Copy and Taste

Pomegranate and Gin Cocktails

We found this recipe on Fancy Toast:

Ingredients:

• 2 parts gin
• 1 part lime juice
• 1 part simple syrup
• 1/2 part pomegranate molasses
• 2 sprigs of mint (bruised or torn into small pieces)
• Club soda or seltzer water
  

Instructions:

1. In a shaker or with a stirrer, mix the first five ingredients with ice.
2. Pour into glass that is filled with ice. Top with club soda.
3. Garnish with lime and mint.
   

Hindsight:

The recipe called for pomegranate molasses, but we decided to go with pomegranate juice instead. Hello pretty pink color!

We would have preferred fresh lime juice, but for the sake of time to make a dinner reservation, we used the concentrate we had on hand.

The torn mint was a bit of a pain, and didn’t add much in terms of flavor. We recommend that it be used in sprig form as a garnish.

At first, the drink tasted a little weak. Our solution, a gin floater.

Summary:

A reliable summer cocktail.

Pork Tenderloin with Rhubarb Chutney

We found this recipe on Iron Stef:

Ingredients

Chutney

• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 1/3 cup cider vinegar
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger root
• 1 tablespoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon dried red chile pepper
• 4 cups diced rhubarb
• 1/2 cup chopped red onion
• 1/3 cup golden raisins

Tenderloin

• 1 1/2 pounds pork tenderloin
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 4 sprigs fresh cilantro, for garnish

Directions

1. To make the chutney: Combine sugar, vinegar, ginger, garlic, cumin, cinnamon, cloves and red pepper in a large saucepan. Bring to simmer over low heat, stirring occasionally, until sugar dissolves. Add rhubarb, onion and raisins. Increase heat to medium-high and cook until rhubarb is tender and mixture thickens slightly. Remove from heat and let cool completely.
2. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
3. To cook pork: Sprinkle pork with cumin, salt and pepper. Heat oil in large, heavy skillet over high heat. Add pork and brown on all sides, about 5 minutes.
4. Transfer pork to roasting pan. Brush with 6 tablespoons of the chutney. Place in preheated oven, brushing occasionally with 6 more tablespoons chutney. Cook until thermometer inserted into center registers 155 degrees, about 25 minutes. Slice pork into medallions. Garnish with cilantro sprigs and serve with remaining chutney.

Hindsight

The recipe didn’t specify how many people it would serve and we learned the hard way that we made enough rhubarb chutney to feed Napoleon’s army. If you’re cooking for two, you’re safe to half the recipe.

We served the tenderloin with a simple salad of young lettuce, tomatoes and cucumber, dressed with lemon and olive oil. However, we now think it would be better with an arugula and Gorgonzola salad.

Finally, basting the meat is a two-man operation.

Summary

This is Zach’s favorite recipe yet. A good candidate for a dinner party if we ever throw one, or a nice recipe to send to mom to make use of the rhubarb in her garden.

Lemon Linguine . . . err Fettuccine

We found this recipe on Teczcape:

Ingredients:
(serves 4)

• 1/2lbs linguine (if you use angel hair, or thinner pasta, would be even better)
• 1tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 lemons, zested and juiced
• Handful cilantro, finely chopped
• salt, to taste

Instructions:

1. Cook linguine till al-dente
2. In a small saute pan, add extra-virgin olive oil, garlic and crushed red pepper flakes
3. Add lemon juice and a ladle of the cooking water from the pasta to the garlic and oil mixture in the pan, when the pasta has been cooking for about 5mins
4. Drain pasta, add pasta to pan and turn off heat, add lemon zest and cilantro
5. Toss the pasta well with the sauce, allowing it time to soak up the “juice”

Hindsight:

Right off the bat, we bought Fettuccine instead of Linguine b/c Whole Foods only carried flavored linguine, and we’re purists. That may not have been the best decision; we now imagine the recipe is best with thinner noodles.

This is second recipe we’ve tried that’s called for adding pasta water to the sauce. We’re completely dumbfounded by this practice. Could somebody please explain this to us?

After tasting, we concluded it would probably be better if served cold and the garlic/lemon/oil was tossed on top without cooking.

Summary:

We probably won’t make this dish again.