Recipe(tried): Birthday Dinner - Brined Pork Tenderloin, St. Louis Salad, Hasselback Potatoes, Sauteed Carrots, Chocolate Budini, Caramel Sauce

We celebrated my Dad?s 76th birthday with a family get together and had the following dinner. I have brined chicken but not pork. It came out very juicy and tender and very flavorful.

Brined Pork Tenderloin
St. Louis Salad
Hasselback Potatoes
Saut ed Carrots
Chocolate Budini

Brined pork tenderloin

To make brine
Heat 1 cup of water to boiling in 1 qt Pyrex measuring bowl.
Dissolve 3T. Salt and 3T. Sugar in the hot water. Add 3 cups cold water to brine and refrigerate. Pour over 2 pork tenderloins in a Ziploc bag and refrigerate 6 hours. At the end of six hours rinse off meat and return to refrigerator if you are not going to cook immediately. Grill this to an internal temperature of 155 degrees F. You can add garlic or other flavorings if you like to the brine.

St. Louis Salad
Mixed greens
Provel rope cheese
Black olives
Tomatoes
Shaved red sweet onion slices
Zia?s sweet Italian salad dressing (sweet vinaigrette made with red wine vinegar) Toss with just enough to coat.

Hasselback Potatoes

Place a peeled medium potato in the hollow of a large wooden spoon, and began to slice it in 1/8 inch slices 'till about 1/2 inch from the end. The spoon prevents the knife from slicing all the way through the potato Preheat oven to 425 F

Butter an oven-proof dish. Place the potatoes side by side, cut side up, fanned open. Brush the potatoes with melted butter and sprinkle with salt and pepper. You can also add chopped onion and garlic if you like to the butter. If needed, brush again with melted butter after 30 minutes. About 15 minutes before they are baked, sprinkle with grated cheese and paprika. Total baking time--50 minutes or until tender. I have also substituted Parmesan cheese.

Carrots
Slice 2 pounds of carrots
Place in saut pan and add inch water. Bring to a boil and add
1 tsp chicken flavored ?better than bullion?
1/2 stick (1/4 cup) of butter
1 T. honey
Cook until tender and all the water is nearly evaporated.

Chocolate Budini --this is a great dessert because it can be made ahead and popped into the oven at the last minute. I got this from "The Baker's Dozen Cookbook," edited by Rick Rodgers. I just got this book and have made two recipes and both were excellent. (The other recipe I made was Vanilla peach Pie.) This is a sort of souffl /pudding-cake type recipe. It has a crisp crust and has a rich, smooth interior. It will rise and fall and crack.

6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
12 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into bits
3/4 cup sugar
Pinch fine (sea) salt
3 large eggs, separated, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 pint coffee or vanilla ice cream
Caramel sauce (recipe follows)
1/2 cup whole blanched almonds, toasted and coarsely chopped I substituted black walnuts, untoasted because it is my Dad?s favorite.

Position a rack in the lower third of the oven and heat to 375 degrees.

Melt the chocolate and butter with 6 tablespoons of sugar and the salt in a medium stainless-steel bowl placed in a skillet of hot, not simmering, water, stirring frequently. Remove from the heat and cool slightly. Whisk in the egg yolks and vanilla.

In a medium bowl combine egg whites and cream of tartar. Using a hand-held electric mixer on high speed, beat until soft peaks form. Add the remaining 6 tablespoons of sugar gradually, beating constantly, until the whites are stiff and glossy. Fold 1/4 of the beaten whites into the chocolate mixture to lighten it. Scrape the chocolate mixture into the bowl of whites and fold just until combined.

Divide the batter evenly among 6 12- to 16-ounce (or so) oven-proof serving dishes (the batter won't fill the bowl but will leave enough room for ice cream, sauce and almonds). Place the bowls on a large baking sheet. (The budini can be prepared up to 2 days ahead to this point, loosely covered and refrigerated.)

Bake until the budini are puffed with crusty, deeply cracked tops and a toothpick inserted in the centers comes out quite gooey, 20 to 25 minutes.
(The budini can be completely baked up to a day ahead, cooled, covered and refrigerated. To reheat, bake in a hot, 375-degree oven until puffed, about 10 minutes.)
Serve within 10 minutes (the puddings will sink as they cool), topping each serving with a scoop of ice cream, a spoonful of caramel sauce and some toasted almonds.
Serves 6. ***note(I think they are better if allowed to cool and set up a little.)

Caramel sauce

1/2 cup cold water
1 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup boiling water
1/2 cup heavy cream, at room temperature
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 tablespoon corn syrup

Pour the cold water into a heavy medium saucepan. Add the sugar and lemon juice and stir to dampen the sugar. Cover the pan and bring to a boil over medium heat, swirling the pan by the handle to help dissolve the sugar. Occasionally press a wet pastry brush against any sugar crystals that form on the inside of the pan to wash them back into the syrup.

Uncover the pan and increase the heat to medium-high. Cook until the caramel has colored to a deep red brown (about the color of an old penny). Being very careful to avoid splashes and steam (if you want, place a colander over the saucepan to act as a perforated lid), immediately pour the boiling water into the caramel. If the caramel hardens, whisk over low heat to dissolve.

Remove from the heat and whisk in cream. The mixture will bubble up, so be careful. Return to low heat and whisk until the hardened caramel dissolves. Add the butter and corn syrup and whisk until the sauce comes to a boil. Strain to remove any undissolved sugar crystals.
Whisk again before serving. Serve warm, at room temperature (if it is too thick for your taste, add a little cream and heat gently, stirring).

Makes 1 3/4 cups.