tanabutler

Someone asked me if I had a recipe for the pomegranate pork tenderloin, and I really don't, because I am constantly experimenting. But I thought I'd post my technique here, and better cooks can suggest more precision or modifications/subsitutions. Hope that's okay. Every time I make pork tenderloin, I make it up. But if you're comfortable at the stove, I can give you loose directions. I've been experimenting with red wine reductions involving fruit, like cherry or plum or pomegranate preserves/jelly. Ingredients always include: a 2-pound pork tenderloin; butter and/or olive oil (lately I've been doing half/half); a large shallot (minced fine); fresh rosemary (and I use a rosemary branch for basting); good red wine (if you won't drink it, don't cook with it); chicken stock; some kind of red fruit preserves or, in this case, pomegranate jelly (links below to purveyors)/ In a heavy-bottomed saucepan or medium-sized pot, over medium-low heat, I sauté a minced shallot in olive oil and butter. (Like a tablespoon or so of each). The tenderloin is usually about two pounds, so consider that in your math. When the shallot is soft, I add about a tablespoon of minced FRESH rosemary. Do not use dried rosemary. If you haven't got fresh rosemary, other herbs could do, but it won't be the same. I got pomegranate jelly at a local upscale grocery here in Aptos. Here is a link to the website for the producers of the jelly (but they only sell by the case!): http://www.bogettifarms.com/ I Googled for other pom jellies you can buy online: http://shop.store.yahoo.com/concerto/pomjel.html http://shop.store.yahoo.com/francisfamilyj...egrantejam.html When the shallots and rosemary have cooked for a minute or two, I add about half a jar of the fruit, along with a cup of chicken stock and a cup of red wine. I turn up the heat and let it boil down. When it thickens, I add a little more of those three things and let it boil down until it's nice and thick, Maybe a little thicker than maple syrup? I admit, no one taught me how to make a reduction, so I might be doing everything wrong. Feel free to chime in if I have mistakes. I prepare the tenderloin for the oven by brushing a coat of the reduction all over, and then a very light sprinkling of kosher flake salt and black pepper on all sides. I think I bake it at 375 degrees, and baste with the rosemary branch throughout the cooking every ten minutes or so. When it's done, slice and serve with the reduction drizzled over, and a little rosemary sprig on top. I hope that helps. Also, since you're cooking for so many people, I don't know whether to advise you to get a bigger tenderloin, or do a few small ones. Regardless, it's a fairly easy thing to prepare. Enjoy your meal!

My older sister ate string and dirt as a child. I used to love raw hamburger, until puberty. Funny, puberty also changed the scent of gasoline from something I liked to something to be avoided.

Emma would kill him, and rightfully so. He resembles nothing so much as a human fungus, or the offspring of the Elephant Man, or a reptile with pink skin. I can't believe for an instant she would enjoy a dinner with him. Unless she were being paid as an actress to pretend to find him fascinating. I won't believe otherwise unless I see it in her own hand. She's just too gorgeous and cool.

Well, sure. Because you're not a teethling. If it's chocolate, it isn't white. It it's milk chocolate, it's for babies and toddlers. I hope that's all cleared up now. Thus spake Zarathustra. But god, fresh peas are one of my biggest pleasures. I am tempted to make a sexual analogy but won't.

Maybe it's because I haven't been inundated with winter weather like y'all in the rest of the country, but I'd go for the traditional dinner and not the island theme. You'll pay dearly for out-of-season ingredients that won't be that fresh and great anyway. What about a pork tenderloin with a pomegranate/red wine glaze? Cornish game hen? Get fancy but stay seasonal. Candlelight and tiny white lights might transform your room into something romantic and beautiful. Strew rose petals on the table? Gussy it up! We had a dinner last night that I probably should have saved for Valentine's Day, but I was celebrating an income tax refund. A dozen and a half Miyagi oysters (with a cilantro/jalapeño/rice wine vinegar/lime vinaigrette) with a bottle of Mumms, then a salad of mache with Niman Ranch bacon, Mini-Pearl tomatoes and Vidalia onion vinaigrette and an Australian Shiras (can't remember which one), followed by Cornish game hens (in an herb crust) and microscopic baby potatoes, par-boiled then wokked over high heat with kosher flake salt and EVOO. We had a DeLoach Zinfandel with that course. All very romantic, while watching a tape of "NFL Tonight" (the Superbowl edition).

Check the prices at MySimon.com before you buy it at a store.

Ack, for a second I thought you meant "Limbaugh."

I haven't been to Lake Como. The "favorite website of all time" refers specifically to the ItalyBy.com website (and all its affiliates, via WorldBy.com). The design is beautiful, and the photo galleries are inspirational. They really supply you with all the information you need to make an informed choice about accommodations. I commend the design and the thoughtful navigation. No hotel brokers in the world can compare, in my opinion. They should all just quit and leave the internet my favorites, don't you think? By the way, my other favorite Italian resource online is Parker Villas: order their free, gorrrrrgeous, huge catalog. The website doesn't do justice to the publication. I'm ordering my new one this morning. Hopefully I will get back to Italy this year: I'm only 600 frequent flyer miles from a free ticket to Europe.

I think I'll trade my John Lennon for Bob Dylan.

organ meats okra brussels sprouts asafoetida olives (but I love olive oil) fishy fish (sea bass, snapper, et al) licorice, anise, fennel raw onions, raw garlic margarine Karo corn syrup (Yankee stepfather used to put it on pancakes! ABOMINATION!!) Ditto Moopheus's "fake food" list (Miracle Whip, Cool Whip, instant coffee, CoffeeMate, cake mixes, frosting in a can, et al) Jell-O in any guise German food almost in its entirety (sour meat, anyone? Vinegar overdose, anyone?) hard pretzels Cilantro haters: you are the unfortunate possessor of a particular gene that makes cilantro taste like soap or metal or otherwise foul. I feel sorry for you.

I like my husband's list: Benjamin Franklin, John Lennon, Vincent Van Gogh (assuming a translator were present)...but then he can't decide between Charlie Chaplin and Elizabeth I. My list would also include Benjamin Franklin and John Lennon, as well, but I'd have to omit Van Gogh in favor of Joe Bob Briggs (John Bloom is actually one of the best educated, thoughtful, and well-read men I've ever known). And I'll second the inclusion of Alma Mahler. Now, who's going to cook your meal?

No way, dude! That's like buying garlic in a jar. The preservative aspect and loss of flavor would completely defeat the point. There is no substitute for fresh shallots and garlic. And I do what everyone else does: treat them like onions (score and peel the outer wrapper). I've never had a moment's trouble with them. On the other hand, the thought of making a salad and assembling all the ingredients is completely daunting to me. I just don't have the salad gene.

How much are those syrups, Rancho Gordo? I'm going to the Ferry Plaza Market next week, and he sells there.

From my favorite website of all time (ItalyBy.com): Grand Hotel Tremezzo is a five-star hotel on Lake Como. 98 rooms, tennis court, gardens, three restaurants and a wine bar, heated swimming pool, sauna, jogging track, solarium, and rooms furnished with antiques. A double superior with lake view is about $350 in high season.

I've never flashed anyone, anywhere.

If I drank as much caffeine as you do, I'd feel like I was being tailgated at my own desk. Hardy souls, y'all.

This is not true at all. Did you ever have Frank Zappa kneel and sing "Dinah Moe Hum" to you while photographing him (with your elbows on the stage) in front of an audience of 8000 people? Betcha didn't. I am a professional photographer, web designer and copywriter. I don't know why that doesn't count as "professional photography" in your mind, but it's how I earn my living. My photographs have appeared in San Francisco magazine and several newspapers up and down the California coast. I specialize in food and travel photography. I think that counts. Or do I have to take a picture of a woman giving to be "bona fide"?

A friend in the Italian olive oil import business made a great recommendation: for Vito to go to the Fancy Food show in Chicago. He also cautioned that the weak dollar makes importing Italian products that much more expensive. Still, this is all good information and I so much appreciate y'all who are tossing out things. Thank you so much!

You know, Davis might not be a bad idea. There is all kinds of new money coming in there, isn't there? (I've got a rich lawyer friend who moved from Seattle, and his subdivision is so new it's not even on MapQuest yet.) Vito can handle the heat. And it's cheaper than the coast, and certainly cheaper than the Bay area. Hmmmm. Definitely something to think about. Nanuq, I don't think he's interested in doing a coffee shop, but a full-blown deli/grocery. Hey, Mudpuppie, is it possible for you to snail-mail me the real estate section of the Sacramento paper if I send you an SASE? I would like to look at commercial listings. Also, how long have you lived there? You are all being very helpful. Thank you so much! (I can't wait to mail him a potential itinerary!)

That's a great link, Random Alias. I have used all kinds of things as "tripods" (anything to steady the camera), including wine glasses, plates, the back of a fork, and so on. Those odd angles have given me some good shots, though. I emphasize that I am unobtrusive with my camera. It doesn't make any noise at all, and I don't stand up and move around to photograph things. But I do take my Director's chair and a megaphone everywhere I go. Is that a problem, Robyn?

Thanks, Doc.

What towns are they in?

I'm just trying to see what's out there. Hey, whose town is crying out for a good Italian deli/market? I wish I could post a photo of Vito. He's a D-O-Double-Hockeysticks.

The latter. I wish we could get him here in Santa Cruz, but the Zanotto and Zoccoli families have this place sewn up. I hope he goes for Northern California. It looks so much like Italy around here.

I've never been asked not to photograph, either. I do it all the time, discreetly, and I would not likely use a flash if I were somewhere fancy. I've got a Canon G3 Powershot, and one of the modes allows for little ambient lighting, and it gives everything a lovely golden glow. It also has a great macro mode on it, which allows for super-close focus. I can't stand out of focus up-close food shots, and won't post them unless they're clear. And I enjoy those people here who have shared good photographs of their food. I try to be very discreet, and the Canon assists in that regard with its swivel-around viewfinder on the back. I can position the camera down or to my side, so that I am not facing anyone who might be in the picture. People react in a variety of ways if they've got a camera pointed in their direction. (I'm not talking about photographing food here, but the general ambience of the place.) I photograph for multiple reasons: to get better, to share with foodie friends, and to enhance my portfolio. It's a great boon to have a "Will Work for Viddles" sign around my neck. That Trio write-up you linked to is just awesome and inspirational, viaChgo. Thank you: I would have missed it otherwise.