Pork Sirloin Braised in Pineapple Chili Sauce

I have an internet cooking friend that I have been following now for a few years. And I feel like I know her. You see, there was a video she was in for a promotion for a new cooking product and after watching I felt an immediate kinship with her (she seemed to have the same New York/New Jersey accent as me). But her creativity in the kitchen is far better than mine and just last week, after reading one of her posts, she had me at the market buying a pork roast and putting together one of the most flavorful dinners I've had in a long time. So today's post is inspired by Lillian Russo and you can find her original recipe here.

Lillian cooked her pork in the oven and used a peach salsa. I still do not have an oven-proof baking dish that I am happy with so I improvised and went with my insticts and braised the pork on the stove top and used a pineapple habanero sauce that a friend from work turned me onto (available at BJ's and Whole Foods).

This sauce packs quite a punch and after I ate spoonful after spoonful (tasting is what I was doing) I decided it would be the perfect sauce for Lillian's pork. Ready for my recipe? It's a spicy one.

Pork Sirloin Braised in Pineapple Chili Sauce
Inspired by Lillian Russo

2.5 pound pork sirloin roast
2 T flour
Salt and pepper
2 T canola oil
1 cup chopped onion
1-1/2 cups S&F Pineapple Habanero Sauce
10 oz crushed pineapple (half a can)
1 cup chicken stock
1 Fresno chili

Wipe moisture off the pork roast and roll in flour that has been seasoned with salt and pepper.

On medium high heat brown the pork on all sides in the oil.

 

Add the chopped onions, S&F sauce, chicken broth, crushed pineapple and Fresno chili to pan.

 

Reduce heat to the lowest your stove top will permit, cover and cook for 2-1/2 hours, turning roast every so often. When the roast is done, remove from cooking liquid. Reduce cooking liquid to half (this took about 25 minutes). Slice this delicious roast and serve with the concentrated reduced gravy and mashed sweet potatoes and broccoli. So good. Thanks Lillian.

Grilled Pineapple and Creamy Blue Cheese Bruschetta

Grilling season is upon us. And if you're like me and don't have an outdoor grill, use your indoor grill pan and whip up this tasty appetizer in your kitchen. It's so easy and it's gonna wake up every little taste bud in your mouth.

Grilled Pineapple and Creamy Blue Cheese Bruschetta
Inspired by Lauren "The Pie Maker"

1-1/2 cans (8 oz each) pineapple slices in 100% pineapple juice (6 slices)
1/2 baguette sliced 3/8"-1/2" on the diagonal
8 oz neufchatel cheese softened
5 oz blue cheese crumbled and at room temp
1/3 cup raisins
2 stalks celery finely chopped
3 tsp scallions finely chopped
2 tsp pineapple juice from the can of sliced pineapple
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
Parsley or mint for garnish

Heat your grill pan on high and toast/grill your bread slices a few minutes on each side.

Set the bread aside and do the same thing with the pineapple slices until they become caramalized and light brown.

Set the pineapple slices aside to cool and let's make the cheese topping. Combine the neufchatel and blue cheese. I use a flexible spatuala. Now add the raisins, celery, scallions, Worcestershire, and pineapple juice.

Take four of the grilled pineapple slices and finely chop. Add these to the mixture and combine.

We're just about ready to plate. Take a heaping tablespoon of cheese mixture and place on grilled bread. With the two remaining slices of grilled pineapple cut them into 4 pieces (so they look like little fans) and place one atop each bruschetta. Now garnish with parsley or mint. Isn't that simple? And the combo of creamy and crispy is just what I'm always looking for.

There are many ways to re-mix this cheese spread- use dried cranberries or dried cherries instead of the raisins, pistachio nuts in place of the celery (we want crunch and this is a great option), and I've thought about some hot Fresno chilis but have not tested this idea yet. And then the addition of bacon came into the picture. I haven't tried that yet either, but bacon seems to go with everything and how could that fail? 

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Here's an update on what I did this past weekend with this creamy, fruity spread. I over-stuffed some extra large mushrooms. Super quick and delish. Sprinkle tops with some paprika for color and bake in 350 degree oven for about 30 minutes. Garnish with parsley and gobble them up.

There are a lot of Saucy Mamas out there, and I'm one of them!

I've been blogging now for almost five years. I love the writing and the cooking, love the friends I've made and love the newest opportunity that came my way a few weeks ago. I've been chosen as one of 25 bloggers to compete in the Saucy Mama blogger challenge.  And it's a big one. The winner of the challenge will win $1,000, a Golden Ticket to the World Food Championships and a $1,000 travel stipend. Barhyte foods sent me 6 of their Saucy Mama sauces and asked me get saucy with an original recipe. The package included: 12 oz each of Saucy Mama Orange Habanero Wing Sauce, Jamaican Jerk Wing Sauce, Honey Barbecue Wing Sauce, Hot Wing Sauce, Honey Dijon Dressing and Four Leaf Balsamic.

So the tasting began. Each and every sauce has a quality of it's own. My two favs were the Orange Habanero and Four Leaf Balsamic, but I could have been happy creating with any one of the six. Those who know me have probably guessed by now that I fell in love with the Orange Habanero Wing Sauce. The flavors are complex (as are the other sauces), but this baby won my heart. I love me some heat and citrus and I was on the road to happiness.

My mom used to make the creamiest orzo (pasta) and I decided to add a little zest/oomph to her recipe and update it by adding orange supremes, a little orange zest and a tad of the Habanero Orange Sauce. And what goes better with orzo than shrimp? Well probably nothing... and so my cooking adventure began. I did a few test runs to get the recipe just the way I wanted it, and here's what I came up with.

Zesty Orzo Smothered with Orange Habanero Shrimp
Serves 4

Orzo
2 cups uncooked orzo (I used Barilla)
3 T unsalted butter
1 T canola oil
1/2 cup onion diced
Salt and pepper
3-1/2 cups chicken broth with extra juice from the oranges
1-1/2 T Saucy Mama Orange Habanero Wing Sauce
Zest of 2 navel oranges
2 navel oranges supremed (save the juice to add to broth)

Shrimp
1 pound Gulf shrimp peeled and deveined (I like the 16-21 per pound)
1 medium onion chopped
5 cloves garlic finely chopped
3 T unsalted butter
1 T canola oil
1 tsp Azafran seasoning
1/3 cup Saucy Mama Orange Habanero Wing Sauce
1 bottle Shock Top orange beer
Juice of half lemon and juice of half orange

I'm ready to put this dish together with some pictures. It's really a quick fix and simple, simple, simple.

To make the orzo: Add butter and oil to medium size skillet on medium low heat. Add the chopped onions and cook until softened (3-4 minutes). Don't brown them, just soften. Now add your orzo and toast the pasta in the butter mixture kind of like you're making risotto. Add the Saucy Mama Orange Habanero Sauce and combine. Add a small amount of salt and pepper and take a moment to admire the toasty goodness of the orzo.

Now it's time to add the broth, zest and orange supremes.

Cover pot and cook on a low simmer for 15 minutes. Voila! Creamy orzo is ready.

Set the orzo aside and let's get ready to cook the shrimp. Besides the Saucy Mama Orange Habanero Sauce, there's another secret ingredient to this dish. It's orange beer, and apparently easy to find. One stop at a liquor store and I found what I was looking for.

 In large pot add butter, oil, garlic and onions. Cook on medium to low until onions and garlic are translucent, but not brown, about 3-4 minutes. Add beer, Saucy Mama Orange Habanero Sauce, Azafran, lemon and orange juice. Increase heat a bit and add shrimp.

Cover and cook on a low boil 5-6 minutes until shrimp become pink. Remove shrimp from cooking liquid and set aside to cool a bit.

Once shrimp are removed, increase stove heat slightly and reduce the beer, habanero orange sauce mixture to intensify the flavors. Do this with the cover off. This takes about 10-15 minutes. While you're reducing the liquid, I give you permission to taste the shrimp, just one or two though. Aren't they delish? And that's without the decadent sauce. A few more minutes and you're ready to eat.

While my sauce was concentrating, I put together an avocado, orange, scallion, and Fresno chili salsa to go with this flavorful meal. It's certainly not a necessity, but I always like some veggies with my meal.

And now for the reader giveaway. Saucy Mama would like you to try their sauces and has offered a give-away to my readers. Simply leave a comment here on the blog or on my facebook page by the Saucy Mama post and you could be chosen to receive 3 Saucy Mama wing sauces. That's a saucy way to begin the summer season, don't you think?

Pina Colada Cream Filled Cookies

 

Every year I celebrate my friend Jonathan's birthday with a new cookie. This year I did a take off on my Raspberry Cloud Cakes that I made at the 2013 World Food Championships in Las Vegas. Since Jon will be spending some time soon in the Caribbean I thought a coconut and pineapple combo would be appropriate. I didn't take any pictures to guide us through the baking process, but it's simple and I think when you make these you'll be as pleased as I was.

 

Pina Colada Cream Filled Cookies

 

Filling

8 oz neufchatel cheese at room temp

1/2 cup unsalted butter at room temp

1/4 cup sweetened coconut ground in spice grinder or food processor

1/4 cup confectioners sugar

1 tsp coconut extract

 

Dough

3/4 cup butter softened

3/4 cup Splenda Brown Sugar Blend- if you choose to use regular brown sugar double the amount

2 large eggs at room temp

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

2 cups AP flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup candied/dried pineapple rings chopped

Confectioners sugar for dusting

 

Garnish

Chopped candied/dried pineapple rings

Cream cheese coconut mixture

 

I always make the filling first: In medium size bowl combine your neufchatel cheese and butter. Now add your ground coconut, confectioners sugar and coconut extract. I cover this with plastic wrap and let it sit in the fridge while I'm making the cookie dough.

 

To make the cookies: Pre heat oven to 350 degrees and line baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside. In medium size bowl combine flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Stir with a whisk or fork to combine and set aside.

 

In large bowl, with hand or stand mixer combine butter and brown sugar and mix until smooth and airy (about 3 minutes). Add eggs and vanilla and continue to mix. Add half the dry ingredients into the wet and mix on low. Add the rest of the flour mixture and mix until smooth. Fold in the candied/dried pineapple pieces. Cover with plastic wrap, and let cool in your refrigerator 20-30 minutes.

 

When dough is chilled, form into small balls about 1 inch in diameter. Place on baking sheets and cook 11 minutes. Cool slightly on cooling rack, then remove to kitchen or paper towels to cool completely.

 

Remove coconut filling from fridge and take a tablespoon (or maybe a little more) and place this creamy mixture on the flat side of the cooled cookie. Cover with a second cookie to make a sandwich. Keep going until you've matched up all the mates.

 

Sprinkle the top of all cookies with confectioners sugar, add a dab of coconut cream cheese on top and plunk in a piece or two of chopped pineapple. Nice presentation and a very sweet cookie.

 

I refrigerate these cookies and take them out about 30 minutes to one hour before serving. Happy Birthday Jonathan! Oh my, what am I going to make you next year?    

World Food Championships 2013, Part 1

This is a view of the Freemont Experience where the World Food Championships took place last week. It looks pretty tame in this picture but when the home cooks and bonafied chefs were competing, it was a hot-bed of excitement. And the aromas were heavenly. Each night when the awards were presented, I could barely get close enough to the stage to snap a picture. But I did get a good one, the Pasta Recipe top ten finals. Six of my buddies are up on the stage. You rock ladies! And you're all home cooks, how great is that?

Unfortunately I didn't make the top ten, but since I ranked 16 in desserts I'm feeling like "I almost made it". One of the most disappointing things about not making the top ten is that I didn't get to make my yummy Calypso Cakes with Pineapple Coconut Coulis. We had about two weeks to plan and think about our final build, and I must admit I spent a lot of time and energy coming up with this concoction. I decided to make individual cakes to cut down on cooking time (they really put us to the test when it came to delivering our dishes on time). Seventeen minutes in the oven, and a few extra steps to make them competition worthy. Here's the recipe. It has a lot of steps, but is really pretty simple. If you know me, you know I don't make anything that is difficult.

Calypso Cake with Coconut Pineapple Coulis
makes 12 2 inch servings in square, flat muffin tins

For the cake
1 cup Splenda no sugar sweetener
2 cups AP flour
2 large eggs
2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 20 oz can Dole Crushed pineapple drained (save liquid for coulis)
1/2 cup ground sweetened coconut
1-1/4 cup Thai coconut milk from 13.5 oz can (reserve the rest for coulis)

For the frosting
8 oz neufchatel cheese room temperature
1/2 cup unsalted butter room temperature
1/4 cup ground sweetened coconut
1/4 cup confectioner's sugar
1 tsp coconut extract

For the coulis
Reserved sauce from can of crushed pineapple
Reserverd coconut milk
1 T cornstarch
3 T Splenda Brown Sugar Blend
1/4 tsp salt

Garnish
1 cup sweetened coconut
1 can Dole Pineapple Slices drained and patted dry

To make the cake: Pre heat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare baking pan with cooking spray and set aside. In large bowl combine dry ingredients and whisk with a fork. Add remaining ingredients and mix by hand until combined. Pour into prepared pan and bake 17-19 minutes. Set aside to cool. Remove from baking pan to further cool.

To make the frosting: Mix cheese and butter until airy. Now add the ground coconut (I grind my coconut in my small spice grinder) and the coconut extract and combine until smooth. Now add your confectioner's sugar. Set aside in a cool place.

To make the sauce: In small pan combine Splenda Brown Sugar Blend and salt and heat on low. In a small mixing bowl whisk reserved pineapple juice, reserved coconut milk and cornstarch. Pour into warmed sugar mixture, increase heat, then simmer uncovered until it reduces by half. Set aside to cool.

Garnish: Place coconut on parchment lined cookie sheet and toast in 350 degree oven for about 5-7 minutes, checking and tossing every few minutes, you don't want burnt coconut.

Fire up your indoor grill and sear pineapple slices until they are browned on both sides. Remove from grill and when they are cooled, cut into 1/2 inch pieces.

Assembly: Top cakes with the creamy frosting. Pour a little sauce over frosted cake and make a little puddle of sauce on your plates. Place cake on top of sauce puddle, sprinkle top with toasted coconut and add a few slices of grilled pineapple. Doesn't this look yummy?

At the WFC we have to present tasting portions for the judges, and while I was thinking of how to plate this entry, Pier One Imports was having a promotion on their "tasting" wares. I opted for the Asian soup spoons (75 cents each-good deal right?). Love the way this looks.

As you can see, a lot of work went into this dessert that never got to be made at the WFC. But I will be making these little Calypso Cakes often and I hope you'll give them a try too. I know, a lot of steps- but sooo worth it. Congrats to all the competitors, we are surely a talented group of crazies.

Saucy

I'm a saucy kind of gal and jump at every opportunity to try a new dunkable dip or sauce. Carol J, an internet friend introduced me to a pineapple mustard sauce that I coupled with honey mustard chicken tenders, and I definately have to share this little gem. The sauce is sweet from the pineapple and brown sugar, and tangy from the lemon and mustard. Plus it's quick and simple. Here's my variation of Carol's recipe, and yet another version of chicken tenders.

Chicken Tenders with Pineapple Dipping Sauce

To make the sauce you'll need:
1/2 cup Splenda Brown Sugar Blend- or 1 cup regular brown sugar
1 T corn starch
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1 8oz can crushed pineapple
Juice of one lemon
1 T Dijon mustard

To make the chicken you'll need:
Soaking Mixture
1-1/2 pounds chicken tenders
2 large eggs
1 T Dijon mustard
1 T honey
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
Splash of water

Breading Mixture
2 cups panko bread crumbs/flakes
2 T flour
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp dried tarragon leaves

Cooking spray or olive oil for browning the chicken

This is a pretty quick fix, so let's get going. Wash chicken and set aside. Pre heat oven to 375 degrees. In medium size bowl add all soaking ingredients.

Whisk until combined.  Add chicken and let it bathe in the egg mixture while you prepare the coating.

In separate bowl, combine the breading ingredients. Your oven should be pre heated by now, so you're almost ready to bake. Cover a baking sheet with aluminum foil and spray with cooking spray. Take each chicken tender and cover both sides with bread mixture. Place on prepared baking sheet.

Drizzle with a bit of olive oil and bake 35-40 minutes, turning the tenders over at the halfway point. While the chicken is cooking, make the pineapple sauce. In small saucepan combine all sauce ingredients.

Cook over medium heat until bubbly, stirring often.

The sauce comes together very quickly, maybe three or four minutes at the most. Now you're ready to eat. You can serve this hot, cold or room temp. It's delicious any way, I've been dipping all night.

I'm so excited about this sauce because it's not just for dipping. I think it's a great accompaniment to dishes like grilled or baked pork or lamb chops. And it's a nice substitute for apple sauce, and who knows what else?