Buffalo Pork Tenderloin- Kick it Up a Notch!

Fire up the TAILGATE BBQ for this Beauty! All the flavors that you love in hot wings but injected into the pork, marinated, overnight and served with delish blue cheese dipping sauce and celery! It is so nummy! (That's a word right?  Nummy?) This is so infused with the flavors you love and baked to goodness! Served warm or cool it makes a great appetizer or summer BBQ too! (CHECK BELOW FOR A BITE SIZE APPETIZER RECIPE)

Oven Roasted, BBQ'ed or slow cooked in a smoker it's a winner!

Buffalo Pork Tenderloin

Special Tools : Meat Injector

1- 1 1/4-2 lb pork tenderloin
28 oz Franks Red Hot sauce

Inject meat with half of Franks Red  Hot varying location of injection.  Place tenderloin in plastic bag or casserole dish, covering with remaining hot sauce. Let sit overnight rotating or flipping bag.

OVEN - Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Insert meat thermometer into center of tenderloin, do not let it pass all the way through.  Bake for around 1 hour and 20 minutes, until tenderloin reaches 145 degrees. I like to throw a quick broil in for say 5 minutes to give a slightly BBQ'ed look. Let rest for 15 minutes before cutting and serving.

GRILL- I usually stick to a smaller cuts around 1 lb a piece and do two, Sear grill marks into pork, about 2 minutes each side. Wrap in foil, and grill over medium heat,  for 30 minutes, baste with sauce, and cook for 15 more minutes.  Should reach 145 degrees and have no pink when done.

Blue Cheese Dipping Sauce

4 ounces crumbled blue cheese
1- 1 1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 cup sour cream
9 ounces milk (optional)

1 tablespoon lemon juice (optional)
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce (optional)

KICK IT UP A NOTCH! 

Try roasting or BBQ'ing 1 inch cubes of pork loin in the same way! Serve skewered as an appetizer with Blue Cheese, Celery sticks.

Buffalo Pork Skewers

In a small bowl, combine the butter and 2-4 tablespoons of the hot sauce. Set both mixtures aside.

In a large bowl, combine the pork and an additional 2 tablespoons of hot sauce. Season generously with salt.

Marinate overnight if possible!

GRILL- soak bamboo skewers for at least a half hour. Thread the pork onto skewers and arrange over coals over medium heat for 10-14 minutes until no pink remains in the middle.  

OVEN- Arrange pork cubes on on prepared baking sheet. Broil for 4 minutes. Turn and broil until tender, 4 to 5 minutes. Remove pork from broiler and let rest at least 3 minutes. While pork is resting, brush both sides with the butter mixture. Stick party toothpicks or skewers in each one to serve. 

Thai Massaman Curry- Beef and Chicken or Vegetarian

This Thai curry is unusual as it is not spicy or hot. Savory, deep, rich and creamy and melting with the most tender chunks of beef.

Thai Massaman Curry

2 lbs of beef, cut into 1.5-inch cubes (The tougher the better. I suggest a beef shank, or other bone in style roasts)

-OR-
Authentic Chicken uses thighs and bone in pieces.  I prefer a chunk so I use 2 lbs of boneless skinless chicken breast.  Cubed.
-OR-
Cauliflower(1 head broken into bite size pieces), New Potatoes and Chickpeas

2 cans good coconut milk
1 lb of waxy, potatoes like Yukon Gold or Yellow potatoes; cut into 2-inch chunks.
2 medium yellow onions, quartered
One 4-ounce can of Massaman curry paste, or to taste (1/2 can if like it mild)
2 tablespoons of prepared tamarind paste
2 tbs. Fish sauce, or to taste ( I know it sounds GROSS, but do not be afraid of fish sauce)
2 Tbs Palm, coconut, or brown sugar
1/3 cup dry-roasted peanuts

Optional add ins
7-8 lightly toasted white or green cardamoms, optional
1 teaspoon of lightly toasted cumin seeds, optional
3 Star Anise

Scoop out about 3/4 cup of the top, creamy part of the coconut milk and put in a large heavy-bottomed pot along with the curry paste. Fry the paste in the coconut cream over medium-high heat until the mixture turns into a creamy paste, bubbles up, and the coconut starts to turn oily.
Add the meat into the pot; stir to coat the meat with the curry paste. Add the remaining coconut milk and just enough water to barely cover the meat.
Turn up the heat just until everything comes to a boil; immediately lower the heat so that the curry is gently simmering. Cook, covered, until the meat is almost tender. The cooking time varies, depending upon the cuts of meat usually 1 1/2-2 hours. Beef shank, on the other hand, could take up to 3-4 hours. Chicken and cauliflower takes about 15 minutes so do with potatoes.
Check on the meat periodically. If more water is needed to keep the meat submerged, add it to the pot and restore the gentle simmer after each addition.

Add the onions and potatoes to the pot along with 2 tablespoons of fish sauce. You should add the onions and potatoes at the point where you feel it would take about 20 minutes for the meat to be perfectly tender. Add the vegetables before that point and they become mushy and fall apart by the time the meat is properly cooked. Add the vegetables after the meat has been perfectly cooked and by the time the onions and potatoes are tender, the meat will have been falling apart. This is the part where exact time requirement is not practical and common sense is necessary.
About 5 minutes before the potatoes and onions are ready, start seasoning the curry to taste with the tamarind paste, sugar, and extra cardamom and cumin, if desired. If more fish sauce is needed, add it now. Try to recall the taste of the version of Massaman curry which you like and keep seasoning it with tamarind, sugar, and fish sauce, and tasting until you achieve that flavor. (I like mine a bit on the sweet side with some tang.)

Serve with Coconut Rice and top with chopped peanuts.

Chicken Massaman

Hints: I do not suggest adding other vegetables or using baker potatoes as it affects the perfection of creamy taste and texture.  Also do not use lean and tender cuts of meat.  They will be mushy and ruin the Massaman. 

Thai Coconut Lemongrass Soup- Tom Kha Gai

This soup is made with nice size pieces of tender chicken, creamy coconut milk and broth. I have included the authentic ingredients as well as a the cheat version when your pantry is missing some of those ingredients.  This can be made any time of the year with a leftover chicken breast, turkey or by easily preparing some chicken and cutting or shredding.

This is my FAVORITE soup to kick a cold, especially the kind where nothing tastes good and you can't breathe. Lemongrass, chicken broth, the bit of zing to unplug your nose from the red pepper flakes! Yup! It's the one! I'm even known, if its a real whopper, to add a dash of chili oil.

Under 30 minutes

Thai Coconut Lemongrass Soup

1 quart chicken broth
1 1/2 C. coconut milk
1 cup sliced mushrooms (see authentic ingredient below)
1/4 tsp dried chile flakes, or to taste (see authentic ingredient below)
1 Stalk Lemongrass, cut into inch strips and lightly pounded
1 tsp freshly grated Ginger, OR 2 inches fresh ginger sliced into disk shaped slices (see authentic ingredient below)
2 1/2 tbs Lime juice
1/4 tsp Salt, or to taste
1-2 tbs brown sugar (optional)
1-2 cup pulled or cubed cooked Chicken (or white meat turkey)
1 Green Onion, chopped
Chopped Cilantro. Loosely chopped

Other Delicious Authentic Ingredients:

Straw Mushrooms (Found in a can usually) 

6 kaffir lime leaves (lightly bruised to release the flavor)
6 slices galangal, instead of ginger. A similar root, but not the same taste
8 bird’s eye chilies (lightly pounded), instead of dried red pepper flakes
3 tablespoon fish sauce(SUGGESTED)

Bring the stock to a boil, skim any foam that rises to the top and add coconut milk, lemongrass, lime juice, chile flakes, ginger, and chicken Simmer for about 15 minutes. Season to taste with salt. Ladle into soup bowls or mugs and garnish with cilantro and green onions.

Serve in a bowl with a side of steamed rice. (Traditionally this soup is served with the slices of galangal, lemongrass and lime leaves. I know many people who love to chew or enjoy them in the bowl. However if you do not like that or have a family member who doesn't you can strain or remove before adding chicken right at the end.)

Locally-Sourced, Artisan Brie baked in Toasted Almonds, French Bread and Red Bosch Pears

Sincerely, I love this food so much I named my daughter after it! It's my special occasion breakfast. Which I wish I had more of now that I think about it!  Very simple, but simply melty, creamy, warm and delicious cheese.


Artisan Brie baked in Toasted Almonds and Sliced Red Pears

2 Tablespoons Butter

7-8 ounce whole Brie or Camembert with Rind

2 Tablespoons Sliced Almonds

1-2 sliced, fresh Red Ripe Bosch Pears (or other variety)

1 Baguette sliced and toasted

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spread butter over the top and sides of brie. Place brie in oven proof rimmed serving plate and sprinkle almonds over the top. Bake for 15-18 minutes or until cheese begins to melt. Cheese will be raised a bit and have some give when pressed lightly.  Meanwhile slice bread, and lay on a cookie sheet.

When you take Brie out put oven on broil and place baguette slices under broiler. Watch carefully until just browned.

Slice and serve immediately with slices of pear. Soft warm, melting cheese on baguettes and with fresh, local pears. 

Resources for Pacific Northwest and West Coast Artisan Brie And Camembert

Tillamook, Or.- Blue Heron Cheese http://www.blueheronoregon.com/

Santa Rosa, Ca.- Marin French Cheese http://www.marinfrenchcheese.com/Store/Cheese/Overview.aspx

Leavenworth, Wa.- Alpine Lakes Cheese http://www.alpinelakescheese.com/

Artisan Cheese Directory Nationally- Fork and Bottle http://www.forkandbottle.com/cheese/uscheese.htm

Alternatives- 

Serve individual slices of baguette with cranberry sauce and a melting wedge of brie for the holidays!
Or
Drizzle with honey and cook as instructed above