Spicy Pepper Jelly-Marinated Pork Tenderloin

On a recent trip down to Charleston, South Carolina, my parents brought me back my favorite kind of souvenir, a cookbook. The book is Sara Foster's Southern Kitchen, filled with recipes from the south. The book contains beautiful pictures to go along with the delicious sounding recipes. I always love when a cookbook has great photography.

This recipe calls for pepper jelly. I was not sure exactly what that was when I first read the recipe, but I found out that it is exactly what the name suggests. It is peppers made into jelly, sweet and spicy. I found a jar at a local farm stand, but you can find it at some grocery stores. Brands, such as, Stonewall Kitchen carry pepper jelly.

The recipe calls for grilling the tenderloin. I was planning on grilling, but the weather turned and I had to cook it in the oven. It still came out very tasty but I will try it on the grill next time. I think the jelly will caramelize better on the grill. I am including the original recipe, with the grilling instructions. Tis the season for grilling.

Spicy Pepper Jelly-Marinated Pork Tenderloin 
Serves 4-6

Ingredients:
Two 1 pound pork tenderloins
1/2 cup pepper jelly, plus more for serving
1/2 cup red wine
Zest and juice of 1 orange
2 tbsp red wine vinegar
1 tbsp fresh rosemary-chopped
1 tsp red pepper flakes
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

1. Rinse the pork, pat dry, remove the silver skin if necessary. Place in a shallow container or large plastic resealable bag.

2. Whisk together the pepper jelly, wine, orange zest, orange juice, vinegar, rosemary, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper to taste. Pour the marinade over the pork and turn to coat the meat. Cover and place in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours or overnight. Turn the pork several times to distribute marinade evenly.

3. When you are ready to cook, prepare a hot fire in a charcoal or gas grill and let the coals burn to gray ash with a slight red glow. Keep the coals on one side of the grill to create direct and indirect heat. If using a gas grill, heat just one side on medium.

4. Remove the pork for the marinade, reserving the marinade, and season with salt and pepper. Place the pork on the hot side of the grill, directly over the coals for 12-15 minutes, turning 3 times and basting with remaining marinade.

5. Move pork away from coals, close the grill cover or cover with foil, and cook another 3-5 minutes, until an internal thermometer reads 145 degrees F for medium, or 160 degrees F for med-well.

6. Remove pork from grill and let rest on a cutting board covering the meat with foil for 5-10 minutes. Slice in 1/4" slices and serve warm with additional pepper jelly on the side.

Cappuccino Chocolate Swirl Muffins

I adapted this recipe from the original recipe for orange chocolate swirl muffins. You can find that recipe on a previous post under the recipe page.

These muffins come out very moist. They have a chocolate espresso batter mixed with a cinnamon batter with chocolate chips. Together they create the flavors of a cappuccino. I hope you enjoy!


Cappuccino Chocolate Swirl Muffins
Makes 12 regular muffins or 6 large muffins

Ingredients:
1/8 cup boiling water
1 tbsp instant espresso powder

1 1/2 cups flour

1/2 cup sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup vanilla yogurt
1/2 cup canola, vegetable oil or melted butter
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup chocolate chips
2 tbsp cocoa powder

Preheat oven to 375 degrees and line muffin tins with paper liners or spray with cooking spray.

In a small bowl, combine 1/8 cup boiling water with 1 tbsp instant espresso powder. Set aside.

In a large bowl, sift together the dry ingredients:  flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.

In a medium bowl whisk together the wet ingredients: egg, oil or butter, buttermilk, vanilla yogurt and
vanilla.

Pour the wet mixture into the dry and mix together just until moistened. Do not over mix.

Into two separate bowls, divide the batter in half. Add the espresso/water mixture and the cocoa powder into one of the bowls. Fold the chocolate chips and cinnamon into the other bowl of batter. You now have a chocolate espresso batter and a cinnamon batter with chocolate chips.

Drop spoonfuls of each batter into prepared muffin tins, alternating the two different batters.
Fill the cups 2/3 full. Bake for 15-20 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Bake 20-25 mins for larger muffin tins.

Remove from the oven and cool on a wire rack.

Broccoli and Corn Chowder with Bacon

One cool and rainy day will put almost anyone in the mood for a comforting bowl of creamy soup. This past Sunday was the perfect soup day, not only a day of rain much needed for our plants but a day to try a recipe I have had aside for a while now.

This soup is not only healthy but so delicious, it really hit the spot. This is a recipe I know I will be making over and over again. It's really easy and fast to put together and was enjoyed by everyone in my family, even 8 month old Layla!

I gave Layla mostly broth with small pieces of corn, broccoli and potato. This is the first soup of mine that she really loved. I couldn't feed her fast enough! There was growling, screaming and banging of her hands between each bite.

Broccoli and Corn Chowder with Bacon (Recipe adapted from Everyday Food Light by Martha Stewart) 
Serves 4

Ingredients:
4 stripes of bacon, cut into 1" pieces
1 onion-finely diced
1/4 cup flour
1 russet potato-diced
4 cups of chicken broth
1 head of broccoli-cut into bite sized pieces (large stalks removed)
2 cups (about 3 ears) of fresh or frozen corn (do not thaw)
1/2 tsp dried or fresh thyme
1 cup milk (any kind will do, I used skim milk)
Salt and pepper
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese-optional*

1. In a dutch oven or other large heavy pot, cook bacon over med-low heat, stirring occasionally until crispy; 8-10 mins. Using a slotted spoon, remove bacon from pan and transfer to paper towels. Set aside for later.

2. Add onion to bacon drippings and cook until soft; 6-8 mins.

3. Add in flour, stirring constantly; 30 seconds (do not let brown). Add in broth and potato; bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook until potato is tender; about 10 mins.

4. Add in broccoli, corn, thyme and milk; cook 10 mins more. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Top each serving with bacon and a little shredded cheddar cheese.

Chicken Cutlets with Herb Butter Sauce

Don't let the title of this dish fool you with the word butter sauce, this is actually a healthy chicken dish. The entire dish uses only 2 tbsp of butter but still gives you the delicious, salty, rich flavor that you get from buttery sauces. Two chicken cutlets with sauce is around 362 calories.

This entire dish comes together really quick and is simple to make for any week night dinner. I served this with rosemary sweet potatoes (posting recipe soon) and sauteed kale and collard greens.

I got the greens from a local garden and cooked them with a little oil until wilted. Then I added some chicken stock and let them braise for 30 minutes. Add a little salt and red pepper flakes and its a healthy and flavorful side dish. Just make sure to remove the tough stems from the greens.

Chicken Cutlets with Herbed Butter Sauce (adapted from Everyday Food Light by Martha Stewart) 
Serves 4

Ingredients:
1/4 cup flour
8 thin sliced chicken breasts (1 1/2 pounds)
Salt and pepper
2 tbsp olive oil
3/4 dry white wine
2 tbsp cold butter-salted or unsalted
3 tbsp flat leaf parsley-chopped
2 tbsp fresh rosemary-chopped
2 tbsp fresh thyme-chopped

1. Place flour in a shallow dish or on wax paper. Pat chicken dry and season with salt and pepper and dredge in flour to coat.

2. In a large skillet, heat 1 tbsp of oil over medium-high heat. Working in batches, cook chicken until golden brown; 2-3 minutes per side. Add more oil to skillet as needed. Transfer each batch of chicken to a plate and tent with foil to keep warm.

3. When you are done browning the chicken, add the wine to the pan with the juices from the chicken. Bring to a boil and cook until liquid has reduced by half; about 4 minutes. Return chicken to the pan and turn to coat in sauce.

4. Remove skillet from heat and add in butter and herbs. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

5. To serve, arrange chicken on a platter and pour sauce over top. Serve immediately and enjoy!

Sous Chef Baby Bake Sale to raise money for Canine Counsel Rescue!

Exciting News! Sous Chef Baby has teamed up with The Canine Counsel to participate in a bake sale for charity. All proceeds from the bake sale will go to helping animals in need. Please see below a letter from the vice present of the Canine Counsel Rescue to find out more information about the charity.

"By way of introduction, my name is Ashley Boyd, I am the Vice President of a not-for-profit 501(c) animal rescue group called Canine Counsel Rescue and Rehabilitation Center located on Long Island. We are a unique animal rescue that focuses on rehabilitation of animals that are usually looked at as lost causes. There is no case we will not take on. Presently there are shelters inundated with unwanted animals during these hard economic times, some which sit there for years. Our rescue is focused on putting in the time and effort to work with these dogs and find them their perfect home. All of the proceeds go towards helping the animals."


Any donation you can provide would be greatly appreciated and would mean a great deal to these animals in need. 


Again, Thank you for your consideration and for supporting a cause we believe strongly in. 
Sincerely,


Ashley Boyd

Please visit us Saturday, May 12th at Ann Marie's Farm Stand and pick up some delicious baked goods for Mother's Day! We hope to see you there.


If you are interested in baking something for the sale, please e-mail me at allisoncarolan@gmail.com. We would appreciate your delicious treats! 

Location: Ann Marie's Farm Stand: 72 North Country Rd Setauket, NY 11733

Date: May 12th 

Time: 10am-3pm

Here are some pictures of just a few of the many dogs that need a home. Contact me if you are interested.