Dinosaur ribs!

What's on the menu?

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Creamed corn

Rod has always raved about Bobby Flay's creamed corn at Bar Americain in New York. I haven't tried it but tonight I was feeling adventurous in the kitchen. I did some quick creamed corn research and using ingredients I had in the house (like 1% milk and frozen corn kernels) I whipped up some yummy, creamy corn goodness to go with our pork tenderloin.

Natalie's creamed corn

Ingredients:
1/4 cup diced green onion
1 tbsp puréed garlic
1 tbsp fresh thyme
3 tbsp butter
2 cups frozen corn kernels
1 cup milk
2 tbsp flour

Directions:
Place butter in a large non-stick pan on low-med and melt. Add diced green onion and garlic, sauté until soft, about 3 minutes. Add fresh thyme to pan and stir. Add frozen corn kernels and toss to coat with butter mixture. Cook until kernels start to thaw, about 5 minutes. Sprinkly flour over corn mixture and stir to coat. Cook for 2 minutes. Add milk to pan and stir. Turn heat to low and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Place half the mixture in blender or food processor and purée. Return puréed portion to pan, stir and simmer for 10-15 minutes longer. Add salt and pepper to taste and serve.

Goes well with quick-roasted baby tomatoes from the garden ;)

Fig and chili-glazed pork tenderloin

This meal was inspired by the delicious and wonderfully versatile fig jam I bought earlier this summer at the Kingsland Farmer's Market. The jam is from Jammin' It, one of our favourite stalls at the market, that sells hundreds of different types of preserves, from strawberry jam to crab-apple jelly to horseradish and chutney. The fig jam is great on baked brie (as Adèle can attest) and makes an awesome glaze for pork tenderloin (as Rod and I discovered last evening at dinner!)


Fig and chili-glazed pork tenderloin

Ingredients:
    1/2 cup (125 mL) fig jam
    1/4 cup (60 mL) rice vinegar
    1/2 tsp (2.5 mL) chili powder
    1 tsp (5 mL) garlic (puréed works well)
    1 tbsp (15 mL) low-sodium soy sauce
    2 lb (900 g) pork tenderloins, trimmed
    freshly ground black pepper
    salt
    Cooking spray
   
Directions:
Preheat grill to medium-high. Create glaze by combining fig jam, vinegar, chili powder, garlic, soy sauce, salt and pepper. Sprinkle pork with salt and the pepper.

Place pork on a barbecue rack coated with cooking spray, cook using indirect heat until slightly pink in the middle, turning occasionally and basting frequently with fig glaze.

Oyster and roasted red pepper bruschetta

Ingredients :

1 baguette
1 pint (16oz) fresh shucked oysters chopped
3 garlic cloves minced
¼ c. olive oil
2 tbsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 tsp. dried basil and parsley
Salt & pepper to taste
1.5 cups chopped roasted red peppers
1/4 cup diced onions
1/3 cup finely shredded parmasan cheese

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400F (200C). Slice baguette into ½" slices. Arrange baguette rounds on large baking sheet. Toast in centre of 400F oven, turning over halfway through, until bread is golden on both sides, about 5 to 6 min. Heat a non-stick frying pan to medium heat. Add olive oil. Add diced onion and garlic when oil is warm. Lightly sauté until onions are translucent and garlic is light brown. Add chopped oysters, lemon juice, basil, salt and pepper. Simmer on low to medium heat until all liquid is reduced, about 15 min.

Meanwhile, chop roasted red peppers finely. Add to oyster mixture. When liquid is reduced, remove from heat and stir in onions, garlic and parm. Scoop spoonfuls onto baguette rounds and broil for until cheese is melted.