Pork Tenderloin with Charred Tomato Salsa

Bring some flavour and excitement to the work week with this delicious dinner. Charring the tomatoes really brings out the tangy and sweet taste for the salsa.

Ingredients

8 small, firm, ripe tomatoes (each about 2 inches/5 cm)
1 poblano, hot banana or jalapeño pepper, halved lengthwise
1 tbsp (15 mL) olive oil
1 cup (250 mL) diced seeded cucumber
1 tbsp (15 mL) freshly squeezed lime juice
½ tsp (2 mL) salt, or to taste

2 pork tenderloins, each about 12 oz (375 g)
2 tbsp (25 mL) freshly squeezed lime juice
1 tbsp (15 mL) olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 small avocado
1 tbsp (15 mL) chopped fresh coriander

Directions

1. For the Charred Tomato Salsa, preheat grill to high. Cut each tomato in half crosswise. Brush tomatoes and poblano pepper with oil. Place tomatoes cut-side down on grill and cook until well browned, about 5 minutes. Turn and grill just until starting to soften, about 2 minutes. At the same time, grill pepper, turning once, until well browned on both sides, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and set aside until cool enough to handle.

2. Chop the grilled pepper and tomatoes, reserving juices and discarding cores, and return to bowl. Add cucumber, lime juice and salt and toss to combine. Set aside.

3. For the pork, reduce grill to medium-high.

4. Cut each tenderloin in half lengthwise, almost, but not all the way through, to butterfly. Cover with plastic wrap and lightly pound the thicker end to even out the thickness. Combine lime juice and oil in a shallow dish and add pork, turning to coat. Season with salt and pepper.

5. Grill pork, turning once, for about 3 to 4 minutes per side or just until pork has a tinge of pink in the centre. Transfer to a cutting board and let rest for 5 minutes.

6. To serve, dice avocado and add to salsa with coriander, tossing gently to combine. Check seasoning. Slice pork thinly on an angle and serve topped with salsa.

Chocolate Panna Cotta with Raspberry and Port Sauce

 This delicious Italian dessert is light but satisfying. It is the perfect ending to any dinner party, with its array of flavours that come together in perfect harmony. 

Ingredients

Panna Cotta
1 tbsp (5 mL) vegetable oil
2 cups (500 mL) whole milk
2 tbsp (25 mL) unflavored powdered gelatin
2 cups (500 mL) whipping cream
½ cup (125 mL) sugar
8 oz (250 g) bittersweet chocolate, grated
2 tsp (10 mL) pure vanilla extract


Raspberry Port Sauce

¾ cup (175 mL) ruby port
½ cup (125 mL) granulated sugar
2 tbsp (25 mL) aged balsamic vinegar
2 cups (500 mL) raspberries

Directions

1. Oil six 1-cup (250-mL) ramekins or glass custard cups.

2. Pour milk into medium bowl. Whisk in gelatin until dissolved, about 1 minute.

3. Whisk cream and sugar in heavy medium saucepan over medium-high heat until sugar dissolves and mixture comes just to a boil. Remove from heat.

4. Add chocolate and vanilla, and whisk until melted. Whisk warm chocolate mixture into gelatin mixture until homogeneous.

5. Divide mixture among custard cups. Cover and chill for 2 hours or until set.

6. For sauce, combine port, sugar and aged balsamic vinegar together in a skillet and bring to a boil. Boil for 8 to 10 minutes or until ½ cup (125 mL) sauce remains.

7. Remove from heat and gently stir in raspberries. Cool to room temperature.

8. To de-mold, panna cotta, pour enough hot water into a larger dish to come halfway up sides of cups. Let stand 1½ minutes. Take custard cups out of water; wipe bottoms dry. Invert each onto plate, shaking gently to dislodge panna cotta onto individual servings plates.Spoon sauce over panna cottas. Garnish with fresh mint.

French Fries with Poutine

This recipe from J.P. Challet, executive chef of the sophisticated and elegant The Fifth restaurant in Toronto, is the ultimate in sophisticated fries. Served with foie gras, goat cheese and gravy it is the perfect little tapas. This elegant twist on this traditional Canadian dish is sure to wow your family. 

French Fries

Ingredients

6 Yukon Gold potatoes
1 tbsp (15 mL) butter
2 diced shallots
6 oz (175 g) fresh Ontario goat cheese
1 bunch chives, chopped
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Vegetable oil for deep frying
8 oz (250 g) fresh foie gras
1 cup (250 mL) Bordelaise Sauce (recipe follows)

Directions

1. Slice potatoes into thin slices. Pile a few slices on top of each other and cut into thin strips.

2. Bring a large pot of water to boil, immerse fries and boil for 30 seconds. Drain immediately and place on a dish-towel-lined tray to dry them. Refrigerate for 1 hour or longer.

3. Heat butter in skillet over medium heat and cook shallots until softened but not coloured. Place goat cheese in bowl and stir in shallots, chives and black pepper.

4. Heat oil in wok or deep fryer to 300ºF (150ºC) or until a cube of bread turns golden in 35 seconds. Add potatoes in batches (oil should bubble gently). Cook about 6 to 7 minutes or until soft but not coloured. Drain well and place on paper

5. Reheat oil to 350ºF (180ºC) or until a cube of bread browns in 15 seconds. Fry potatoes in batches for another 2 to 3 minutes or until golden coloured. Put in paper-towel-lined bowl and toss with salt.

6. Cut the foie gras in four ½-inch-thick (1-cm) slices. When fries are cooked, place foie gras in a hot nonstick pan on medium-high heat and sear each side for 1 minute. Remove from pan immediately and season with salt.

7. Lay fries in the middle of the plate and crumble goat cheese all over them. Place the foie gras on top and pour the Bordelaise Sauce over the foie gras and fries.

Bordelaise Sauce

Ingredients
 

2 shallots, chopped
½ cup (125 mL) red wine
2 cups (500 mL) beef stock
¼ cup (50 mL) port

Directions

1. Place shallots and red wine in a skillet. Heat to medium-high heat and cook wine until 1 tbsp (15 mL) remains. Add stock and bring to boil. Boil 5 minutes or until reduced to 1 cup (250 mL). Add port and boil again until sauce begins to thicken slightly, about 4 minutes. Strain out shallots, pressing down on them to extract as much sauce as possible.

2. Pour over fries.

Crab, Corn, and Tomato Salad with Lemon-Basil Dressing

On hot, humid days like these we love to make delicious meals without firing up the stove. There are so many dishes that can be made without cooking. Here is one of our favourite no-cook recipes, that is perfect for a hot summer day. 

 

Ingredients

1 tablespoon grated lemon rind

5 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, divided

1 tablespoon extravirgin olive oil

1 teaspoon honey

1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 cup fresh corn kernels (about 2 ears)

1/4 cup thinly sliced basil leaves

1/4 cup chopped red bell pepper

2 tablespoons finely chopped red onion

1 pound lump crabmeat, shell pieces removed

8 (1/4-inch-thick) slices ripe beefsteak tomato

2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved

Directions

1. Combine rind, 3 tablespoons juice, and next 5 ingredients (through black pepper) in a large bowl, stirring well with a whisk. Reserve 1 ½ tablespoons juice mixture. Add remaining 2 tablespoons juice, corn, and next 4 ingredients (through crab) to remaining juice mixture; toss gently to coat.

2. Arrange 2 tomato slices and 1/2 cup cherry tomatoes on each of 4 plates. Drizzle about 1 teaspoon reserved juice mixture over each serving. Top each serving with 1 cup corn and crab mixture.