Sage Rubbed Pork Chops with Fennel Orange Puree, Truffled Sweet Potato Matchsticks, Charred Brussel Sprouts

Sounds so fancy right?

Well it can be whipped up in a jiffy.

Probably one of the fastest dinners I've prepared

(have you seen my chili post?! I'm not good at whipping up quick meals!)

The porkchops are lightly seasoned with salt and pepper and rubbed with a bit of sage.  The Fennel Orange Puree is what really does it for these chops- the deep, caramelized flavor of the fennel, the freshness from the acidity in the OJ.. works really well here.

And who's gonna turn down crispy Truffled Sweet Potato Matchsticks- which by the way, all you do is cut and throw in the oven. Do buy a julienne peeler if you haven't already.  I can't imagine trying to cut sweet potatoes into uniform size by hand.  Eek. The julienne peeler works like a vegetable peeler, only instead of peeling skin off, it peels spaghetti-sized perfectly uniform 'matchsticks.'  If you don't have truffle oil, don't sweat it.  Some salt and these will still be delicious.

A weeknight meal to impress or a weekend dinner you don't have to slave over.

Either way, you win.

Sage Rubbed Pork Chops with Fennel Orange Puree, Truffled Sweet Potato Matchsticks, Charred Brussel Sprouts

2 pork chops, trimmed of excessive fat (leave some fat for flavor!)
1 tbsp fresh minced sage leaves (about 5 or 6 leaves)
1 sweet potato
1 lb brussel sprouts
1 small bulb of fennel, trimed, cored, and thinnly sliced
1 shallot, thinly sliced
2 tbsp fresh squeezed orange juice
1 tsp white truffle oil
extra virgin olive oil
1/2 tbsp balsamic vinger
salt and pepper

Make the Fennel Orange Puree
In a small pot, heat a few drizzles of olive oil over medium heat.  Reduce heat to medium low and add the shallot and fennel.  Saute about 15 minutes, until fennel is very tender. Place the mixture in a blender and season with salt and pepper. Pour in 1 tbsp of olive oil and puree.  With blender still running, slowly pour in the orange juice.  Check the taste and consistency of your puree- add more salt and pepper if needed, or add more olive oil if too thick for your tastes.  Alternatively you can substitute the olive oil for milk or cream if desired for a different flavor.

Truffled Sweet Potatoes Matchsticks
Preheat oven to 400. Cut the sweet potato in half and use a julienne peeler to cut into matchsticks. Drizzle the matchsticks with a bit of olive oil and season with a few shakes of a salt and pepper shaker.  Lay the sweet potato matchsticks out on two baking sheets.  If you use one baking sheet it will be to crowded, and the sweet potatoes will steam, leaving you with soggy matchsticks.  Bake in the oven for about 20 minutes, until tender and crisp. When ready, drizzle with white truffle oil, toss to combine, and serve.

Charred Brussel Sprouts
Cut the ends off of sprouts and remove loose outer leaves.  Cut each one in half lengthwise (cutting through the stem).  Heat a large DRY skillet over medium high heat with NO olive oil.  Once hot, place the brussel sprouts in pan cut side down.  Let sit and cook until the sprouts begin to blacken on the bottom.  Once they do, give them a quick stir, pour in two tbsp of olive oil, and give another stir.  Let cook about 5 minutes, season generously with salt and pepper, and stir to combine. Pour in a couple dashes of balsamic vinegar (maybe a half a tbsp).  Cook about 5 more minutes or until brussel sprouts are tender but still just a bit crisp. 

Pork Chops
In a small bowl, mix together a tsp of olive oil, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp pepper, and the sage.  Rub this mixture on the pork chops, coating both sides.  Heat a few generous drizzles medium high heat.  Once hot, add the pork chops.  Cook about 4 minutes per side, until chops have a nice dark golden color and are thoroughly cooked. Remove and let rest for a few minutes.

To serve, arrange pork chops on plate.  Spoon Fennel Orange puree over top and garnish with a few fennel fronds or parsley.  Arrange Sweet Potato Matchsticks next to pork chops, and enjoy!

French Almond Cake

Brace yourself.

This. is. so freaking good.  

I made this and brought half to work and left half at home for the Boyfriend. At work they gobbled them up, in between bites I was hearing 'so good' 'open.. bakery...' 'recipe!' 

When I got home, of the 9 or so pieces I left behind, there were 2 left.  The Boyfriend- 'I would've ate them all but I figured you might want some.'  

And so I gobbled them up.

I'm really proud of this recipe.  I love French Almond Cake.  It's just perfectly sophisticated and it's not really a cake in that I can eat it for breakfast. If any survived the night anyways. 

I'm proud because this is the first recipe that I experimented with so completely that I had to do several tests- making small batches and baking the muffin tins one at a time to see what worked best.  It took me all day, and it turned out better than I would have imagined.

The cake is fluffy, almost a angel food cake texture.  It's light and airy with a warm almond flavor. The absolute perfect cake to serve with brunch, with coffee or tea, or as a sophisticated dessert to your dinner.  In fact, add some strawberries and cream and it would work well as strawberry shortcake. 

I'm proud also because this recipe is gluten-free.  That's right.  A gluten free cake that got gobbled up so quickly by gluten lovers and gluten haters alike. Can you believe it?

I've talked a little about gluten on my blog, though not too much.  Those people who have tried gluten free baked goods know that sometimes they can be dense and heavy, though these days people are having increasing success as we understand the chemistry behind baking without gluten. And there's an increasing number of gluten-free flour mixes available in supermarkets, which I have used and I do suggest using.  They work really well.

Gluten is what makes dough 'dough-y'.  When a pizza maker tosses a pizza in the air and it stretches all over the place- that is due to the elastic bonds formed by gluten.  That's why gluten free breads can be hard and crumbly- gluten free flours can't quite achieve the same 'stretch.'

In baking, gluten is what makes the dough rise. Adding protein can help- I used whipped egg whites, and it worked wonderfully.

I particularly love this recipe since it can be made for a gluten-eating crowd and no one will notice it's gluten free. In fact, they'll probably compliment you, ask for the recipe, and then their eyes will bug out when they realize :)

If you are making this because you do have a gluten allergy or are making it for someone with an allergy, beware of cross-contamination.  Put away anything that contains flour.  Don't make yourself a sandwich in the middle of the recipe, or make this recipe at the same time as you are making another cake.  Put away all flour-containing items- flour (duh), bread, crackers, cookies, etc. 

Make sure you are using the clean-est mixing bowls and spatulas.  Make sure you clean your counter thoroughly   Using a mixer?  Make sure you clean the entire mixer, as flour particles may be stuck to the top of your mixer.  This recipe does not call for a sifter, but never use a sifter you have used with regular flour for a gluten free recipe.  It's virtually impossible to remove the flour completely.  Do not store your gluten-free cake where it can touch gluten containing items.  Make sure it's in it's own separate container.

I may be sounding a little dramatic here.. just be aware, use clean items, and everything will be fine. 

And without further ado: 

French Almond Cake

1 cup Almond Flour
1/2 cup White Rice Flour
1 1/4 cup white sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp almond extract
8 egg whites, at room temp
10 tbsp unsalted butter, melted and cooled
pinch of salt
1/4 cup turbino sugar, muscovato sugar, or sugar in the raw 
sliced almonds (optional decoration)

Preheat oven to 325. Lightly grease a 9' by 9' baking pan, a 9' round baking pan, or a cheesecake pan.

In a large bowl, mix the two flours, sugar and salt. Set aside.

In a separate bowl, add the egg whites. Use a mixer or beat by hand until egg whites are foamy.  Add in the butter, almond extract and vanilla extract quickly.  Using a rubber spatula, gradually pour the eggs into the flour mixture, ever so gently folding it in to combine.  Do not use a spoon and do not stir.  Just gently keep folding with the spatula until the egg is mixed is, and it looks like a light fluffy dough.  

Pour into your prepared baking sheet.  If decorating with almonds as I did, you'll have to kind of plan where you'll be cutting slices, and decorate the top or each one.  After placing almonds on cake, sprinkle the whole thing with turbino sugar- it'll give it a nice color and a just a bit of sweet crunch on the top.

Bake about 30 minutes, until edges are just beginning to turn a golden color and cake is set. Cool on wire rack.  

Do not attempt to cut until cool.  Use a sharp knife (I used a paring knife).  Enjoy!!

Mexican Flavored Chili

Holy smokes do I have a chili recipe for you!

Back from a day of skiing, me and The Boyfriend were craving some warm comfort food.  I thought I'd make something quick and easy.  

I mean, you just throw everything in a pot when making chili. How much simpler can it get? 

But no.  

Here I go, roasting peppers first, making purees, all sorts of ridiculousness that took me an hour and a half before everything got simply tossed in a pot.  

But I was thinking of you, invisible internet people.  I wanted to share with you a different way of making chili, not using canned tomatoes and tomato paste.  So I made my own puree of roasted red peppers, poblano peppers, and tomatoes. 

You may be scared by all the peppers if you don't like spicy.  I will say this chili has some kick for sure, but it's not one of those try-to-rip-your-tongue-out-of-your-mouth spicy.  Eliminate the sriacha/hot sauce and cayenne if your nervous.  Those who want more spicy can always add hot sauce. 

In the end, this was a most delicious chili, and worth the time and effort.  I made a huge batch (what's the point of making chili if it only feeds you for 2 days?!).  I'd say this recipe would feed about 14 people.  We had leftovers for 3 days, and I have 2 tupperwares in the freezer for some quick winter meals.

Of course this is a perfect party sized chili for all you football fans out there. You could even make it a day or two ahead and have it in a crockpot for when you've had too many beers to actually cook anything at your football party. :)

Mexican Flavored Chili

The meat:
16 oz ground chorizo
16 oz mild italian sausage
3 lb ground beef


The veggies

7 stalks celery, chopped in 1/4 inch slices
1 jalapeno, stem and seeds removed, minced 
2 green peppers, stem and seeds removed, cut into 1/2 inch dice
1 red pepper, stem and seeds removed, cut into 1/2 inch dice
4 carrots, peeled, cut in half lengthwise, then cut in thirds lengthwise and diced
2 onions, coarsely diced

The stuff you throw in chili:
26 oz can red kidney beans, drained
30 oz can pinto beans, drained
15 oz can cannellini beans, drained
1 tbsp paprika
1/2 tsp cumin
1 tsp cayenne
1 tbsp marjoram
1 tbsp oregano
1 tbsp Sriacha or hot sauce of choice

1 bottle dark beer


Base Puree
2 poblano peppers(sometimes called pasilla peppers)
3 red peppers 
5 tomatoes
3 cloves minced garlic

1. Make the base puree.  Broil or grill the poblano, red peppers, and tomatoes until the skin turns black in spots (or for tomato, until the skin begins to crack and peel back on it's own).  Let cool until easy to handle, and remove stem, seeds, and peel skin.  Coarsely chop peppers and tomato and place them and the 3 cloves of garlic in blender or food processor and process until a paste.  Set aside.  

2. While peppers are roasting, brown meats. Add half of each meat to 2 large stockpots and cook, stirring occasionally, until meat is browned. Remove meat with a slotted spoon and set aside (you can set the meat aside from both stockpots in the same bowl).

3. In same two stockpots over medium high heat, add half the veggie mixture to each pot.  Saute until veggies begin to soften a bit, but are still pretty crisp. This step helps veggies release some of their sugars and will make them more flavorful.  

4. Add half the meat back to each pot, and half the 'stuff you throw in chili' to each pot.  Bring the pots to a boil, turn down the heat and simmer for about an hour and a half. 

5. When finished, marry the two pots.  Once cooked down, I could add one pot to the other and it fit perfectly.  Stir well and don't forget the sour cream!