
Chocolate peppermint cookies (MS)
Tuiles (MS)

Sources:

Around my French Table (AMFT)
The Breakfast Book by Marian Cunningham
Martha Stewart Holiday Cookies (MS) (I am using a current magazine that was at the grocery store, but I could not find an amazon link for it. Holiday cookies, pinkish red cover, in your grocery aisle most likely.)
Sunset Best Recipes 2010 (SBR) (FYI: By far the best choice I made for recipe inspiration this year.)

Pimm's No. 1

Pimm's No. 1

What is Pimm's No. 1?

Go here to find out:

The official Pimm's site: Pimm's
Molly Wizenberg's recipe for Pimm's success: Orangette

Now if I could just find Pimm's Winter in the states.

Simple breakfast pleasures

My favorite pancakes got spiced up.

Added to dry ingredients: 2 t. cinnamon, 1/2 t. ground cloves, a generous grating of nutmeg.

Mix as usual. When cooking, pour in batter and then create a circle of very thinly sliced apples. Makes a beautiful fall breakfast.

A delightful cooking site (with a giveaway)

I found Erica Lea's Cooking for Seven site by way of Tasty Kitchen, and it has become a favorite of mine. From her website:

To me, quality not only means a dish that’s delicious, but one that is nourishing as well. It is my belief that irresistibly scrumptious and healthy are not mutually exclusive. Admittedly, I sometimes splurge and eat/cook something totally unhealthy. But I try to keep things natural.

Her beautiful photography makes it all the more of a pleasure to go visit.

Highly recommended.

And she is giving away the scale pictured above. Go check it out here.

Cool tool

Chicago Metallic Commercial II Non-Stick Perforated Baguette Pan
(click on image to see at amazon.com)

A great way to spend some birthday money.

Highly recommended.

Great post on improving your cooking

5 Easy Ways to Improve Your Cooking from Pastor Ryan at This is Reverb.

I love reminders that cooking does not have to be expensive or complicated. Simple ingredients, as fresh as possible, cooked with a little know-how = good stuff.

Summer

Continuing through the list

Last night's Lavender Creme Brulee was a hit. My next brulee I will make in smaller dishes, though. It is very rich. My uncle once got a trio of brulees at a restaurant; they were served in teensy little cups, sort of a sampler, or flight, of brulees. That seems perfect to me. Two tastes of each, and you have just enough.

We've also had Thai-Style Grilled Chicken (you can see the recipe online if you join here.) It, too, was a hit. I love the combination of flavors in Thai food.

I hit two snags in my list: asian pears and persimmons are (duh!) autumn harvest here, so I will wait for that salad. Instead, I have made a pasta salad that I will post soon. Also, my roses stopped blooming before I could get their petals, and roses for rose water have to be pesticide-free. I'm working on finding some elsewhere, but I'm not sure I'll be able to. I have ordered rose water to make my ice cream, though. It will take more than a missing rose to keep us from that ice cream.

Next up: Scallop and snow pea stir-fry.

My favorite pancakes

We had delightful company who arrived at our house yesterday, fifteen minutes before we returned from being on the road for nine days. You know they have to be pretty special friends for that to be a welcome thing; this was MOST welcome.

This morning I had the pleasure of fixing pancakes that were loved by even the most particular of guests. What a satisfying experience. I thought I would share my pancake recipe with you, simple as it is. I am sure there are special instructions for mixing the ingredients, but I just lump them all in a bowl and mix them well. Cook as you would any pancake.

Traditional Pancakes

Wet Ingredients::
3 large eggs
2 1/2 cups milk
6 T oil (they recommend butter, but I use vegetable oil)
2 t vanilla

Dry Ingredients:
3 cups all-purpose flour
5 T sugar
1 T baking powder
1/2 t salt

HT: The Ultimate Cookbook

I highly recommend this cookbook, as I have before. They have alternative recipes for Buttermilk Pancakes, Buckwheat Pancakes, Gingerbread Pancakes and Multigrain Pancakes, all delicious.

List update

Cranberry margaritas: yum. Easy to make non-alcoholic for a family-friendly drink.

Oat waffles: Must have done something wrong in my tripling of the recipe. Not good. Will try again soon.

Mojito granita: Excellent. Not sure why the picture is yellow...this is a lovely, clear ice with hints of green from the mint. So good. So easy.

Soft-boiled eggs. Boil water, set a timer. Couldn't be easier. YUM.

Blackberry lime rickeys

2 cups blackberries, divided
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup fresh lime juice
1 cup gin
Ice cubes
1 liter sparkling water
6 to 12 thin lime slices

1) In a blender, whirl 1 1/2 cups blackberries, the sugar, and lime juice until smooth. Rub through a fine-mesh sieve into a pitcher to extract juices. Stir in gin.
2. Fill each of 6 glasses halfway with ice. Pour gin mixture into glasses and fill with sparkling water. Garnish with remaining 1/2 blackberries and the lime slices.

Date night beverage of choice

The list gets started

Lunch today:
Roast beef and two-chile grilled cheese sandwich on onion rolls

Onion rolls
Sliced roast beef
Mayonnaise
Pepper jack cheese
Whole green chiles (Canned. I removed seeds and rinsed it off.)

Spread mayo on both sides of onion roll. Layer meat and a flattened whole chile on one side of an onion roll; put slices of cheese on top. Put both sides under the broiler until cheese is bubbly.

Fab-u-lous. My only tweaking plan: roast beef was over-cooked; rare would taste better.






Dinner tonight:
Central American Slaw (varied to create more color, to use ingredients already in the frig, and to make a bit more flavor)

Green cabbage (approx. 2 lbs.)
Red pepper (one)
Red cabbage (I used enough to add color, about 1/4 of small)
Jicama (one small)
3 nectarines
1/2 fresh pineapple
2 T (plus if desired) cilantro

Shred cabbages and pepper (you can use a cheese grater, or chop finely.)
Chop jicama, nectarine, and pineapple into small chunks
Chop cilantro finely

Add all ingredients to a large bowl.

Dressing:

1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup plain yogurt
3 T lime juice
1 t cumin, freshly ground
1 t salt
Lots of freshly ground pepper, to taste
Several dashes of tabasco, to taste

Mix all ingredients, add to vegetables in the large bowl.

Chill. Can be kept covered and refrigerated for up to 2 days.

The initial taste test had me adding the pineapple. The dressing is fantastic, but it needed some more flavors to mix with. Love the pineapple addition. I'll let you know how it tastes after one and two days of flavor mixing.

My summer list

The To Cook and Eat (or drink) Version

Blackberry lime rickeys (SBR)
Cranberry margaritas

Asian pear, persimmon, and almond salad (SBR)
Mint Pesto (TUC)
Central American Slaw (TUC)

Roast beef and two-chile grilled cheese sandwich on onion rolls (SBR)

Thai-Style Grilled Chicken (CSG)
Hoisin-Sesame Glaze (for Chicken) (CSG)
Scallop and snow pea stir-fry (SBR)

Soft-Boiled Eggs (TUC)
Oat Waffles (TUC)

Mojito Granita
Lavender Creme Brulee
Rose Ice Cream
Rose Water


TUC: The Ultimate Cookbook by Weinstein and Scarbrough
SBR: Sunset Best Recipes 2010
CSG: Cook's Illustrated: Summer Grilling

Simple summer salad

Asian Cabbage Salad
(AKA: Clean Out The Frig Salad)

1/2 green cabbage, sliced and chopped thinly
1/4 purple cabbage, sliced and chopped thinly
1 can water chestnuts, sliced into thin strips
1 cup almonds, thinly sliced (toasted if desired)
1 medium sweet onion, chopped finely

Dressing (I am guessing here...didn't write down)

1/4 cup sesame oil (or 1/2 sesame oil, 1/2 vegetable oil)
6 T rice vinegar
2 T brown sugar
lots of salt and pepper

Mix it all and enjoy as a side or as a whole meal. It tasted even better on day two, after all the flavors could mix together. I keep thinking of things I would like to add to this; I think I'll add chicken and some fruit next time.

Cooking inspiration

Where do I go for new ideas in the kitchen? Well, it depends. Sometimes it is my own refrigerator. I see a pile of basil and a bag of limes, both ready to be used immediately, and I do an online search with those two ingredients. Voila the Basil Lime Refresher.

This morning I have been searching for recipes for Lavender Ice Cream. Why? Last week's visit to Screamin' Mimi's Ice Cream in Sebastopol, California is my inspiration. I had a small scoop of lavender and a small scoop of rose ice cream. Oh.my.word. Subtle. Sublime. Perfect.

My partner in crime preferred his scoops served affogato (ice cream with shots of espresso poured over.) I can't remember what kind of ice cream it was, but I am sure it was chocolate and goopy with stuff mixed in (nuts? caramel? cookies?) It didn't last long.

There was also plenty of inspiration for home decorating. If I could have put this chair in my car....

Lavender ice cream recipe to try.
Rose ice cream recipe to try.

And for another time...Mojito Sorbet? MOJITO SorBET?? YES! Off for more recipe searching.

Just in time for Fourth of July!

Sunset Best Recipes 2010

The Sunset Best Recipes 2010 has this after its amazon.com listing:

Currently unavailable.
We don't know when or if this item will be back in stock.

That is a tragedy. This is a GEM of a magazine/cookbook. I have made several recipes in it, and I don't plan on stopping.

My latest favorite:

Spicy Beef Cross-Rib Roast with Caramelized Clementine Sauce (try saying Caramelized Clementine Sauce ten times fast!)

2 1/2 pounds clementines
1-2 t crushed red chile flakes (I strongly suggest you take note of the small t. If you mistake it for a large T, you can cut the heat with some cream after the sauce has thickened. I would know!)
3 T coarsely chopped fresh ginger
4 cloves garlic, peeled
1 T kosher salt
3 T vegetable oil
1 boned beef cross-rib (chuck) roast or boneless chuck roast (about 3 1/2 pounds)
6 T each sugar and soy sauce
3 T dry sherry
3 green onions, cut into 2-in matchsticks

1) Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Finely shred zest from 2 large clementines; save clementines for another use. In a food processor, whirl zest, chile flakes, ginger, garlic, and salt to mince. Blend in oil. Put meat in a 12 by 17 inch roasting pan, rub all over with chile mixture, and set fat side up.

2) Roast beef until browned, 20-25 minutes. Reduce heat to 325 and cook until an instant-read thermometer inserted in thickest part of meat reaches 90 degrees, about 20 minutes.

3) Juice remaining clementines (to yield about 2 cups). Bring a large saucepan of water to a boil. Add clementine peels and boil gently minutes, stirring occasionally. Drain, rinse with cool water. Scrape out and discard pulp and white pith. Cut peels in half, then stack a few at a time and cut into long, thin strips. In a bowl, combine clementine strips, sugar, soy sauce, sherry and 2/3 cup clementine juice.

4) When meat is 90 degrees, pour clementine soy mixture around it. Cook, stirring sauce occasionally, until meat reaches 130 degrees for medium-rare, 30-40 minutes; as pan juices begin to caramelize, stir in a few T clementine juice to prevent scorching.

5) Transfer beef to a cutting board and let rest, tented loosely with foil, 15 minutes. Pour remaining clementine juice into roasting pan, set pan over high heat, and cook, stirring often, until juices are thickened and shiny, about 7 minutes. Scrape sauce into a bowl.

6) Thinly slice meat crosswise. Serve with sauce and onions as garnish.

The Ultimate Cook Book

I continue to be thrilled with Weinstein and Scarbrough's Ultimate Cook Book. One of the latest favorite recipes:

Malt Waffles

Oil to grease the waffle iron
2 large eggs
1 1/4 cups milk
4 T unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1 t vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups plus 2 T all-purpose flour
1/3 cup yellow cornmeal
3 T sugar
3 T malted milk powder
1 T baking powder
1 t salt

1) Lightly oil waffle iron and preheat.
2) Whisk the eggs, milk, butter, and vanilla in a medium bowl until smooth; set aside.
3) In a large bowl, whisk the flour, cornmeal, sugar, malted milk powder, baking powder, and salt until the cornmeal is even throughout the mixture.
4) Use a fork to stir the wet ingredients into the dry, just until any lumps disappear and the batter is fairly smooth.
5) Spoon the manufacture recommended amount of batter into your preheated waffle iron (I use about 1/2 cup.) Close the iron and bake until lightly browned or crispy...however you prefer. I have used this recipe all spring for travel food. I made a large batch of lightly browned waffles and froze them; we were then able to toast them in the mornings, making breakfast on the road particularly simple. You can keep waffles warm in a 225 degree oven.

The cornmeal adds a terrific crunch to the waffle, and the malted milk adds a fresh flavor. We love these.

Cooking with Guiness

Since the rain shows no sign of stopping , hot comfort food is the special du jour around here. This weekend we had:

Guiness Stew (adapted from a Guiness Meat Pie recipe found on Facebook)

1/4 C oil, preferably olive
1 1/2 lbs beef top round, or stew meat
4 slices of bacon, chopped
1 large onion, diced
1 garlic clove, minced
2 carrots, sliced
1 stalk celery, sliced
8 oz mushrooms, stemmed and quartered
2 Tbsp. flour
1 C beef stock
1 C Guiness beer
salt
pepper

Heat oil in a medium pot. Add beef and bacon; sear over medium heat for about 5 minutes, or until beef is browned on all sides. Add onion, garlic clove, carrots, celery, and mushrooms, and cook 8 minutes or until soft, stirring occasionally. Sprinkle in flour and cook 1 minute before adding the beef stock, and Guiness.

**At this point stop and breathe deeply...the stew smells heavenly**

Season with salt and pepper, turn down heat and simmer at least 2 hours, stirring occasionally.

You can make a double pie crust and serve this as a meat pie, but we served it to a football watching group as stew with french bread on the side. Excellent.

Serve with Guiness or a peppery red wine.

Next Guiness recipe to try:

Irish Brown Beer Bread

2 c. raisins
1/2 c. butter
2 c. sugar
3 eggs, beaten
4 c. flour
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. allspice
1 (16 oz.) bottle Guinness Stout beer

Soak raisins in warm water for 10 minutes until they fluff up a bit. Dry on paper towels and coat with a little flour. Cream butter and sugar well. Add eggs and mix well by hand. Sift flour, salt, baking soda, salt, and allspice; add to creamed mixture alternately with beer. Then add floured raisins. Bake in greased tube pan at 350 degrees for approximately 1 hour and 20 minutes -- check with toothpick.

If we like the bread I will then try and replicate the Guiness Bread Pudding we had in Eugene. We'll see how it goes.

Valentine's meal 2010

(Photo kept small to hide lamo blurriness.)

Our special Valentine's dinner happened tonight. It was spectacular. I am not usually one to make a main dish with so many steps, but the sauce for the pork roast was unbelievably delicious. If, however, you don't like wine...well....I suggest you find another recipe. There is a bottle of Pinot Noir in this and it reduces into a fragrant, complex, thick sauce that was worth every pot used and every minute spent. Yumola barely does it justice.

The menu:

Pork Shoulder Roast with figs, garlic and Pinot Noir
Potatoes
Green beans
Artisan rolls
Chocolate Panna Cotta

Pork Roast Recipe

1 1/2 cups (10 oz.) dried Mission figs, stems removed, halved lengthwise.
1 T sugar
1/2 t anise seed
2 T plus 1/2 t chopped fresh thyme leaves, plus thyme sprigs
1 bottle Pinot Noir, divided
1 boned pork shoulder (butt) roast (about 3 1/2 pounds)
8 garlic cloves, peeled and cut into large slivers
About 1 1/2 t kosher salt
1/2 t freshly ground pepper
3 T olive oil
About 1 tsp fresh lemon juice

1. Put figs, sugar, anise seed, 1 T thyme, and 1 cup wine in medium saucepan. Cover and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat and simmer until figs are just tender when pierced, 10-12 minutes. Let cool.

2. With a small, sharp knife, make 16 evenly spaced lengthwise cuts into roast, each cut about one inch long and one inch deep. Insert a garlic sliver, then a fig half into each cut, closing meat over figs; make cuts bigger if necessary. Set aside remaining figs and their liquid.

3. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Using kitchen twine, tie up roast. In a small bowl, combine 1 T thyme, 1 1/2 t salt,1/2 t pepper, and the oil. Rub all over roast. (If you don't have twine, but you do have fruit skewers, you can use them to create a sort of modern art look to your roast. Ask me how I know.)

4. Heat a 12-inch frying pan over medium-high heat. Brown pork all over, turning as needed, 8-10 minutes total; adjust heat if needed to keep meat from scorching. Transfer pork, fat side up, to a 9x13 baking pan.

5. Reduce heat to medium. Add reserved garlic to frying pan; cook, stirring often, until light golden, about one minute. Pour in remaining wine from bottle and bring to a boil, scraping up browned bits with a wooden spoon. Pour mixture over pork and cover tightly with foil.

6. Bake pork until almost tender when pierced, 2 1/2 hours. Stir reserved fig mixture into pan juices; bake, covered, until meat is tender, fifteen to twenty more minutes.

7. Spoon pan juices over pork to moisten, then transfer meat to a cutting board and tent loosely with foil. Skim fat from pan juices. Pour juices with figs into a large frying pan and boil over high heat until reduced to two cups, about five minutes. Stir in 1/2 t thyme. Season with lemon juice and more salt and pepper if you like; pour into gravy boat. Remove twine from pork, then cut meat crosswise in thick slices. Garnish with thyme sprigs and serve with sauce.


Potatoes

Small, red potatoes. Peeled. Cut most of the way through to create a ruffly-looking potato. Sprinkle with olive oil, freshly ground pepper, kosher salt and herbes de Provence. I cooked in the convection oven at 425 degrees for thirty minutes. Adjust for your oven. Basically cook until browned and crispy.

Green beans

Skinny french green beans, stir fried until bright green and tender. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Artisan rolls

The basic artisan bread recipe, three balls of dough for each roll. Let rise in cupcake pan. Cook approx. 20 minutes at 375 degrees. Cook ahead; reheat in warm oven just before dinner.

Chocolate panna cottas

2 t. unflavored gelatin
2 cups low-fat milk, divided
3/4 cup sugar
3 ounces semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
1 2/3 cup nonfat Greek yogurt
1 t. vanilla extract
Chocolate shavings

1. In a small bowl, sprinkle gelatin over 1/2 cup milk. Let stand 1 minute, then stir and let stand about ten more minutes for gelatin to soften.
2. In a medium saucepan, whisk remaining 1 1/2 cups milk, the sugar, semisweet chocolate, and cocoa over medium-high heat until steaming, about three minutes. Add gelatin mixture and whisk gently until it dissolves, two to three minutes. Let cool for fifteen minutes.
3. In a large bowl, whisk yogurt with vanilla until smooth. Poor and stir chocolate mixture through a fine strainer into yogurt, then whisk mixtures together.
4. Oil eight ramekins (2/3 cup size). Divide yogurt mixture among ramekins. Chill, covered, until set, 4 1/2 hours and up to two days.
5. Run a small metal spatula between panna cottas and sides of ramekins to loosen. Immerse ramekins one at a time to just below rim in hot water until edges of dessert soften, twenty to thirty seconds; lift small plate over each. Hold plate and ramekin together and give a firm shake to release panna cotta, easing it out gently with the spatula if needed.
6. Scatter chocolate shavings over desserts if you like.

Both pork and panna cotta recipes are from Sunset Magazine's Best Recipes 2010. My mother worked for Sunset Magazine a lifetime ago, so I have always been partial to their publications, but this one is particularly good. Lots of ethnic recipes, plenty of fresh flavors and creative ideas, but not overdone. I will be making lots more recipes in the weeks and months to come. Next up: Tarragon bubble fling and spicy mango shrimp -- yum!