Stylish, functional family cuisine
New cookbook full of tips, tricks
Honest to Goodness is the title of an appealing new cookbook from Toronto TV cook and recipe developer Christine Tizzard.
Reading her book, subtitled Everyday Recipes for the Home Cook (Whitecap, $29.95, 2017), is like having a friend who is a good cook show you how to manage feeding your family in style. She offers more than 120 recipes that are so carefully explained, you want to start cooking at once.
The author, raised in Newfoundland by parents who both cooked and trained at Toronto’s George Brown College, knows the pressures of turning out meals as a single, working mother of two school-age children. How to stay sane when one child suddenly announces home baking is needed for a school sale the next day or a nut-allergic child is coming for dinner are some of Tizzard’s examples in this book.
It contains solid culinary information, as well as clearly written recipes and tips, such as how to make everything from scratch — even yogurt, hot sauce and mayonnaise. It also explains how to give a dinner party, maybe serving this easy, inexpensive dish.
PORK MEDALLIONS WITH RED WINE JUNIPER SAUCE
Serves: 4
1 1/2 lbs (750 g) pork tenderloin
■
Salt and freshly ground pepper
■
1 to 2 tsp (5 to 10 mL) ground
■
cumin
1 to 2 tbsp (15 to 30 mL) oil
■
5 sprigs fresh thyme
■
2 cloves garlic, smashed
■
3 tbsp (45 mL) butter
■
1/2 cup (125 mL) red wine
■
10 juniper berries, lightly
■
crushed
1 cup (250 mL) beef or chicken
■
stock
1. Preheat oven to 400 F (200 C). Cut tenderloin into medallions (small steaks) on the diagonal, about 1 1/2 inches (4 cm) thick. You should get four medallions plus two end pieces. Season with salt, pepper and cumin.
2. Heat an ovenproof pan over high heat. Add oil and sear the medallions, about three minutes per side. After turning them over, add thyme, garlic and 1 tbsp (15 mL) of the butter.
3. Transfer pan to the preheated oven for 6 to 10 minutes or until an internal temperature of 140 F (60 C) is reached on a digital thermometer. Smaller end pieces will cook more quickly, so remove them early.
4. Transfer pork to a plate to rest while making the sauce.
5. In the same pan over medium heat, add wine, juniper berries and stock. Cook until liquid is reduced. Stir in the remaining 2 tbsp (30 mL) butter. Taste and adjust seasoning.
6. Pour sauce over medallions and serve.