Spring Has Sprung at B&O American Brasserie

There's a new chef at B&O American Brasserie: Matthew Kane, who has been at B&O since its 2010 opening. A native Marylander, Kane plans on taking the restaurant back to its brasserie roots. His first menu in that direction features hearty, comforting fare like bone marrow and pork tenderloin combined with seasonal ingredients like ramps and fiddleheads, making a perfect transition from snowy winter into the welcome spring.

I was invited to a media sampling of some of Chef Kane's dishes, presented with a selection of master mixologist Brendan Dorr's cocktail wizardry. Standouts on the menu include Kane's brussels sprouts with a mustard crème fraîche (inspired by a version at Geoffrey Zakarian's now-closed South Beach restaurant, Tudor House), the lovely duck and pork terrine found on that night's house charcuterie platter, and a duo of rabbit that included speck-wrapped loin and rabbit-filled agnolotti. (I don't even like rabbit, but wanted more of this dish!)

We tried five of Dorr's drinks, from a near-classic daiquiri (E.M.H. Daquiri) and lighter version of a Manhattan (Perfect Age) to a lovely tart gin-and-cucumber cooler (Morning Dew), a smoky Mezcal-based bevvie (Burro Mexicano) and a dessert-like Brandy Alexander. I am hard-pressed to name a favorite, although the Perfect Age was really quite nice. Heck, they all were.

So...get thineselves to B&O and taste some of the new stuff.

Forgive my blurry photos...but enjoy the slideshow nonetheless.

B&O American Brasserie
2 North Charles Street
Baltimore, MD 21201
443.692.6172
http://www.bandorestaurant.com/



Posted on Minxeats.com.

Meyer Lemon Salsa

Up until this point, I had never tasted a Meyer lemon. I had read about them repeatedly, how they were sweeter and less tangy than regular lemons, but hadn't even seen them in the store. Then, on a recent trip to Wegman's, I discovered bags of the fruits in their voluminous produce department and tossed one in the cart.

Now the question was: What to do with five Meyer lemons? 

The rind of Lemon One went into both an apple galette and a garnish for some Parisian gnocchi I made for dinner one night. Another piece of that rind went into the bag I used to sous vide some pork tenderloins, along with salt, pepper, and pinches of onion and garlic powder. The flesh of the lemon was squeezed into a glass of mighty tasty Meyer lemonade.

That left four Meyer lemons. I consulted this LA Times list, "100 Things to do with a Meyer lemon," which encouraged me to find Suzanne Goin's recipe for Meyer lemon salsa. I found an adapted version, which I adapted further. You know, because I can't ever follow a recipe to the letter...I have to make everything mine. 

Goin's salsa recipe, kind of a gremolata on steroids, calls for raw shallot, which is macerated in Champagne vinegar for a few minutes before adding the other ingredients. I felt the combination might be too sharp, so I cooked the shallot until just translucent. The combination of shallot, lemon, and a ton of parsley was delicious, and perfect with the subtly lemon-infused flavors of the fork-tender 135° pork tenderloin.

There are two lemons left. Any suggestions?

Meyer Lemon Salsa
Adapted from Sunday Suppers at Lucques by Suzanne Goin

2 tablespoons finely diced shallot
olive oil
2 large Meyer lemons
1/2 cup green olives pitted and chopped
4 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley, chopped
1 1/2 teaspoons champagne vinegar
1 teaspoon agave syrup or honey
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Cook shallot in a tiny bit of olive oil until translucent. Remove from heat and allow to cool to room temperature.

Remove both ends from the lemon and cut the remaining part, including peel, into small dice. Put in a bowl with the olives, parsley, and cooled shallot.

Whisk together the vinegar, agave syrup, and olive oil. Toss with lemon mixture. Taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper.



Posted on Minxeats.com.

Brussels Sprout Hash

In the same week I spotted this recipe for brussels sprout hash at Serious Eats, we purchased a tree-trunk-sized branch o' brussels sprouts at the supermarket. There are a lot of sprouts on one of those branches, and while I really didn't want to be eating them every night for a week, it was a much better deal than purchasing one of those little cups of sprouts or buying them loose (6x as many sprouts for $2 more).

Since I had decided that hash was a fine idea, I pushed the whole lot of them through the shredding blade on the food processor. Half of them were put into a freezer bag and tucked away for another time, and the rest went into a large saute pan with a mess of onions and some olive oil. I thought that bacon would be a great addition to the hash, but as we didn't have any, I had to find an alternative.

Meanwhile, I popped a couple of pork tenderloins in the SousVide Supreme. Mr Minx had suggested that I use Asian flavors on the pork. I knew there would be leftovers, so to keep the meat somewhat neutrally-flavored, I seasoned them fairly simply with tons of garlic, a good tablespoon or so of freshly grated ginger, and an equal amount of gochugaru (Korean pepper flakes). That way, we could eat the leftovers as tacos or in a pasta sauce as well as fried rice or a stir fry. I also made a simple dipping sauce for the meat with soy sauce, sesame oil, and sesame seeds.

Because I was now leaning in a vaguely-Asian direction, I chopped up some Chinese sausage and fried it until crispy. When the hash was cooked, I stirred in the sausage.

Eventually, all of the elements came together. After five hours of cooking at 135F, the pork was lightly pink inside and extremely juicy and tender. The garlic and ginger flavor had permeated the meat, and even the flavor of the gochugaru (although not the heat - it's a fairly mild pepper) was obvious. The hash was delicious - it reminded me a bit of sauerkraut in texture, although of course it was not sour - and would make a really nice accompaniment to a holiday turkey dinner. We rounded out the meal with some mashed potatoes, and a simple salad of julienned apple seasoned with several tablespoons of lemon juice.

There were leftover sprouts, which we ate the next morning topped with fried eggs, in a variation of the Serious Eats recipe.

Brussels Sprouts Hash

1 cup sliced onion
olive oil
pinch salt
2 Chinese sausages, skinned, quartered, and sliced
3 cups finely shredded brussels sprouts (about 1 lb), rinsed and drained
salt and pepper to taste

In a large saute pan set over medium heat, cook onion in a tablespoon of olive oil and a pinch of salt until soft and starting to brown. Remove onions from pan and add sausage. Turn up heat and cook sausage, stirring regularly, until sizzling and brown. Remove sausage from pan and set aside.

Return onions to pan. Add brussels sprouts and an additional tablespoon of olive oil. Stir well, then cover pan and turn heat down to medium. Cook until sprouts have wilted and softened, stirring occasionally. Taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper.

Serve topped with reserved Chinese sausage.

Serves 4.

Posted on Minxeats.com.

Sous Vide Pork Tenderloin

Looks good, huh? Pork tenderloins cooked to a perfect 135F. Fork tender, deliciously garlicky all the way through. Couldn't have done it without my SousVide Supreme!

The pork was marinated overnight in a mixture of 1/4 cup soy, 3 T Worcestershire, and 4 cloves of garlic, minced. The next day, after preheating the water oven to 135F, I wiped the tenderloins dry, sealed them in a vacuum bag, and cooked them for 4 hours. Just before we were ready to eat, I removed them from the bag and seared them in olive oil so they didn't look like naked piglets.

Slice, serve, and enjoy.

Posted on Minxeats.com.

Smoked Pork Tenderloin

Some years ago, my generous and thoughtful brother gifted us with a stovetop smoker and a bag of mesquite chips. The smoker sat, unused and unopened, on a shelf for a very long time because we were afraid of filling the house with smoke, setting off the alarm, and possibly burning down the house. The mesquite chips, however, were occasionally put to good use on the grill outside, which Mr Minx always arranges as far from the house as possible. (Yes, we are cautious people; you will not catch us deep-frying turkeys anytime soon.)

Then the February issue of Food & Wine arrived and I spotted a recipe for pork tenderloins that required a whopping 40 seconds in a stovetop smoker. After some consideration, I decided that having the smoker in action for such a short amount of time couldn't possibly burn the house down, and fetched it from its basement banishment.

Reading the directions that came with the smoker went a long way in reassuring us that using it wasn't a dangerous procedure.

After putting in two tablespoons of the hickory "chips" (it was more like dust) that came with the smoker, it went over two burners on our stove. In went two pork tenderloins that had been given a quick rub with a random mixture of salt, brown sugar, cayenne, paprika, and onion and garlic powders. Once smoke started to rise, the smoker was closed securely and allowed to work its magic on the meat. Mr Minx and I both felt that 40 seconds was far too short a time to make a difference in the flavor of the pork, so we left it in for ten minutes. I know - bold. Allowing the smoker to cool down off the heat for a few minutes while I walked the dog made for a smoke-free reveal of two pork tenderloins that looked pretty much exactly the same as before their smoky bath.

I finished the tenderloins by browning them all over in an oven-proof skillet, then cooking them at 375F for about 25 minutes. In the meantime, I made a side dish of buttered quinoa and warmed up some of the black barbecue sauce I had prepared earlier in the day.

The smoke flavors were very subtle, a little hidden by the sauce. Now that I know it's a safe procedure, I'll try a longer time for my next smoking experiment. I'm thinking spare ribs for Super Bowl Sunday....

A Pork Tenderloin Weekend

Normally, when I open up a package of pork tenderloins, I prepare them both in the same way at the same time. But this weekend I decided to make them differently and serve one on Saturday and one on Sunday.

Saturday's tenderloin was rolled in a rub of salt, coriander, paprika, pepper, and onion powder. After a quick sear, I put it in the oven at 300F for about 30 minutes, until an instant read thermometer showed the internal temperature to be 140F. It was served with a mash of potatoes and parsnips, asparagus, and a maple mustard cream sauce.

The cream sauce was so good, and there's so much left over, I think we're going to use it to gussy up some hot dogs later in the week. If it seems too fancy for hot dogs, just imagine the taste of onions and mustard together and tell me that doesn't make you think of a plump and juicy all-beef frank. :)

Maple Mustard Cream Sauce

1 small onion, chopped

extra virgin olive oil

salt

3 tablespoons maple syrup

2 tablespoons spicy brown mustard

1 tablespoon heavy cream

pinch of cayenne

freshly ground pepper

Sauté the onion in a bit of oil and salt until it's nicely browned and translucent. Remove from heat and stir in the maple syrup and mustard (more or less to taste). I used a stick blender to smush everything to a near-puree, but if you like the onion chunks, you can skip that step. Add cream and peppers and stir until all is incorporated. Spoon over protein of choice.

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On Sunday, I sliced up the remaining raw tenderloin, pounded it thin (breaking the ancient plastic tenderizing mallet in the process) and made pork "Parmesan." I used Progresso Italian bread crumbs and panko for the breading, sauced it with leftover tomato sauce, and topped it with shredded colby jack (because that's what we had in the fridge). Mr Minx had it with leftover linguine, and I had it with a bit of bread and butter. It was really good - crispy on the outside, tender on the inside. The sauce was spicy and the cheese just gooey enough. And considering I had a head cold, completely delicious.