Air Fried Pork Tenderloin with Panko Crust エアーフライ、ヒレ肉トンカツ

In the past, pork tenderloin was a staple in our cooking repertoire. We used it for quite a few dishes. Recently, however, we have not cooked pork tenderloin as much. Since we had an unqualified success with the air fried chicken tenders we made recently, we decided to try the same recipe and cooking method using our old favorite; pork tenderloins. The result was fantastic! It was the same level of success as the air-fried chicken tenders. I did this building on the previous success by marinating the pork in the same mayonnaise and miso marinate and coating it with pre-browned panko crumbs like I did with the chicken. Since this was a new cooking experience, and I was not following an explicit recipe, I was not sure how long I should cook the tenderloin. So “winging-it” I took the internal temperature of the pork after 15 minutes, it was still too low around 115-120 F. So, I cooked it another 15 minutes. The temperature rose quickly during that time and in the end it was 170-180F and the meat was a bit over done. (I was aiming for 145F. Turns out the cooking time has to be determined by how long it takes to reach the intended temperature.) Nonetheless despite being slightly over-cooked the meat was tender and succulent and the crust was nicely crunchy. I served slices of the tenderloin with my version of ratatouille (zucchini, marinara sauce seasoned with anchovies paste), steamed broccolini, and skinned Campari tomato soaked in Japanese broth (picture #1).

Ingredients:
1 pork tenderloin

Marinade:
2 tbs mayonnaise
1tbs miso
1tbs mirin

Browned panko (Sauté panko in olive oil until brown).

Directions:
Remove the silver skin and clean the tenderloin (I removed the two tapered ends to make the length of the tenderloin equal in diameter. I’ll use the trimmings for other dishes)
Place the tenderloin in a Ziploc bag and add the marinade, massage to cover all the surface and remove as  much air from the bag as you can. Marinate 15-30 minutes at room temperature or several hours to over night in a refrigerator. Coat the tenderloin with the browned panko and air fry at 450F for about 20 to 30 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 145F with an instant-read thermometer (picture #2). (The actual time to reach that temperature may vary depending on the size of the tenderloin and whether it just came out of the refridgerator.  A tenderloin of this size was somewhat overdone when cooked 30 minutes but a one a larger size may require the full 30 minutes to reach the required temperature) 

As I said before this was a great success. It was much better than the way we used to cook tenderloin in the toaster oven. It was very tender and juicy. The crust was very crunchy and added a nice contrast the to flavorful tender meat.

Blueberry Pudding Cake ブルーベリープディングケーキ

This is another one of my wife’s baking projects. This came about due to the convergence of two factors; one was the excess of blueberry puree we recently made from fresh blueberries for other baking projects and the other was that this is a variation on the theme of  PA Dutch chocolate pudding cake. Like the chocolate pudding cake, during the baking process, a cake layer forms on the surface and a pudding/sauce layer forms on the bottom. This recipe came together very quickly and the result was a nice vanilla cake with a rich blueberry pudding/sauce on the bottom. In this serving picture, in order to emphasize the lovely blueberry custard sauce, we scooped some of it on top of the piece of cake we served.

This is based on a recipe from the “Food and Wine” website but my wife deviated from the original recipe by substituting vanilla extract for the lemon juice/zest called for as flavoring in the original.

Ingredients
1 cup of pureed blueberries, 
1 cup of fresh whole blueberries not pureed
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
1/2  teaspoon kosher salt
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/3 cup whole milk
1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted, plus more for greasing
1 1/4 cups boiling water

Directions:
To prepare the blueberries: Gently heat the blueberries on low heat until the skins burst and the berries exude juice. Puree the berries with an emersion blender. 

To prepare the cake layer: In a bowl whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt together. In another bowl mix the milk, melted butter and vanilla. Slowly pour the milk mixture into the flour mixture and stir until combined. Transfer the batter to a greased baking dish and spread in an even layer.* Spread the pureed blueberries over the batter. Arrange the whole fresh berries on the batter, pressing down slightly. Carefully pour boiling water evenly over the batter; do not stir.

Bake in a 425 F oven until the cake is golden brown and a warm, pudding-like sauce has formed on the bottom, 25 to 27 minutes. 

* I used the small square pyrex baking dish for this recipe but it was a bit too small. (It measured 7”x7”x2”) Although all the ingredients initially fit nicely in the dish, when the cake layer formed it expanded and the blueberry juice underneath fountained out all over the edges of the baking dish. Luckily I had put a tray under the baking dish when I put it in the oven otherwise it would have been quite a mess. Next time I will use a larger baking pan. (The next larger pan measures 8”x8.5”x2.5”)

This desert was as good an addition to the pudding cake family as the chocolate one mentioned above. The vanilla flavored cake was complemented by a thick blueberry flavored custard that formed underneath it. The custard had a very pronounced blueberry flavor and the fresh blueberries embedded in the batter formed nice additional burst and texture of blueberry. This was a wonderful summer dish celebrating blueberry season. 

Strawberry, Pretzel Cheese Cake いちごチーズケーキ

This is based on a dish called “Strawberry Pretzel Salad” which appears to be popular in the South and Midwest. Although the original name includes “salad” this is clearly a “desert”. Reportedly, this recipe first appeared in “The joys of Jell-O” cookbook published by General Foods in the 1960s. There appear to have been some variations on the original recipe “down-the-road” over time but basically all the variations have a crushed pretzel layer on the bottom, a nice cream cheese layer in the middle topped with a strawberry-flavored Jell-O layer (which is red and clear) covering a layer of fresh strawberry slices.

Since my wife happens to be the Queen of aspic salads and other gelatin concoctions, this was the “cat’s meow” for her. We are in strawberry season and have very good fresh strawberries available. She had already made fresh strawberry puree for her other baking projects, and did not go for using “strawberry-flavored Jell-O”*. So, she made the strawberry gelatin layer from all-natural fresh strawberry puree. Since this layer is made with real strawberry puree, it is not clear like the strawberry flavored Jelly-O so a layer of fresh strawberry slices under the puree would not be visible. She used fresh strawberries as a topping and garnish (picture #1). This is a wonderful desert perfect for strawberry season. Although my wife’s modifications may be sacrilege to the devotees of the traditional Jell-O desert/salad, we really like it.

*Looking into the ingredients that make up strawberry flavored Jell-O we discovered that it does not include anything strawberry except the artificial flavoring.

My wife’s recipe is based on a recipe that appeared in the Washington Post. So as not to offend the people who grew up with their mother’s version of this dessert, she change the name to “Strawberry, Pretzel Cheese Cake”.

Ingredients:
4oz (114 grams) pretzels
1/8 Cup Sugar
6 tbs butter

4 oz cream cheese
¼ Cup sugar
I tsp vanilla
1 cup cream

½ lb fresh strawberries made into puree
1 tsp gelatin
1 1/2 tbs water
1 cup of the resulting strawberry puree.

Directions:
Make the crust:
Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 400 degrees. In a food processor, pulse the pretzels and sugar until coarsely ground. Add the melted butter and pulse until combined. Transfer the
pretzel mixture to a 9-by-13-inch baking pan. (I used the square pyrex baking dish). Using the bottom of a measuring cup, press into an even layer. Bake for about 10 minutes, until the crust is fragrant and just beginning to brown around the edges. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool slightly, about 20 minutes.

Make the cream cheese filling:
Clean out the food processor. Add the cream cheese, sugar and vanilla and process until smooth, about 5 seconds. Add the heavy cream, pulse a few times to blend with the cream cheese, then process until thickened, about 30 seconds. Do not over process. Spread the cream cheese mixture evenly over the cooled crust, making sure to go all the way to the edges of the pan to completely cover the pretzels. Refrigerate until set, 30 minutes to 1 hour.

Make the strawberry topping:
Cook the fresh strawberries in a pan on low heat until they get soft and exude liquid. Use an immersion blender to puree the cooked strawberries. Bloom the gelatin in the water in the top of a double boiler, Heat until the gelatin is melted. Add the puree stir until the gelatin and puree are completely blended. Cool to room temperature

Assemble the dessert:
Once the cream cheese filling has become firm pour the room temperature strawberry puree over it Refrigerate uncovered until firmly set, at least 4 hours and up to overnight. Cut into rectangles and serve chilled (#2).

We can see why this type of salad/dessert is so popular. It is a great combination of flavors and textures. The pretzel crust provides a crunchy saltiness. The cream cheese layer is very light, slightly sweet and very creamy in texture. (For future reference it would be very useful as a creamy layer for other “desert” dishes. You may see it again in other contexts.) The puree layer adds a nice rich tangy fresh strawberry flavor that is a good contrast to the soft sweetness of the cream cheese layer.

Sour Cream Blueberry Muffins サワークリーム、ブルーベリー、マッフィン

This is another blueberry muffin variation to celebrate blueberry season. We saw this blueberry muffin recipe in a “Web Spoon” episode. We thought just placing fresh blueberry in the muffin tin and pouring the batter on the top would not work well but we tried it anyway. My wife was interested in making the muffin batter because it was quite different from the ones she usually makes. This was quite a good muffin. It had a very fine texture and was more cake-like than other batters we have made. Also, the blueberries stayed on the bottom of the tin and were not encased by the batter as was shown in the Web Spoon episode. (picture #1). But the muffins were very good nonetheless.

I ask my wife to fill in the details.

Ingredients:
2 Eggs 
1 cup sugar 
pinch of salt 
240 grams sour cream
100 ml oil
Lemon zest of one lemon and 2 Tbs lemon juice (We did not use this but recommend vanilla for future muffins)
250 gm AP flour 
10 grams baking powder
1 package of blueberries

Directions:
In a bowl mix together the flour and baking powder. Set aside. Whip the eggs and sugar in a stand mixer with the whip attachment until the mixture is light and fluffy. Add the salt, sour cream, oil and vanilla and continue whipping. On a lower speed add the flour mixture and mix just until completely combined with the egg mixture. Do not over mix.

Distribute the blueberries into the bottom of a muffin tin lined with paper cups. Pour the batter on top of the blueberries. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes until the muffins are firm when touched and a skewer inserted into the muffin comes out clean (Picture #2).

These muffins were very tender and cake-like in texture. They took a surprisingly long time to cook and did not turn brown even though they were quite firm and a skewer came out clean. The flavor was very subtle but still good. Next time we may try to better incorporate the batter with the blueberries.

Spinach Feta Cheese Frittata Bites ほうれん草とフェタチーズのフリッタータバイト

This is the third iteration of the small egg bites series my wife made. This time she used spinach and dill. She also reused a “feta cheese dip” which we initially made for another dish but didn’t use because we thought it was too strong by itself. This was quite a good bites. Hopefully we may derive some health benefit from the added veggie greens.

Ingredients:
6 eggs
1/2 cup cream
1/4 cup Buttermilk
1 garlic  clove 
1/2 tsp Dijon mustard 
1/2 cup fresh dill, finely chopped
1/2 tsp salt
1 large package of  spinach, cooked without adding water, drained, finely chopped
Feta cheese dip*
1/2 log of goat cheese

*fetacheese dip
8 oz good-quality teta cheese (block form)
1 clove garlic, chopped
½ teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
¼ cup olive oil
2 tablespoons water
1 teaspoon lemon juice

Directions:
In a bowl, whisk together the ingredients eggs through salt and set aside. In another bowl, mix together the feta cheese dip and the goat cheese until completely combined. Add the cooked spinach to the cheese dip and completely combine. Scoop the cheese mixture into mini muffin tins lined with paper cups. Do not fill completely. Gently pour the egg mixture over and around the cheese mixture. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 15 to 20 minutes until the eggs are set (shown in picture)

These cheese bites were quite different from the other ones my wife made recently. The feta cheese dip by itself was quite strong flavored but the addition of the spinach and goat cheese really tamed it down making it pleasantly savory. The egg mixture essentially formed a shell around the cheese mixture (which can be clearly seen in the cross section picture). The dill really added a good additional flavor dimension.