Banana-Walnut Muffins

 6 July 2021

Recipe from Cook's Illustrated, May 2021

I recently made corn muffins that, for several reasons, I preferred to corn bread. Not only did they taste good and have a good texture, but there were advantages in having single-serving sized portions ready to go. So when a recipe for banana-walnut muffins appeared I wondered if the same might be true, would these be a convenient form of banana bread?

The dry ingredients (bread flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt) were whisked together in a bowl. Six bananas were mashed then mixed with sugar, eggs, oil and vanilla extract. The flour mixture was added to the wet ingredients and whisked until combined. Chopped toasted walnuts were mixed in. The batter was portioned into twelve oiled muffin cups and the tops were sprinkled with sugar. These were baked at 425° until a toothpick inserted in the middle came out clean. Total time to prepare these muffins was just 50 minutes.

I may have used too much banana, I don't remember if I measured the mashed banana to see if there was 2 cups; since the bananas were not large I used 6 instead of the 4-5 large bananas listed in the recipe. The muffins were good but did not have as strong a banana flavor as my favorite banana bread. The sugar sprinkled on the tops almost overpowered the banana flavor. The muffins were good and very easy to make but they are not a replacement for my favorite banana bread.

Grilled Pork Tenderloin with Grilled Pineapple-Red Onion Salsa

 30 June 2021

Recipe from America's Test Kitchen

Our favorite pork tenderloin recipe is prepared in the oven featuring a maple glaze. I have written about this and many other recipes for this tender cut of meat and here is yet another. Our attraction to this cut may be in part because of its size. At one pound a whole pork tenderloin is just right for us for two meals and it is quick to cook.

I halved the published recipe which was for two tenderloins. Salt, sugar, cumin, and chile powder were combined and rubbed on the trimmed tenderloin. The recipe used chipotle chile powder, I substituted plain chile powder. The gas grill was preheated then two of the three burners were turned off. The tenderloin was placed on the hot side of the grill and cooked until all sides were well browned. The tenderloin was moved to the cool side of the grill and pineapple and red onion wedges that had been sprayed with vegetable oil were placed on the hot side, covered, and cooked until both sides were charred and softened.  The pork was cooked to 140°.  The tenderloins were tented with aluminum foil and rested. In the meantime the pineapple and onion were roughly chopped and added to a food processor. To this was added cilantro, jalapeño (seeds and ribs removed, in place of Serrano), lime juice, oil, and some of the spice mixture. This was processed until it was roughly chopped and then served with the tenderloin. Total time was 65 minutes.

The pork was good though maybe a little overcooked as it was a little chewy. The rub did not provide as much flavor as expected, but this was compensated by the very good salsa which was the best part of the dish. Even though I over processed it, resulting in a muddy, juicy salsa, we liked it very much. The flavor was dominated by the pineapple which went very well with the pork.

Broiled Chicken with Gravy

 23 June 2021

Recipe from Cook's Illustrated, January 2021

The last few months we've tried several new chicken recipes: skillet roasted chicken breasts and oven-fried chicken. We enjoyed both of these. Then the January 2021 issue of Cook's Illustrated introduced yet  another recipe promising a quick route to roast chicken and it comes with a great bonus: gravy . (There are probably no Test Kitchen dishes with more recipes than roast chicken.) Any meal that includes gravy is going to get my attention so deciding to try this roast chicken recipe was an easy decision.

A whole chicken was spatchcocked: the backbone was removed, the chicken was placed breast up on a cutting board and pressed down flat. Holes were poked in the skin with a paring knife. The chicken was rubbed with vegetable oil, seasoned with salt and pepper, and the legs were tied together. Oil was heated in a skillet, the chicken was placed in the skillet, skin side up, and transferred to the oven. The broiler was tuned on and the chicken was cooked until the breast registered 155°. This took 55 minutes. The gravy wa prepared while the chicken cooked. 1 cup chicken broth was cooked with giblets, back, and trimmings from the chicken until all of the liquid evaporated and a dark fond formed in the saucepan. Onion, carrot, celery, fresh parsley, and fresh thyme, and garlic were added and cooked until the onion was translucent. Dry white wine was added, the fond was scraped off the pan bottom, and the mixture was  brought to a simmer.  Additional chicken stock was added and brought to a simmer and cooked until reduced in volume by half. The stock was strained into a bowl. Butter was melted in the saucepan and flour was added and cooked to a deep golden brown. The stock was whisked into the roux, brought to a simmer, and cooked until thickened. Drippings from the chicken were added to the gravy after removing fat. The gravy was not done until well after the chicken had been removed from the oven. Total time was about 2 hours.

The chicken and the gravy were both good and this recipe is worth making again. Mise en place for the gravy should be done before the chicken is placed into the oven so the gravy is ready sooner. Also, some of the chicken skin scorched. It still taste good but the worst of the scorching could have been prevented by protecting the skin with aluminum foil.