September Menu

Cocktail: Apple Cider Mojito

Massaged Kale Salad w/Apple, Red Onion, Cranberry

Rustic Tomato Soup w/Cheesy Toasts

Pork Tenderloin w/Peach Gastrique

Poached Pears w/Chocolate Raspberry Sauce

Massaged Kale Salad with Apple,
Red Onion & Cranberries

Apple Cider Mojito

INGREDIENTS 4 Servings

a very large bunch of curly kale, about 20 leaves with stems removed

1 tsp salt

1/3 cup sunflower seeds, toasted

1 small red onion*, finely chopped

1/3 cup cranberries*

1 large apple, diced

1/4 cup olive oil

2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar

Wash kale, remove stems and cut or tear into bite-sized pieces.

Add kale to a large bowl and sprinkle with salt.

Massage and knead the salt into the leaves for about 1-2 minutes until the leaves feel soft and volume has reduced to about a third.

Chop red onion and apple. Add to kale with cranberries.

Lightly toast sunflower seeds in a hot pan until they begin to change color and add them to the bowl.

Finally, add olive oil and apple cider vinegar to the bowl and stir well to get everything mixed evenly.

INGREDIENTS 4 Servings

Ice

Juice of 2 lemons

1 cup gold rum

apple cider

Mint, for garnish

Apple slices, for garnish

Cinnamon sticks, for garnish

DIRECTIONS

Fill 4 glasses with ice. Add the juice of half a lemon to each glass. Divide the rum between the two glasses, then fill 3/4 of the way full with apple cider. Top each with a splash of seltzer and stir to combine. Garnish with mint, thyme, and a slice of apple.

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Rustic Tomato Soup w/Cheesy Toasts

Ingredients 4 Servings

½ cup coarsely chopped carrot

½ cup coarsely chopped onion

½ cup coarsely chopped fennel bulb

1 celery stalk, coarsely chopped

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 box unsalted chopped tomatoes (such as Pomì), undrained

1 cup unsalted chicken stock

¾ tsp ground black pepper, divided

2/3 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon butter

8 celery leaves

4 (1.5-ounce) slices diagonally cut whole-grain bread

3 ounces Gruyère cheese, shredded (about 3/4 cup)

Directions

Preheat broiler to high.

Combine first 4 ingredients in a food processor; process until finely chopped. Heat a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add vegetable mixture to pan; cook 5 minutes or until crisp-tender, stirring occasionally. Add tomatoes to food processor; pulse until finely chopped. Add tomatoes, stock, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, and salt to pan; bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to low; simmer 10 minutes. Stir in butter; sprinkle with celery leaves.

Place bread on a baking sheet. Broil 2 minutes. Turn bread slices over; sprinkle evenly with cheese. Broil 2 minutes or until cheese is lightly browned. Sprinkle with remaining 1/4 teaspoon black pepper.

Roasted Pork Tenderloin with Peach Gastrique

INGREDIENTS 4 Servings

1 pound pork tenderloin

1 teaspoon paprika or ancho chile powder for color

salt and pepper to taste

1 cup sugar

4 tablespoons water

1 cup champagne vinegar

2 ripe peaches peeled, pitted, and pureed

2 tablespoons basil chiffonade

1 tablespoon honey

INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Season tenderloin with salt, pepper and either ancho chile powder or paprika. Roast in oven until interior temperature reaches 145 degrees.

In the meantime make the gastrique. In a heavy bottomed pan, place sugar and water. Place over medium high heat, swirling pan to blend. As the sugar water mixture starts to cook, wet a pastry brush under the faucet and periodically wipe down sides of pan along the sugar line.

Cook sugar until it turns a golden brown. Remove from heat and add vinegar. The vinegar will harden the sugar. Place back on stove top and cook on medium for about 10 minutes. Swirling the pan to make sure the sugar remelts.

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Poached Pears with Chocolate Raspberry Sauce

INGREDIENTS 4 Servings

2 ripe but still firm pears

(we prefer Anjou, but any sweet firm pears will do)

1 cup white wine

1/3 cup sugar

1 cinnamon stick

Juice and zest of 1 lemon

Water, to cover

For the chocolate sauce:

2 ounces dark bittersweet chocolate

¼ cup confectioner’s sugar

¼ cup heavy cream

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

½ teaspoon vanilla

½ cup fresh raspberries

Mint sprigs, for garnish

Preparation

For the pears:

Peel and core the pears, leaving the stems intact. If necessary, slice a thin slice from the bottom of each pear so that it stands firmly. Place the pears in a small saucepan that will fit them without crowding, but without allowing them to drift around. Add the wine, sugar, cinnamon stick, lemon zest and juice, and fill with water to just cover the pears. Bring to a gentle simmer and simmer uncovered for 20 minutes, or until tender. A knife should be able to easily penetrate the pear. Remove the pears with a slotted spoon and allow to cool.

For the chocolate sauce:

Bring 2 inches of water to a simmer in a small saucepan. Place the dark chocolate in a bowl large enough to rest in the saucepan to form a double-boiler. Add the sugar and heavy cream and melt slowly over gentle heat. Meanwhile, press the raspberries through a sieve with the back of a spoon, removing the seeds. Remove the melted chocolate from the heat, add the butter and vanilla, stirring to combine. Add the raspberry puree, and stir thoroughly.