Pork Tenderloin with Indian Spiced Cherry and Rhubarb Chutney

Life has been a big bowl of cherries lately.

First there was simple yet chic Almond Panna Cotta with Glazed Cherries. Then there was homey, comforting Cherry-Apricot Cobbler with Buttermilk Biscuit Crust.

Today it's Pork Tenderloin with Indian Spiced Cherry and Rhubarb Chutney because I simply could not let cherry season pass without a savory recipe.

Cherries are surprisingly delicious in savory dishes. The key is to balance the cherry's sweet and tart flavors. So if you're using sweet cherries, then pair them with something sour, salty, spicy, or acidic. If you're using sour or tart cherries, then pair them with something sweet or salty.



Cherries are ideal for chutney because their inherent sweetness is enhanced with sharp green onions, acidic vinegar, and spicy seasonings. As for sweet cherries and tart rhubarb -- well you'll just have to try it to believe it.



Pork Tenderloin with Indian Spiced Cherry and Rhubarb Chutney
Serves 4
Print recipe only here.

How to pit a cherry:
Place the cherry on a cutting board. Place the flat side of your knife on the cherry and press gently until it splits. Open the cherry and remove the pit.

Chutney:
1 teaspoon canola oil
2 green onions, thinly sliced (about 1/4 cup)
1 red bell pepper, diced (about 1 cup)
1/2 cup rhubarb, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1 serrano chili, minced, with some seeds
1 cup fresh cherries, pitted and coarsely chopped
3 tablespoons cider vinegar
1/4 cup honey
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup orange juice
1 teaspoon orange zest
1 1/2 tablespoons fresh ginger, minced
1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds
1/2 teaspoon hot curry powder
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
salt, to taste

2 cups cooked grain of your choice, such as cous-cous, quinoa, or white rice

Pork:
1 1/4 pound pork tenderloin
Salt and pepper
2 teaspoons olive oil
2 teaspoons butter


To make the chutney, heat canola oil in a medium pot over medium-high heat. Saute green onions, red peppers, and rhubarb for 3 minutes, or until slightly softened. Add chili and cherries, cooking for an additional 2-3 minutes. Add the remaining ingredients (vinegar through cinnamon), and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low; simmer uncovered, until thick and reduced, about 30-35 minutes. Allow to cool before serving. Season with salt, to taste. (This chutney will keep for up to 2 weeks if refrigerated in an airtight container.)

Cut the tenderloin into medallions, and season with salt and pepper. Let stand for about 10 minutes.

In a large skillet over medium-high heat, melt 2 teaspoons olive oil and 2 teaspoons butter. Add the pork; cook for 3-4 minutes, until crispy and browned, then flip and cook until browned all over and just cooked through (the meat should be tender).

Place cooked grain on a platter, add cooked pork, and cover with warm fruit salsa. Serve immediately.


Since this dish uses cherries in an unusual way, I'm sending it to Simona of Briciole, this week's host of Weekend Herb Blogging, created by Kalyn of Kalyn's Kitchen. You can check out the new rules for WHB here, then send your entry to Simona.

You might also like:

Grilled Steak Tacos with Watermelon-Mango-Jicama Salsa





Grilled Shrimp Skewers with Fresh Pineapple Chutney





Pork Tenderloin with Strawberry-Mango Salsa





Shrimp Tacos with Citrus-Avocado Salsa





More tangy rhubarb chutneys:

• Johanna's Cheese Bites with Rhubarb and Chili Chutney
  
• Laura Rebecca's Grilled Ham Steaks with Rhubarb Chutney
• Lydia's Rhubarb Apricot Chutney
  
• Where I'm Cooking From's Spicy Rhubarb Chutney
  

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Triple Berry Rhubarb Crisp (and Why It's Not a Cobbler or a Crumble)

I never remember the difference between a crisp, a crumble, and a cobbler (not to mention brown bettys, slumps, or grunts).

Crisps, crumbles, and cobblers are all low-maintenance desserts made with seasonal fruits or berries that have the flavor of pie without the work of actually making one.

A crisp is made by mixing fruit of your choice with sugar and spices then topping it with a crisp mix made of butter and sugar and a binding agent such as flour or oatmeal.

A crumble is similar to a crisp. It's made by mixing fruit with sugar and spices and topping it with a streusel, a mixture of butter, sugar, flour, and nuts.

Cobblers take longer to make than crisps and crumbles because they have a dough-like crust. Some cobblers are made with enclosed crusts while others, like my Fresh Apricot and Cherry Cobbler with Buttermilk Biscuit Crust, are made with a biscuit topping.

So when I felt like having a rhubarb berry pie but didn't feel like making a pie crust, I made a crisp (aka a lazy Susan's pie). Since I prefer a highly textured crisp, I combined chewy oatmeal, crunchy nuts, and flaky coconut. Part of the crisp's beauty though is its versatility, so have fun experimenting with different fruit and crisp combinations until you find one that tickles your palate. Or just make this triple berry rhubarb crisp.



Tangy rhubarb is mellowed by succulent vine-ripened strawberries, blackberries, and raspberries for a satisfyingly sweet-tart dessert. Though it's effortless to make, it never fails to elicit smiles from guests who delight in the sugary fruit bubbling around the edges of the crisp.

It's delicious as is, but I don't need to tell you that adding a scoop of creamy vanilla ice cream doesn't hurt.

Triple Berry Rhubarb Crisp
Serves 6
Print recipe only here.

Crisp:
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup sweetened shredded coconut
1/4 cup chopped almonds or sliced almonds
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
4 tablespoons butter

Filling:
2 cups chopped rhubarb (about 1 pound), sliced into 1/2-inch thick pieces
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1 cup fresh strawberries, chopped
1 cup fresh blackberries
1 cup fresh raspberries
1 teaspoon fresh ginger, minced
2 tablespoons cornstarch dissolved in 3 tablespoons water
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Center a rack in the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F. Coat a 9-inch round pie dish with cooking spray.

To make the crisp, place the sugar, flour, oats, and coconut in a medium bowl, and using your hands, gently mix it, breaking up any large clumps. Add the almonds, cinnamon, and ground ginger. Toss gently. Pour melted butter evenly over the mixture, and gently stir with a spoon until well combined and moist.

To make the fruit filling, in a heavy bottomed saucepan over medium-high heat, add the rhubarb and allow to cook for 2-3 minutes (it will release water, so it won't burn). Add the sugars, berries, and ginger to the pan gently crushing the fruit with a fork or spoon. Once it reaches a boil, add the dissolved cornstarch. Return to a boil, whisking constantly, for 3-5 minutes, or until the mixture is thick. Turn off heat, and stir in the vanilla extract.

Pour the fruit filling into the prepared pie dish, and sprinkle the crisp mix evenly over the top. Bake for 45-55 minutes, or until the topping is golden and fruit filling is bubbling up around the edges. Allow to cool before serving. It's best served at room temperature or just slightly warm.

You might also like:

Fresh Apricot and Cherry Cobbler with Buttermilk Biscuit Crust





Fresh Cherry and Peach Upside-Down Cake





Mini Custards with Limoncello-Spiked Raspberry Sauce





Strawberry-Rhubarb Sponge Pudding





And a few more:

• Clotilde's Raspberry Rhubarb Grunt
• Glenna's Apple Brown Betty
  
• Half-Baked's Blueberry Nectarine Crisp
• Helen's Warm Berry Crumbles with Fromage Blanc Ice Cream
  

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Strawberry-Rhubarb Calzones

Last summer I shared a story about a red-eye that Jeff and I took from Los Angeles to Boston. I never slept a wink on the entire 2,760 mile journey thanks to the two meatballs behind me who yapped for five hours straight about sports.

Fortunately, I was on Jet Blue, so I watched The Food Network. Nigella Lawson's smooth, calming voice at 2 am was just what I needed. Of course a batch of her fluffy ricotta hotcakes would have been nice too, but I did make them as soon as we returned home.

After Nigella, I watched Michael Chiarello’s show for the first time. He was hosting a summer outdoor party and made – are you ready for this?—strawberry-rhubarb calzones! Now you know that I love calzones and strawberries and rhubarb, so even at 2:30 am, I was pretty excited.

After making these calzones for the last two weekends (I had to double-check the measurements), I must say they are brilliant.

They're made from traditional pizza dough that is topped with an egg wash and sprinkled with crystal sugar and savory anise seeds, giving it the flavor and texture of a sweet dough. Each bite reveals a warm, gooey, irresistibly sweet-tart filling. This calzone has it all.

I have adapted Michael's recipe below. Adding cornstarch helps thicken the fruit filling and makes it easier to stuff the calzones. You will likely have some leftover filling, which is a good thing--enjoy it in smoothies, on toast, or swirled into your morning oatmeal.

Strawberry-Rhubarb Calzones
Makes 4 calzones
Print recipe only here.

Filling:
1 1/4 cups sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch dissolved in 4 tablespoons water
1 1/2 pounds fresh rhubarb, sliced into 1-inch pieces (about 5 cups)
1 1/2 pints fresh strawberries, roughly chopped (about 3 cups)
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
2 tablespoons unsalted butter

Dough:
2 pounds store bought pizza dough or Food Blogga's basic pizza dough (it's fool proof!)
2 tablespoons turbinado sugar (sugar in the raw)
2 teaspoons anise seed
1 egg with a couple drops of water, lightly beaten, for egg wash

Add all filling ingredients (except strawberries) to a medium sauce pot and bring to a boil. (Rhubarb releases a lot of water when it cooks, so no liquid is necessary.) Reduce to a simmer for 5 minutes. Then add strawberries and simmer another 1-2 minutes. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours, so the filling has time to thicken.

The filling should have a thick, slightly jam-like consistency. If you find it's too watery, then simply strain it before adding it to the calzones. (But don't throw that sauce away! It's delicious.) A too-wet filling will make the calzone crust soggy.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

When the dough is ready, divide it in half, then cut each half into 2 pieces for a total of 4 calzones. Working on a lightly floured surface, roll one piece into a 8-10-inch oval. Sprinkle with half of the anise seed and sugar crystals and lightly roll them into the dough. Flip the dough over (sugar side down) and place about 1/2-3/4 of a cup of the strawberry rhubarb mixture a bit above the center of the oval (avoid over-stuffing the calzones, as the fruit mixture with leak out). Fold the dough to form a half-moon; seal the edges together by pressing down lightly. Then using your fingertips, fold the edge of the dough up, and pinch around the edge to create a seal. Brush the top and sides with the egg wash, sprinkle with remaining half of sugar and anise, and pierce the top a couple of times with a fork.

Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until the top is golden brown and the bottom is crisp. Let cool for 15-20 minutes before slicing. Eat warm or at room temperature.

Other delicious strawberry-rhubarb dishes that are tempting me:

• Alanna's cobbler
• Elise's terrine
  
• Pixie's jam

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Strawberries and Rhubarb; So Good, They're a National Holiday

You can’t eat rhubarb without strawberries. Sorry. That’s just the way it is. I don’t make the rules; somebody else does. In fact, June 9th has been designated National Strawberry-Rhubarb Pie Day. Check your office calendar; you might actually have the day off.

Growing up on the East Coast, I remember going over my great aunt Pauline’s, where she grew rhubarb along the side of her house. I also remember eating it raw, and scrunching my face up in satisfaction at its impossibly tart flavor. I loved it as a kid, and I still love it as an adult (but not raw, thanks). Just writing about eating raw rhubarb makes my teeth ache (of course it might just be my new whitening toothpaste).

I also remember carrying home bundles of rhubarb that my mom would transform into mouth-watering desserts, of which my family’s favorite was strawberry-rhubarb pie. There was always an exciting anticipation watching my mom roll out the dough, stew the fruit, and make the perfect lattice topping with sparkly sugar crystals on top. Although I would haved treasured a piece, I knew that I didn't have the time this weekend to make one. So, I settled on this easy-to-make, delicious-to-eat strawberry rhubarb sponge pudding.


Though California reigns supreme with many types of produce, it doesn’t offer a lot of tasty rhubarb. In fact, I have never seen it at the farmers’ market. So, I bought some at the supermarket. Though it tasted good, it lacked the crispness that is characteristic of freshly cut rhubarb from home.

Here is Jill Dupleix’s recipe for Rhubarb Sponge Pudding that was featured in the May 2007 issue of Bon Appetit. The only change I made to the recipe was adding strawberries, so I added it to the name as well. It was simple to make and had just the right sweet-tart combination I was desiring. I definitely recommend serving it with softly whipped cream, which cuts the richness of the cakey topping and adds a light, creamy smoothness to the texture. I would also recommend making it in two smaller baking dishes if you want to post on it. That way one can remain intact, and you can eat the other as you go. Not that I would ever do such a thing.

I’m submitting this to Meeta, the birthday girl, who has chosen "Big Birthday Bang!" for her Monthy Mingle. Children and adults would like this dessert, and it could be served in one large dish or in individual dishes.

Since June is also the beginning of swimwear season, you could lighten this recipe, by substituting Splenda for the sugar, Smart Balance for the butter, and low-fat milk for the whole milk. Then, you won’t have to worry about how you look in your birthday suit.

Strawberry Rhubarb Sponge Pudding
Print recipe only here.

1 1/3 pounds rhubarb, cut into 1-inch lengths (about 5 cups)
1 cup chopped fresh strawberries
1/3 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
2 tablespoons water

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons all purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 cup sugar
7 tablespoons butter, room temperature
2 large eggs
6 1/2 tablespoons whole milk

Softly whipped cream

Preheat oven to 375°F. Butter 11x7x2-inch baking dish. Place rhubarb pieces and berries in baking dish in even layer. Scatter brown sugar over and sprinkle with 2 tablespoons water.

Whisk flour and baking powder in small bowl to blend. Using electric mixer, beat sugar and butter in large bowl until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add eggs one at a time, beating well between additions. Fold in flour mixture in 3 additions alternately with milk in 2 additions, mixing just to blend after each addition. Spoon batter over rhubarb, smoothing top to cover.

Bake dessert until top is golden brown and toothpick inserted into center comes out clean, about 40 minutes. Cool at least 30 minutes and up to 1 hour. Serve warm with softly whipped cream. Makes 8 servings.

Finally, if you really want to bake a pie, then check out Elise's beautiful rhubarb-berry pie with instructions for creating the perfect lattice-top pie crust.

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