Pork Tenderloin with Indian Spiced Cherry and Rhubarb Chutney

Life has been a big bowl of cherries lately.

First there was simple yet chic Almond Panna Cotta with Glazed Cherries. Then there was homey, comforting Cherry-Apricot Cobbler with Buttermilk Biscuit Crust.

Today it's Pork Tenderloin with Indian Spiced Cherry and Rhubarb Chutney because I simply could not let cherry season pass without a savory recipe.

Cherries are surprisingly delicious in savory dishes. The key is to balance the cherry's sweet and tart flavors. So if you're using sweet cherries, then pair them with something sour, salty, spicy, or acidic. If you're using sour or tart cherries, then pair them with something sweet or salty.



Cherries are ideal for chutney because their inherent sweetness is enhanced with sharp green onions, acidic vinegar, and spicy seasonings. As for sweet cherries and tart rhubarb -- well you'll just have to try it to believe it.



Pork Tenderloin with Indian Spiced Cherry and Rhubarb Chutney
Serves 4
Print recipe only here.

How to pit a cherry:
Place the cherry on a cutting board. Place the flat side of your knife on the cherry and press gently until it splits. Open the cherry and remove the pit.

Chutney:
1 teaspoon canola oil
2 green onions, thinly sliced (about 1/4 cup)
1 red bell pepper, diced (about 1 cup)
1/2 cup rhubarb, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1 serrano chili, minced, with some seeds
1 cup fresh cherries, pitted and coarsely chopped
3 tablespoons cider vinegar
1/4 cup honey
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup orange juice
1 teaspoon orange zest
1 1/2 tablespoons fresh ginger, minced
1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds
1/2 teaspoon hot curry powder
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
salt, to taste

2 cups cooked grain of your choice, such as cous-cous, quinoa, or white rice

Pork:
1 1/4 pound pork tenderloin
Salt and pepper
2 teaspoons olive oil
2 teaspoons butter


To make the chutney, heat canola oil in a medium pot over medium-high heat. Saute green onions, red peppers, and rhubarb for 3 minutes, or until slightly softened. Add chili and cherries, cooking for an additional 2-3 minutes. Add the remaining ingredients (vinegar through cinnamon), and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low; simmer uncovered, until thick and reduced, about 30-35 minutes. Allow to cool before serving. Season with salt, to taste. (This chutney will keep for up to 2 weeks if refrigerated in an airtight container.)

Cut the tenderloin into medallions, and season with salt and pepper. Let stand for about 10 minutes.

In a large skillet over medium-high heat, melt 2 teaspoons olive oil and 2 teaspoons butter. Add the pork; cook for 3-4 minutes, until crispy and browned, then flip and cook until browned all over and just cooked through (the meat should be tender).

Place cooked grain on a platter, add cooked pork, and cover with warm fruit salsa. Serve immediately.


Since this dish uses cherries in an unusual way, I'm sending it to Simona of Briciole, this week's host of Weekend Herb Blogging, created by Kalyn of Kalyn's Kitchen. You can check out the new rules for WHB here, then send your entry to Simona.

You might also like:

Grilled Steak Tacos with Watermelon-Mango-Jicama Salsa





Grilled Shrimp Skewers with Fresh Pineapple Chutney





Pork Tenderloin with Strawberry-Mango Salsa





Shrimp Tacos with Citrus-Avocado Salsa





More tangy rhubarb chutneys:

• Johanna's Cheese Bites with Rhubarb and Chili Chutney
  
• Laura Rebecca's Grilled Ham Steaks with Rhubarb Chutney
• Lydia's Rhubarb Apricot Chutney
  
• Where I'm Cooking From's Spicy Rhubarb Chutney
  

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Triple Berry Rhubarb Crisp (and Why It's Not a Cobbler or a Crumble)

I never remember the difference between a crisp, a crumble, and a cobbler (not to mention brown bettys, slumps, or grunts).

Crisps, crumbles, and cobblers are all low-maintenance desserts made with seasonal fruits or berries that have the flavor of pie without the work of actually making one.

A crisp is made by mixing fruit of your choice with sugar and spices then topping it with a crisp mix made of butter and sugar and a binding agent such as flour or oatmeal.

A crumble is similar to a crisp. It's made by mixing fruit with sugar and spices and topping it with a streusel, a mixture of butter, sugar, flour, and nuts.

Cobblers take longer to make than crisps and crumbles because they have a dough-like crust. Some cobblers are made with enclosed crusts while others, like my Fresh Apricot and Cherry Cobbler with Buttermilk Biscuit Crust, are made with a biscuit topping.

So when I felt like having a rhubarb berry pie but didn't feel like making a pie crust, I made a crisp (aka a lazy Susan's pie). Since I prefer a highly textured crisp, I combined chewy oatmeal, crunchy nuts, and flaky coconut. Part of the crisp's beauty though is its versatility, so have fun experimenting with different fruit and crisp combinations until you find one that tickles your palate. Or just make this triple berry rhubarb crisp.



Tangy rhubarb is mellowed by succulent vine-ripened strawberries, blackberries, and raspberries for a satisfyingly sweet-tart dessert. Though it's effortless to make, it never fails to elicit smiles from guests who delight in the sugary fruit bubbling around the edges of the crisp.

It's delicious as is, but I don't need to tell you that adding a scoop of creamy vanilla ice cream doesn't hurt.

Triple Berry Rhubarb Crisp
Serves 6
Print recipe only here.

Crisp:
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup sweetened shredded coconut
1/4 cup chopped almonds or sliced almonds
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
4 tablespoons butter

Filling:
2 cups chopped rhubarb (about 1 pound), sliced into 1/2-inch thick pieces
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1 cup fresh strawberries, chopped
1 cup fresh blackberries
1 cup fresh raspberries
1 teaspoon fresh ginger, minced
2 tablespoons cornstarch dissolved in 3 tablespoons water
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Center a rack in the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F. Coat a 9-inch round pie dish with cooking spray.

To make the crisp, place the sugar, flour, oats, and coconut in a medium bowl, and using your hands, gently mix it, breaking up any large clumps. Add the almonds, cinnamon, and ground ginger. Toss gently. Pour melted butter evenly over the mixture, and gently stir with a spoon until well combined and moist.

To make the fruit filling, in a heavy bottomed saucepan over medium-high heat, add the rhubarb and allow to cook for 2-3 minutes (it will release water, so it won't burn). Add the sugars, berries, and ginger to the pan gently crushing the fruit with a fork or spoon. Once it reaches a boil, add the dissolved cornstarch. Return to a boil, whisking constantly, for 3-5 minutes, or until the mixture is thick. Turn off heat, and stir in the vanilla extract.

Pour the fruit filling into the prepared pie dish, and sprinkle the crisp mix evenly over the top. Bake for 45-55 minutes, or until the topping is golden and fruit filling is bubbling up around the edges. Allow to cool before serving. It's best served at room temperature or just slightly warm.

You might also like:

Fresh Apricot and Cherry Cobbler with Buttermilk Biscuit Crust





Fresh Cherry and Peach Upside-Down Cake





Mini Custards with Limoncello-Spiked Raspberry Sauce





Strawberry-Rhubarb Sponge Pudding





And a few more:

• Clotilde's Raspberry Rhubarb Grunt
• Glenna's Apple Brown Betty
  
• Half-Baked's Blueberry Nectarine Crisp
• Helen's Warm Berry Crumbles with Fromage Blanc Ice Cream
  

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Grilled Steak Tacos with Watermelon-Mango-Jicama Salsa

How much watermelon does the average American consume each year? (answer below)

A. 6 pounds
B. 16 pounds
C. 38 pounds
D. 312 pounds

It's already the Fourth of July, and if you haven't had a watermelon yet, then this is the week to start. I mean, really, a Fourth of July without watermelon is like a birthday without a cake.

I love eating plain watermelon in its simple, sweet glory, but it’s also fantastic in savory dishes. The key is to pair it with contrasting flavors such as salty cheeses, bitter salad greens, acidic vinegars, or smoky grilled meats to balance the watermelon's sweetness.



In fact, why not try something different for this Fourth of July -- like my new Grilled Steak Tacos with Watermelon-Mango-Jicama Salsa? For this dish, char-grilled steak is topped with a sweet and tangy watermelon salsa and crumby Mexican cheese. This salsa is so refreshing that you may want to make extra so your guests can dunk their tortilla chips in it while they're waiting for the steak to grill.

Then, while they're munching, you can show off your watermelon knowledge: the average American eats 16 pounds of watermelon a year! Course, I have over 20 pounds a year myself, so there a few people out there eating less than 16 pounds to average things out.

Grilled Steak Tacos with Watermelon-Mango-Jicama Salsa
Makes 4 servings
Print recipe only here.

Salsa:
2 cups diced watermelon
1 cup diced mango
¾ cup diced, de-seeded, peeled cucumber
¾ cup diced jicama
2-3 green onions, finely chopped
1 serrano chile, with half the seeds
1 small avocado, diced
1 tablespoon lime juice
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 teaspoon rice vinegar
2 tablespoons each of fresh chopped mint and cilantro
Salt, to taste

Steak:
4 (4-6 oz.) top sirloin steaks
Salt and pepper
8 white corn tortillas
½ cup Cotija Anejo cheese

Heat the grill to high. Season both sides of the steak with salt and pepper. Place steaks on the grill, close cover, and cook until charred, about 5 minutes. Closing the cover will help create a charred exterior and a softer, juicer interior. Turn steaks over, lower the heat to medium-high, and cook another 3-4 minutes for a medium-rare steak or 5-6 minutes for a medium steak. Allow to rest for 5 minutes before slicing.

Heat tortillas on the top rack of grill for about for 1 minute per side or until warmed through.

Place the sliced steak on the tortilla shell, spoon some salsa on top, and sprinkle with cheese. Serve immediately.

Note: Cotija Anejo is a mild flavored Mexican cheese with a crumbly texture and can be found in the refrigerator section of most major supermarkets.

And don't forget about grilled watermelon
for dessert!

Grilled Watermelon Slices with a Honey-Lime Syrup




You might also like:

Watermelon and Green Olive Salad





Susan's Summertime Salsa





Swordfish with Pineapple-Mango Salsa





Shrimp Tacos with Citrus-Avocado Salsa





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Patriotic Potato Salad for Your Fourth of July Cookout

Generally I'm not one for "themed" food. But a girl's gotta have some fun. So for the 4th of July, I'd like to share a patriotic potato salad made with three kinds of spuds: old fashioned white russet, delicate red-skinned taters, and sassy All-Blue potatoes (which are sometimes labeled purple Peruvian).



This potato salad is just kitschy enough without being tacky. Though I recommend using red-white-and-blue checkered cloths, I don't think sticking sparklers or miniature American flags in the potatoes is necessary.

The potatoes you see here are called All-Blues. They are slightly starchier but the same color as purple Peruvians, which are technically fingerling potatoes -- smaller, thinner potatoes. Apparently, both get their brilliant color from iron. The color will fade when cooked, but try this trick to minimize the fading: add a couple of splashes of white vinegar to the cooking water.

Well that's it for today. Now I've gotta get crackin' on my American flag-shaped hamburgers....



Patriotic Potato Salad
Serves 4-6
Print recipe only here.

2 pounds total of russet, purple, and red-skinned potatoes
2 stalks celery, diced (about 1/2 cup)
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar**
1 tablespoon water
2 tablespoons each fresh basil and parsley, thinly sliced
6-7 cranks of freshly ground black pepper
a generous sprinkling of salt, to taste

Scrub the potatoes well, rinse thoroughly, and pat dry. Cut into 1-inch pieces. Add to a medium size pan of water (with a couple of splashes of white vinegar, if desired). Bring to a boil; reduce to a simmer, and cook until potatoes are tender yet still firm to the touch, about 8-12 minutes.

Meanwhile, whisk olive oil, white balsamic vinegar, water, herbs, salt and pepper in a small bowl, and set aside.

Drain potatoes, and place in a large bowl. Add diced celery, and pour vinaigrette over the potatoes. Gently stir to avoid breaking the potatoes. Serve at room temperature or chilled. (Potato salad tastes better after it sits at least a few hours.)

**White balsamic vinegar is available at Trader Joe's as well as most major supermarkets. It's similar in flavor to regular brown balsamic vinegar but doesn't stain the potatoes.

You might also like:

Watermelon and Green Olive Salad





Sauteed Corn with Mint, Butter, and Lemon





Barbecue Pizza with Fresh Summer Corn and Sweet Onions





Lamb Kebabs







Here are more potato salads for your cookout:

• Alanna's Confetti Potato Salad
  
• Andrea's Red Potato Salad
• The Expat's Classic Potato Salad
  
• Luisa's Potato Salad with Green Sauce
• Peter's Dijon Potato Salad
  

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Blackberry Oatmeal Cake + Latte + Drizzle = Vancouver

When Jeff and I planned our trip to Vancouver, BC Canada a few years ago, we scheduled it for July -- the month with the lowest probability of rain. We were assured of beautiful weather -- I didn't even pack an umbrella (not that I had one to pack).

When we landed in Vancouver, it was raining.

It continued to rain for three days straight. So we skipped a few attractions like Butchart Gardens and spent our time in beautiful museums, quaint book stores, and charming cafes instead.



One drizzly afternoon we enjoyed a memorably good fresh blackberry and oatmeal cake with a couple of cafe lattes. There is something about a cake with fresh berries, a hot latte, and a light rain that makes for a perfect lazy afternoon.

Vancouver, like Oregon and Washington State, boasts some of the continent's best berries. We savored fresh tart loganberries, a succulent boysenberry tart, and even gooseberry ice cream.



So when Jennifer of the Domestic Goddess (the founder of Sugar High Friday) announced that this month's SHF theme was Mmm ... Canada, I knew I had to make a blackberry-oatmeal cake. Since I didn't have time to fly to Vancouver for blackberries, I settled on these plump locally grown ones from the farmers' market. I wasn't disappointed.

Each bite is a sensory pleasure: the crunchy oatmeal-cashew topping gives way to a soft, moist cake punctuated with bursts of warm, juicy sweet-tart blackberries. As soon as I tasted it, I felt magically transported to Vancouver. The only thing missing was the rain.



Fresh Blackberry, Oatmeal, and Cashew Cake
Print recipe only here.

I lowered the fat and cholesterol in this cake by using less canola oil than usual, low-fat buttermilk, and egg whites only. Of course, full-fat versions work as well.

Cake:
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 egg whites
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 cup low-fat buttermilk
3 tablespoons canola oil
1 cup rolled oats
3/4 cup fresh blackberries (cut in half if very large)
1/4 cup chopped cashews

Topping:
3 tablespoons chopped cashews
3 tablespoon rolled oats

Place rack in center of oven and preheat to 350 degrees F. Butter or coat with cooking spray an 8 inch square pan.

In a medium bowl, sift the flours. Add baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg.

In a separate large bowl, beat the sugars and egg whites at medium speed until light. Beat in the vanilla, buttermilk, and oil. Reduce speed to low and add dry ingredients, including the oats. Beat until just incorporated and the flour is dissolved. Using a rubber spatula, fold in the blackberries and cashews until well blended.

Pour the batter into the pan and gently shake it to even it out. Sprinkle the chopped cashews and oats evenly over the top of the cake and lightly coat with cooking spray.

Bake for 45 - 55 minutes, or until the cake is golden brown and a cake tester inserted deep into the center comes out clean. Transfer the cake to a rack and cool for 10 minutes before unmolding onto the rack to cool at room temperature.

Unmold the cake, and place on a rack. Allow to set for at least 15 minutes before slicing.


Other fruit-filled baked goods you might like:

Fresh Apricot and Cherry Cobbler with Buttermilk Biscuit Crust





Fresh Cherry and Peach Upside-Down Cake





Fresh Apricot Muffins





Fresh Strawberry, Almond, and Coconut Muffins




More berry good recipes I found:

• Heather's Blackberry Peach Bread with Oatmeal Crumb Topping
• Jen's Raspberry Pecan Blondies
  
• Kate's Blackberry Meringue Cake
• Lara's Gooseberry Tarts
• Nicole's Strawberry Pecan Shortbread Crumble Bars
  

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Fresh Pineapple, Banana, and Pistachio Cake with Rum Icing

Buttercups, bananas, baby chicks.

Apricots, tulips, lemon trees.

Sunflowers, sweet corn, French's yellow mustard.

Peaches, pineapple, polenta.

Warblers, wildflowers, nectarines, and mangoes.

Hope.

These are a few of my favorite (yellow) things. Thanks to Livestrong, the Lance Armstrong Foundation, yellow has become the color of the fight against cancer -- the color of hope.

So this brilliant yellow pineapple is my entry to Bee and Jai's special yellow Click! event on behalf of Bri Brownlow from Figs with Bri who is battling breast cancer.



As most of you know, my husband Jeff is a dermatologist and has a blog called the Derm Blog. At the risk of sounding shamefully biased, his blog really is good. Even O The Oprah Magazine thinks so.

I'm proud to announce that Jeff is honored to be one of a handful of physicians in the country who is helping Lance Armstrong launch Livestrong.com. It's a new internet health and wellness site for all of your health care and fitness needs. You should definitely check it out!

Here's Jeff's profile page which also lists his articles on the site.



Now for the cake. Since my local market recently had large fresh pineapples on sale 2/$3.00, I bought four. I mean, come on, 2 pineapples for $3.00? That's crazy! (Which I actually said out loud to myself in the store). The money I saved almost paid for the gas to get to the store. (Actually, at $4.69 / gallon, maybe not).

Yes, four pineapples is a lot. That's why I made this cake. The tropical flavors of pineapple, banana, coconut, and rum marry beautifully in this moist, richly textured cake. And isn't there something wonderfully old-fashioned about a cake with crunchy white icing and shredded coconut?



Fresh Pineapple, Banana, and Pistachio Cake with Rum Icing
Makes 2 (9-inch) round cakes; serves 16-20
Print recipe only here.

Cake:
2 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1 1/2 sticks (12 T) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
3 tablespoons honey
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup canned unsweetened coconut milk
2 very ripe bananas, mashed (about 1 cup)
1 cup chopped fresh pineapple
1/2 cup golden raisins (or chopped dates)
1 cup sweetened shredded coconut, toasted
3/4 cup coarsely chopped pistachios

Icing and Garnish:
2 cups confectioners' sugar
2 teaspoons rum extract
several drops of milk
1/2 cup shredded, sweetened coconut, toasted, divided
2 tablespoons coarsely chopped pistachios, divided

Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F. Coat two 9 X 2-inch round cake pans, or five (6 X 2 3/4-inch ) mini-loaf pans with cooking spray.

To toast the coconut, place in a dry skillet over medium heat, and gently stir until aromatic and golden brown, about 2 minutes. Keep your eye on it since it burns quite quickly! Remove from heat and set aside.

In a medium size bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ground ginger together.

In a large bowl, beat the butter until creamy. Add the sugars and beat at medium speed for a couple of minutes. Add eggs and beat well. Add the honey, vanilla, and coconut milk, and beat until batter is silky. Lower the speed, add the bananas, and beat briefly.

Add the dry ingredients to the liquid ingredients, and mix until just incorporated. Using a rubber spatula, gently stir in the pineapple, raisins, coconut and pistachios. Divide the batter evenly between the pans.

Bake for 40-45 minutes, or until the cakes are a deep golden brown. You'll know they're done when a toothpick or cake tester inserted in the middle comes out clean. Transfer the cakes to a rack and let cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans.

Meanwhile, make the icing in a small bowl by whisking together 1 cup confectioners' sugar and 1 teaspoon rum extract. Add a few droplets of milk and continue whisking until the icing is smooth and thin yet clings to the back of a spoon. Taste it; add more rum extract, if desired. When it's ready, pour it through a fine-mesh sieve to remove any tiny clumps of confectioners' sugar (thanks, Mom!).

Invert cakes onto a rack, then turn right side up. Using a spoon, drizzle the icing over the top of the cakes, and spread it with a thin, metal spatula. Sprinkle each cake with 1/4 cup of toasted coconut, and 1 tablespoon chopped pistachios. Allow to set for at least 15 minutes before slicing.

More yellow foods you might like:

Sauteed Corn with Mint, Butter, and Lemon





Roasted Rainbow Carrots with Chives and Thyme





Potato, Pepper, and Onion Frittata





Grilled Shrimp Skewers with Fresh Pineapple Chutney






Mini Custards with Limoncello-Spiked Raspberry Sauce





I'm also sending this cake to Suganya, of the beautiful Tasty Palettes, for this month's AMAF: Coconut. Here are more wonderful savory and sweet pineapple recipes:

• Cris's Baked T-Bone Steak with Pineapple Sauce
• Deeba's Pineapple 'n Cream Sponge Cake
• Dhanggit's Pineapple, Ginger, and Cinnamon Creme Brulee
• Maryann's Italian Pineapple Salsa (I actually made this the other night with baked halibut, and it was delicious!)

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