FIRE up the GRILL!
Give your Memorial Day cookout a tasty upgrade with this fabulous feast
With Memorial Day being the unofficial start of the summer season, backyards will be filled with family and friends gathered around the grill and picnic table. On the menu, the perennial favorites: hot dogs, hamburgers and chicken. I love all that, but how about adding something different this year like a delicious pork tenderloin in an orange marmalade and balsamic vinegar glaze? Easy and fast.
For sides, team it with grilled asparagus, Italian potato salad and a chocolate olive oil cake for dessert. Now that's a menu! And say a prayer of thanks for all those who have served our country and given us the precious gift of freedom. The measure of their sacrifices is boundless.
GRILLED PORK TENDERLOIN WITH BALSAMIC ORANGE MARMALADE SAUCE
2 whole pork tenderloins, (about 1 1/4 lbs. each) One 8-oz. jar orange marmalade 1/4 c. balsamic vinegar
1 T. fresh rosemary
Preheat an outdoor grill to 450 degrees.
Dry the tenderloins well with paper towels. Rub them with fine sea salt and coarse black pepper and set aside.
Heat the marmalade with the balsamic vinegar in a small saucepan until smooth. Stir in the rosemary. Use B cup of the sauce for basting the tenderloins. Cook the remaining sauce over low heat for 3 to 4 minutes. Keep the sauce warm and covered.
Place the tenderloins on the grill. Baste them quickly with the sauce and cook them for 7 minutes over indirect heat with the grill top closed. Lower the heat to 375 degrees, turn the tenderloins over and baste them again. Close the grill and cook an additional 5 minutes. Turn off the grill and allow the meat to sit for another 5 minutes. Following this method will result in juicy, not overcooked meat.
Transfer the tenderloins to a cutting board. Cover them loosely with aluminum foil and allow them to stand 5 minutes.
Cut the pork on the diagonal into 1-inch thick slices. Arrange the slices on a platter and serve, passing the remaining sauce on the side.
Variation: Add a tablespoon of fresh chopped rosemary to the finished sauce. Serves 8.
This simple potato and cherry tomato salad is perfect for a picnic. Put it together early in the day and forget it!
POTATO AND CHERRY TOMATO SALAD
3/4 c. extra virgin olive oil 6 T. white wine vinegar
1 1/2 t. fine sea salt Grinding coarse black
pepper
2 lbs. small white potatoes 1 1/2 c. cherry tomatoes cut
in half
6 basil leaves, torn into
small pieces
Combine the olive oil, vinegar, salt and pepper in a salad bowl and set aside.
Put the potatoes in a pot, cover them with cold water and cook until a knife is easily inserted into the skin. Drain the potatoes. When they are at room temperature cut them into small wedges or slices. Toss them into the salad bowl along with the cherry tomatoes and basil leaves. Allow to marinate at room temperature several hours before serving. Serves 4-6.
Olive oil is the secret to this super, dense chocolate cake that is so moist that it keeps well for a week in the refrigerator, but I can say with certainty that it will never last that long. As an alternative, the batter can be poured into cupcake pans for smaller versions. This cake freezes well, too.
CHOCOLATE OLIVE OIL CAKE
3 c. unbleached all-purpose
flour
2 c. sugar
6 T. cocoa
2 t. baking soda 1/2 t. salt 3/4 c. light virgin olive oil
2 T. white vinegar
2 c. cold water
CREAM CHEESE FROSTING
2 8-oz. packages Philadelphia Cream Cheese, at room temperature
3 1/2 to 4 c. powdered sugar 1/4 t. cinnamon oil or 1 T. almond extract Crystallized white sugar for
sprinkling on top
Butter and flour two 9-by-1A-inch cake pans and set aside.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Mix the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda and salt together in a large bowl. With a hand mixer on low speed, beat in the oil, vinegar, vanilla and water until smooth. Pour the mixture into the prepared pans.
Bake for 30 minutes or until a cake skewer inserted in the center of the cakes comes out clean. Do not overbake the cake. It should be firm to the touch.
Put the cake pans on cooling racks, and cool for 15 to 20 minutes before removing the cakes from the pans to cool completely. Frost when cool.
For frosting, beat the cream cheese in a bowl until smooth; gradually add in enough of the sugar to make a smooth frosting that is not runny. Stir in the cinnamon oil or the almond extract.
Frost the cake layers and sprinkle the crystal sugar over the top. Or if you are making cupcakes, frost them and sprinkle the tops with the sugar.
Cut the cake into wedges to serve. Serves 8-10.