Côtes de porc poelées: And the tragedy of the other white meat

The other white meat is dry and tasteless, as everyone who cares about the taste of pork knows now, except Big Pork. And I live in Iowa, the largest pork producing state in the USA. When they bred out the fat, the bred out the taste, and texture too. Shame. But what to do?

In the last few years a few Iowa producers have met the white tablecloth restaurant demand by producing "heirloom" pork. Very expensive and slow to order. But often available from the crunchy granolas at Wheatsfield. It's heaven, cooked very slowly. And fairly forgiving even when it's cooked quickly, as it's full of fat (love alliteration). But there's no getting around it takes more than 10 minutes.

But what to do quickly? Tender juicy pork chops in 10 minutes flat?

Yesterday at Fareway they had a cut of pork I've never had: pork rib eye. Cut from the small end of the loin. Marbled, just like a beef rib eye. It's seasoned with pepper and Cookie's at the store. So tender you can flatten them from their inch thickness to 3/4 inch with your palm. Little five-ounce boneless beauties for a dollar each.

So now it's possible to make Julia's Côtes de porc poelées (MAFC I 366) in 10 minutes flat, and have deep pork flavor in a fork tender boneless chop.

Serves 2

2 five-ounce boneless pork rib eye chops, flattened to 3/4 inches.
1 tablespoon olive oil or bacon drippings
[Optional vegetable garnish: zuchinni in 3/8 inch slices, asparagus, crinkle cut carrots, etc.]
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar (cheap is fine)
2 tablespoons honey
OR
1/4 cup red or white wine
1/4 cup balsamic roast gravy (see my boef a la mode recipe on this blog)

1. Heat a large skillet on high. Pat dry and season the chops (if they are not already seasoned)
2. Add the oil and saute the chops for four minutes (and the optional vegetables)
3. Turn the chops and cook another four minutes (and the vegetables as necessary)
   
4. Remove the chops to a plate and cover (and the optional vegetables as necessary)
   
5. Add the vinegar and honey (or wine and gravy) and stir rapidly, scraping up all coagulated juices. Reduce slightly over high heat. Taste for seasoning and pour it over the cops and serve

VARIATION:

Côtes de porc Nénette (MAFC I 387)

1. Complete steps 1-3 of the master recipe above.
   
2. While the pork is cooking, beat together 3/4 cups whipping cream or crême fraiche, one and one-half teaspoons dry English mustard, and one tablespoon tomato paste.
3. Microwave the mixture on high for two minutes, covered lightly with a paper napkin.
   
4. Remove the pork from the pan and stir in the cream mixture, scraping up the browned bits on the bottom, until the sauce has thickened slightly, about one minute.
   
5. Stir in the one tablespoon chopped basil, parsley, or cilantro, and pour the sauce over the chops.
   

Galette aux poires

I have always loved to make Julia's free form tarts (MAFC II 454, 457), because you can make them any shape. I made strawberry for Mary's graduation open house. A great day.

They are in the oven in 10 minutes with pre-rolled-out pie crust, your own or store-bought. Don't get the kind that are already in pie pan. They are dry and horrible. Get the kind where the dough is rolled out into a round and then rolled up in waxed paper.

A corer makes cutting up the pears (or apples) short work.

Cooking spray
1/2 (15-ounce) package refrigerated pie dough (such as Pillsbury) OR 1 sheet Pepperidge Farms puff pastry thawed in advance (yes, cheating) OR your own dough made in advance.
3 firm Bartlett or D'Anjou pears, peeled, cored and cut into 8 slices (a corer is essential for speed)
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

Preheat oven to 400°.

1. Slice and core the pears. Cut the slices into 3/4 inch pieces.
   
2. Toss with the sugar, flour, and lemon juice. Grate nutmeg on them (or use ground).
   
3. Unfold the pastry and place it on a sheet pan or pie pan.
   
4. Add the pear mixture to the center. Then fold the edges around and pinch the edges secure
5. Bake at 400 for 25 minutes or until the crust is golden and the pears done. (The filling may leak slightly during cooking). Cool galette on a wire rack.

VARIATIONS:

There are infinite variations, both in the fruit and the shape of the tart. Here I give filling for two rhubarb tarts. We planted rhubarb when we moved here twenty-some years ago, and the plants still give us a favorite tart filling. Maddie loves to make these, even though our uncle Chris calls it "sour celery."

Rhubarb Galette

• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour, plus more for work surface
• 1/2 pound rhubarb, sliced 1/2-inch thick
• Juice of 1/2 lemon
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• Pinch of salt
• Pinch of ground cinnamon
• Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, cut into small piece

Strawberry Rhubarb Galette

• 2 1/2 cups sliced strawberries
• 1 cup chopped rhubarb
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 3 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest

Tranches de jambon Moranville

I know that Julia braises a whole ham (MAFC I 391). But hey, I grew up on fried ham. So this is country fried French.

The secret is of course good ham. And we have that in Iowa. It's not as good as Kentucky, those southern smoked hams. But damned good, especially if you can get some old genes (heirloom) pork.

For 4 people

1 to 1.5 pound excellent smoked ham, cut 3/8 to 1/2 inch thick
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon brandy
1/4 cup Madeira OR port
1 shallot or scallion white, minced
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1/2 cup creme fraiche OR no-fat sour cream
1/2 cup pot roast gravy OR 1/2 cup beef stock mixed with 1 tablespoon Wondra
1 tablespoon chopped parsley or scallion greens

1. Heat a large skillet on medium high and add the olive oil and butter. Warm the oven.
2. Add the ham, cut into 4-5 ounce portions and patted dry. Saute until the edges begin to blacken, about 3 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, mince the shallot or scallion and chop the parsley or scallion green. Mix the liquids.
4. When the ham is browned, remove it to a plate, cover with another plate, and place in the warm oven.
5. Add the shallot to the skillet and cook 30 seconds.
6. Add the wine, gravy or stock, brandy, tomato paste, and cream. Stir until smooth.
7. Pour any accumulated juices from the ham into the sauce, then distribute the ham onto four plates and pour on the sauce. Garnish with parsley or scallion greens.

Roasted salmon

This is so quick. Season a fillet of salmon (five minutes tops). Put it in the oven (twelve minutes tops). While it's cooking make a sauce, a vegetable, a starter, a dessert, or a phone call. And it comes out really moist and tender.

This is my favorite entree for a big buffet or pot luck. It's possible to make twice or three times this amount in almost the same time. People just dig in.

There are a thousand seasonings and sauce possible, but here's my standard.

Serves 4-6 as a main course, 10-12 as a starter or buffet item.

• 1 fillet of salmon (1.5 to 1.75 pounds)
• 1-2 cloves garlic
  
• 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 1 teaspoon herbs de province
• Cajun seasoning (or ground cayenne)
• sea salt
• fresh ground pepper
• [optional: capers and sliced lemon]
  

1. Preheat the oven to 350 (375 for 1.75 pounds or larger)
   
2. Dust a cookie sheet with sea salt and place the fish on it skin side down.
   
3. Using a garlic press, crush the garlic onto the fish and rub it in (hands are good here)
4. Using a pastry brush, coat the fish with mustard.
5. Dust with herbs and seasonings.
   
6. Bake for 12 minutes.
7. Sauce (see below) or simply garnish with capers and lemon slices

I like a a warm vinaigrette made by combining 1-2 cloves minced garlic with 4 tablespoons olive oil and lemon juice (salt and pepper), then heating until it the garlic is fragrant (don't burn it!). But there are an infinite number of sauces possible.

with tapenade
with aioli (right)
olive oil, garlic, and lemon

with asparagus
with green beans
with zucchini sliced thinly (right)
with shaved Brussels sprouts (right)

Blancs de poulet a la crème et aux champignons

I love this recipe from Julia. It's so tender, melt in your mouth. And so so fast--as long as the breast pieces are a reasonable size. In these Tyson days, two breasts will feed four people. (Chicken is sold by the pound but bought by the piece, which means they make the damned chickens as big as possible.)

The big 10 ounce US chicken breasts need to be cut into fifths, to produce 10 two-ounce pieces--and nothing over one and 1/2 inches or they won't cook through properly. I put them into my fait-tout along with the wine, stock, lemon juice, and butter, covered them with waxed paper, and they cook fast enough on medium.

Use creme fraiche or heavy cream. The no-fat sour cream produces a weak sauce, but OK for dieting.

One pound boneless chicken breasts cut into pieces no more than 1 and 1/2 inches thick (about two large breasts)
1 tablespoon butter
1 lemon
8 ounces sliced mushrooms
1 tablespoon chicken stock or beef stock (or gravy from a chicken or beef stew)
2 tablespoons white wine or dry vermouth
2 tablespoons chopped scallion or 1 tablespoon minced shallot
1/4 cup  heavy cream
(waxed paper)

1. Heat a covered fait-tout on high (thaw the stock in the microwave on high if necessary)
2. Grate some lemon rind onto the breast pieces, about 1 teaspoon. Squeeze lemon juice on them. Salt and paper lightly, and toss.
3. In the fait-tout, add butter, stock, scallions, mushrooms, wine, and breast pieces.
4. Cover with waxed paper and reduce heat to medium.
5. Cover the fait-tout and simmer for 5 minutes, shaking occasionally or turning once if necessary.They are done when they are slightly springy to the touch (poke and peek at the biggest one to check). Do not overcook. They will cook a bit more when removed from the pan.
6. Raise the heat to high and remove the chicken to a warming oven or or platter, covered by the waxed paper.
7. Add the cream and stir till blended, boiling down the sauce until very slightly thickened. Check seasoning.
8. Pour the sauce over the chicken and garnish with chopped scallion greens or herbs.

VARIATIONS:

• Substitute champagne, cognac, scotch, bourbon, or Pernod for the wine.
• Add asparagus tips with the chicken, instead of the mushrooms.
• Add very thin green beans, broccoli, or cauliflower in the first step.
• Add a teaspoon of curry powder and use brandy instead of wine.

Joyce really liked them. But to me they don't have that perfect consistency of the oven poeled ones Julia does.

Boeuf a la Mode: Braised Beef with Balsamic Wine Sauce

For my brother-in-law's birthday, on a Sunday night, this Sunday roast is fun. It also leaves the morning free for Mass and the Sunday Times.

It also makes a good stock to freeze and use for steaks and so on. And good good leftovers (see below)

5 minutes. Serves 6-12. [MAFC I 309]

3-4 lb beef roast, such as boneless chuck
1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
½ cup red wine
1 packet dry onion soup mix

1. Spray crock-pot with cooking spray.
2. Place roast on bottom and sprinkle with soup mix.
3. Pour balsamic vinegar and wine over roast.
4. OPTIONAL: parsnips, turnips, and/or carrots peeled and cut into 2 inch pieces
   
5. Cover and cook on LOW for 7-8 hours.
   

For a more elegant sauce (another 5 minutes)

1. Strain the sauce through a seive into a saucepan
2. Mix 4 tablespoons Wondra with two tablespoons brandy and two tablespoons port.
3. Stir it into the sauce and stir over high heat until thickened and smooth. Strain into a sauce boat
4. Turn the roast (and vegetables) out onto a serving plate, and pour some of the sauce over it. Garnish with parsley.

For a less elegant sauce

1. Take the leftover beef, add some leftover vegetables, and some Dijon mustard or mayonnaise. Heat or not.
   
2. Enjoy in a sunny corner.
   

3 mousses au chocolat: légère, Julia's & 5-minute

Here is chocolate mousse three ways. I made it for Valentine's day yesterday, and I realized I can make Julia's version in 10 minutes, with some fancy footwork. And I even do a 5-minute version sometimes that feeds a crowd very fast. But my favorite is a light one that was inspired by Julia's. I give all three here.

I invented the light version for a dinner party my daughter gave for five of her teenage friends, years ago. She wanted me to make chocolate mousse. And I remembered back 35 years ago when I first made it from Julia. I loved the orange flavor (MAFC I p. 604). And it was this recipe (and TV episode) that taught me to beat and fold in egg whites. I had few of the ingredients and no time. So I made a light version for the girls.

I serve this in little 3-ounce cordial glasses. A fun treat rather than a big chocolate dig-in. Nobody complains except kids. And you can haul out the leftovers and let them fight over them.

Chocolate is always an issue in a small town. The other day, I picked up a bar of Hershey's Special Dark chocolate in the baking chocolate section, then noticed the same bar in the candy section (conveniently placed next to the express lane at Fareway) for almost exactly half the price. It worked fine. Of course you can buy the fanciest chocolate you can. If time is money, then this recipe is a bargain no matter how expensive the chocolate is.

The 5-minute version is heavier because you don't take time to beat the egg whites. But hey, it tastes really good. And it's not all that heavy. The guys at the shelter love it. So here they are: light, Julia's shortened, and 5-minute. (By the way, the Valentine's day menu yesterday was Caviar deviled eggs with Parmesan crisps, rib-eye steaks fry-broiled, roasted winter vegetables (potatoes, parsnips, carrots, Brussels sprouts), Maytag blue cheese with olive oil and pepper)

Mousse au chocolat légère

Serves 4-6

8 ounces excellent semi-sweet or milk chocolate
1 teaspoon Grand Marnier or other orange liqueur
4 egg whites

1. Separate the eggs, placing the whites in a clean metal mixing bowl and reserving the yolks for another use (they freeze fine).
2. Break the chocolate into pieces in a microwave safe plastic bowl. Add the orange liqueur and microwave on medium for about 35 seconds, or until just melted.
3. With a hand mixer, beat the egg whites until they form stiff peaks (MAFC I pp. 159-160).
4. With a spatula, stir 1/4 of the whites into the chocolate. Then turn the chocolate mixture into the egg white bowl and carefully fold the whites and the chocolate together (MAFC I pp. 160-161)

VARIATION: Mousseline au chocolat; Mayonaise au chocolat; Fondant au chocolat

This is the original recipe from MAFC1 p. 604 speeded up. The ingredients from Julia's recipe are the same. A fast operator can have this ready to chill in 10 minutes, and two hours later, about dessert time, it's ready.

Serves 6-8

6 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips or baking chocolate broken into bits with a kinfe
1/3 cup powdered sugar
4 Tb strong coffee
1/4 cup orange liqueur
6 ounces unsalted butter (one and one half sticks)
4 eggs
optional: 1/4 cup finely diced, glazed orange peel (candied)
1 can compressed whipped cream

1. Run warm water in a large bowl or sink while you separate the eggs, putting the whites in a clean mixing bowl. Float it on the warm water.
2. Put the coffee and orange liqueur in the microwave on high for one minute, until very hot but not boiling
3. Place the chocolate and sugar in a blender and blend on high for 15 seconds.
4. Add the hot liquid and blend 15 seconds or until smooth.
5. Add the butter, cut into 1/2 inch slices, and the egg yolks. Blend on high for 15 seconds.
6. Using a hand mixer, beat the yolks with a pinch of salt until stiff peaks form.
7. Pour the chocolate mixture into the egg whites and fold the c
8. Pour into elegant serving bowls, wine glasses, flutes, or ramekins and refrigerate 2 hours or overnight.
9. Garnish with the whipped cream and optional candied orange peel or chocolates.

VARIATION: Blender chocolate mousse in 5 minutes
Serves 8-10

Here's the one I did for the Emergency Residence Project on 1/14/11. I made it in 5 minutes, with time to chop the pistachios.

1 (12 ounce) package semisweet chocolate chips (Hershey's Special Dark is good)
1/2 cup white sugar
3 eggs
1 cup hot cream (160 degrees F/71 degrees C)
1/4 cup strong coffee, heated
1/4 cup orange liqueur
[optional] whipped cream pressurized, pistachios

1. Open the cream carton and put it in the microwave on high for one minute.
2. Put the chocolate chips and the sugar in a blender and blend on high for 10 seconds.
3. Add the hot milk, hot coffee, and orange liqueur and blend on high for two minutes.
4. As it is blending, add the eggs one at a time through the top hole.
5. Pour into a glass serving bowl, individual glasses, bowls, or ramekins, and refrigerate 2 hours or overnight.
6. Garnish with whipped cream and/or chopped pistachios