Lean and tender: Roasted Pork Fillet With Cranberries

Pork Filet (Tender loin) is one of the most tender and lean parts of pork meat.
It works very well together with some fruity or sweet ingredients and is a perfect party dish.
Preparing pork fillet is easy and fast, but keeping it moist and juicy can be tricky as it tends to try out soon when overcooked.
Just use your kitchen "Sense and Sensibility" you won't be sorry to prepare this "bocatto di cardenale" an ancient Italian expression that refers to a dish so delicious that it's worth to be served to a Cardenal, known in medieval times for their love of good food.
To prepare this tenderloin
You need:
1 pork fillet , about 500g
2 sprigs rosemary
1 1/2tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 clove crushed garlic
2 tablespoon sweet ground paprika
11/2 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1/2 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 cup dried, sweet cranberries
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil to brown the pork
1-2 cups of vegetable broth
Method:

With a sharp knife, remove the white,tough membrane from the meat.

Stir together olive oil, sweet paprika, crushed garlic clove,mustard,cinnamon,salt and freshly ground pepper.

\

 Rub  mixture over the pork.

Heat olive oil in a medium, heavy pan and brown pork with the rosemary sprig and cranberries all over to seal in the juices.

Heat the oven at high temperature 400 degrees (170C) ,pour the vegetable broth over the meat and roast pork together with cranberries and rosemary only 15 to 20 minutes or until just a hint of pink remains. During the roasting process, pour from time to time the mix of vegetable stock and meat juices over the fillet.

Transfer to a cutting board , remove rosemary and let rest for about 5 minutes  before cutting into slices.

Pour juices and cranberries from roasting pan into small sauce pan. Warm over slow heat.
If you prefer a richer sauce ,add some cream.
Serve with fresh,green broccoli and tagliatelle cooked al dente.
Serves 5 to 6.
Enjoy!
See you next week.
To receive new updates, do like us on Facebook. Thank You!

 https://www.facebook.com/TheAmbassadorsTable

read more...

Autunm Splendor In The Viennese Woods And A Visit ToThe Worlds Eldest Zoo

One of the luxuries of living in Vienna is that you just have to take the Public Transportation to reach the Viennese Woods where you can enjoy pure nature and hike to your hearts content.

Last weekend we were strolling through this splendid area that surrounds the city.

The light of a golden autumn day 

  and the soft rolling hills of the Viennese Woods creating spectacular views over the city.

The area is a well known as a wine lover destination

A sun clock from an old house in the Grinzing area, where people go to enjoy the new wine of the year, called " Heuriger"

Another fantastic experience for the young and the young at heart is a visit to the Schoenbrunn zoo.

It ocupies part of the park of the Austrian Emperor's summer residence and is the oldest zoo in the world.

The excursion is a unique experience where landscaping, baroque architecture and modern zoo projects blend in an unforgettable visit.

The perfect proportions of the baroque Palmenhaus, where tropical  palm trees and other plants were grown for the emperors delight.

The watchful elegance of a Gepard

 Siesta time in the lions house

Who is who in the zoo?

Hope you will have the opportunity to visit these sites someday, I'm sure you would enjoy it.
See you next week.
Follow me on Facebook!  And if you like this post, please like it on Facebook as well and share with your friends! 
https://www.facebook.com/TheAmbassadorsTable

read more...

Baked Camembert In A Box With Pear Chutney

 I don't know if that has happened to you as well, but lately I had problems with my comment box.
Several of my readers wrote me on FB that they were unable to comment because there was no comment box at the post page.
I'm really sorry for this inconvenience and want to thank them for trying and often insisting, sometimes successfully, sometimes not.
Thanks a million, I really appreciate it, comments are the soul food for all of us bloggers, the feedback that let us know your thoughts , suggestions and support.
The other issue was that after a certain amount of comments ( usually about 50) no other comments entered. I could read them by E-mail but they didn't appear on my post and I was unable to reply.
Suggestions or proposals for solutions are highly appreciated. :))

But now let's  go back to a much more pleasant subject.
As you may have noticed  when reading my last posts, I'm still a bit cheeseaholic and discovered a delightful recipe watching a cooking program on TV last week that presented baked Camembert in a box with crunchy crostini.
As I had some fresh pears at home, I thought it might be a good idea to prepare a pear chutney and pair it with the warm Camembert.
The result was delicious- the warm,melted Camembert with a mild Rosemary fragrance matched very well with the spicy sweetness of the Chutney.
A real danger on our table - we could have repeated once or twice sans regret! 

Here is what you need :
2 whole Camemberts in its box
1 clove of garlic, peeled and finely sliced
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 sprig Rosemary

For the pear chutney

1/4 cup of extra virgin olive oil
1/2 kg ripe but firm pears, cored and cut into 1/4 dices
1 tablespoon brown sugar (I didn't have brown sugar at hand so I used white granulated sugar, but I recommend brown sugar for this recipe)
1/2 cup cider vinegar
1 teaspoon freshly grated garlic
1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon nut meg
1 teaspoons brown or black mustard sheets
A good pinch of Tumeric or Saffron  to add color
1 sprig rosemary
Salt

Method:
Peel and grate the ginger, set aside.

Peel and core the pears, cut into medium dices.
Heat a large pan with the oil and add pears,ginger,garlic and rosemary.

Fry until pears soften slightly, than add the sugar, cloves, mustard sheets and nutmeg until fruits start to caramelize.
Add the cider vinegar, bring to a boil,turn down the heat and let simmer until most of the liquid has evaporated and begins to thicken.
Stir frequently during this process, so the pears won't stick.
Do not overcook, the pears should keep their shape.
Add Saffron or Tumeric, season with salt.

Remove Rosemary sprig. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Sprinkle with chopped rosemary.


Baked Camembert in a box.
Method:
Preheat the oven at 180C / 350F
Remove any plastic packaging from the cheese, put the camembert back in its box.

Cut off the top layer of the skin.
With the help of a knife, insert some rosemary tips and garlic slices.

Dizzle with olive oil.

 Bake in the hot oven for about 15 to 20 minutes or until the center of the cheese is melted.

Some cheesy leftovers from the baking tray ,mmh :)

 Decorate with rosemary sprigs and some dried cranberries.

Serves 2. Bon Appetit!
See you next week.
Follow me on Facebook!  And if you like this post, please like it on Facebook as well and share with your friends! 
https://www.facebook.com/TheAmbassadorsTable

read more...

Fall Delight: Easy Cheese Souflee

As you can see from my last post, I feel a bit cheese centric lately.
Probably it all started during our 8-year stay in Switzerland.
We lived 3 years in Geneva and 5 years in the country's capital, Bern.
From both places, we often made excursions to Gruyere, birthplace of the famous Gruyere Cheese.
There it's inevitable to visit the cheese factory which introduces visitors to the secrets of cheese manufacturing.
It's an experience for all senses, most of all for your sense of smell.
Either you love it or you hate it. 
I personally loved it but one of my boys hated cheese from this day on until now.
You never know!
This is how my interest in cheese started and I began to collect cheese-based recipes.
The different aromas and ingredients are amazing.
Cheese can be made of cows, goats,buffalo, sheep or camel milk (did I get all?)
It can range from mild, soft cheese to aged hard cheese and a huge variety of textures and flavors in between.

 My cheese soufflee is made from aged gouda but you can choose any shredded cheese of your liking and play a bit with the flavors.
I tried to keep the recipe very simple and easy. Preparing Souffle isn't as difficult as many people think.
The only trick is to serve it immediately if not it will sadly shrink to a Hobbit like appearance.

:(                                                                   :(                                                               :(                        

You need:

1/2 cup breadcrumbs
250 g  Quark light (or creamy cottage cheese)
4 egg yolks
80 g shredded aged Gouda
30 g corn starch
3 egg whites
Butter and breadcrumbs to grease the molds
Salt, freshly ground pepper and 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

Method:
Butter 4 soufflee dishes, than "dust" with breadcrumbs and remove the excess.

Heat oven at 160 C.
Put the forms in a large roasting tray, fill up to 2cm with hot water, enough to come up 1/3 way up their outside. 
Whisk the Quark with the egg yolks until creamy.

Add the cheese, mix well, then add the cornstarch, the bread crumbs,salt ,pepper and nutmeg.

Beat egg whites until stiff peaks form. Gently fold egg whites bit by bit into the cheese mixture.

Put the mixture in the molds.

Bake up to ...... or until puffed and golden. SERVE IMMEDIATELY.

As it tooked some time to take the picture, the souffle downsized already a bit. :)

Serves 4. Enjoy! See you next week.

Follow me on Facebook!  And if you like this post, please like it on Facebook as well and share with your friends! 

https://www.facebook.com/TheAmbassadorsTable

read more...