Bacon Wrapped Stuffed Pork Tenderloin

1-2 Pork Tenderloin (depending on size)
8-10 strips uncooked bacon
1 large Portobello mushrooms
roasted red pepper
4 slices provolone cheese

Slice the pork tenderloin down the center on a diagonal, cut 2 slices from the center about ½ inch, pound flat. Slice the rest of the pork tenderloin and pound flat so that you have 8 pieces. Pare up the pieces. Lay a piece on the cutting board and place mushroom, then cheese on top, then a couple of roasted red pepper slices, top with pork tenderloin. Wrap a slice of bacon around pork tenderloin, then going the opposite way wrap another piece of bacon, turn over and secure and tie up with butchers twine. Grill on direct heat until bacon is crisp, finish an additional 5 minutes on indirect heat. Serves 4.
Grilled Asparagus Salad

1 bunch of asparagus (about 1 pound)
1 ½ Tbls. diced red onion
4-5 slices prosciutto cut in julienne strips
2 Tbls. chopped roasted red pepper
1/2 cup diced parmesan cheese (or blue cheese)-room temp.

Wash and dry asparagus and break off woody part of the stem. Brush lightly with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Watch closely on grill and turn occasionally until all sides are charred (not burned). Cut into about 2 inch sections and toss with remaining ingredients and vinaigrette. Season with salt and pepper. Serve room temperature. Serves 4.



Vinaigrette:
1/3 cup of olive oil
½ Tbls. balsamic vinegar
½ Tbls. Dijon
S&P to taste
Whisk all ingredients together, toss with salad ingredients.


Cedar Planked Salmon with Portobello Mushroom Sauce

½ bunch green onions, diced
2 large portobello mushrooms, sliced
About ¼ cup oil for sautéing
3 Tbls. sesame oil
1 Tbls. fresh ginger, peeled and diced
¼ cup water
3 Tbls. soy sauce
2 tsp. cornstarch
2 Tbls. brown sugar

2 lb. salmon fillet; seasoned with salt and pepper

Sauté mushrooms in oil, season with salt and pepper, add green peppers just at the end and set aside.

Heat sesame oil and sauté ginger in a small skillet. Combine water, soy sauce, brown sugar and cornstarch, stir in and cook until sauce has thickened (taste for balance), add mushrooms and green onions.



Cedar Planked Salmon:
2 lb. salmon fillet, brushed with olive oil and seasoned with salt and pepper
1 cedar plank, rinsed and soaked in water for at least ½ hour or up to 4 hrs.
Prepare a medium fire in the grill. Place the plank on the grill and heat plank until toasted. Place the salmon on the plank, close the lid and grill until cooked through, about 8-10 minutes. Serves 4.








Key Lime Pie

Crust:
1 cup graham-cracker crumbs
3 Tbls. butter, melted and cooled
3 Tbls. sugar

Filling:
1 can (14 oz.) sweetened condensed milk
3 egg yolks
½ cup key lime juice

1 cup whipped cream
2-3 Tbls. powdered sugar
coconut toasted

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine graham-cracker crumbs, butter, and 3 Tbls. sugar in medium bowl, mix well. Press into a 9” pie plate, bake until lightly browned about 10 minutes. Let cool.

Combine milk, yolks and lime juice. Pour into pie crust. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes. Refrigerate until cool. Top with whip cream, garnish with lime slices.
As promised here is my recipe for Key Lime Pie, it is so easy. I like to use Nellie & Joe's Key West Lime Juice it pure lime juice, found at most grocery stores, it is great to have on hand and I also use it a lot in marinades. Let me hear from you on some ideas for next week. Enjoy!
This Sunday is Mother's Day and I am sharing with you my recipes that I have every year. Mother's Day is generally the start of soft shell crab season, soft shell crabs are blue crabs that have "molted" or lost their shell, so the entire crab is eaten. It is a very simple recipe so even if your hubby is not much of a cook I am sure it is something he could handle.

I think cobb salad, goes perfectly with the soft shell crab. If you don't know, the cobb salad was made popular by Bob Cobb who owned the famous Hollywood Brown Derby Restaurant back in the 1950's. I actually have The Brown Derby Restaurant book, great old photos of the stars and original recipes.

Mango's and blueberries are also in season. The blueberry buckle is my mother-in-law's recipe and is so good with the lemon sauce. Don't be intimidated by a mango, look for a soft one with a bit of color on the skin and remember they have a very large pit so just cut around it. Check out how to cut a mango on the link. Hope you enjoy the photos of them that I posted. Thank you to my friend Pam, we are having so much fun photographing the food for my upcoming cookbook. Hoping for late June, stay tuned...

Lastly, visit my friends shop Diamond Fresh Seafood in Lake Zurich to pick up your soft shell crabs (see link and call ahead).

Enjoy the beautiful weather and for those of you that have children, Happy Mother's Day!

Go Hawks!
Mango Salsa
2 ripe mangos; ¼ inch dice
1 avocado, diced
½ tsp. minced jalapeno
2Tbls. finely diced red pepper
2 Tbls. cilantro
2 Tbls. orange juice
2 Tbls. diced green onion
salt to taste

Combine all ingredients and toss gently. Serve with tortilla chips.


Cobb Salad
1 pint grape or cherry tomatoes; halved and s&p
1 head chopped iceberg lettuce, chopped
¼ cup corn
¾ cup diced red onion
1 large ripe avocado; diced
½ cup crushed tortilla chips (authentic quality)
6 slices cooked bacon; crumbled or about ¾ cup bought crumbled bacon
½ cup crumbled blue cheese


Toss salad ingredients together in a large bowl with dressing. Serves 4-6.

Dressing:
½ cup olive oil (extra virgin)
1 ½ Tbls. balsamic vinegar (aged)
1 tsp. dijon
salt and pepper to taste


Soft Shell Crabs a la Meuniere
1 cup all purpose flour
1 tsp. salt
½ tsp. pepper

8 soft shell crabs
8 tbls. canola oil
8 Tbls. butter
¼ cup flat leaf parsley
2 tsps. garlic
2 Tbls. capers
1 lemon


Mix flour, salt and pepper and put on a plate, dredge soft shell crabs in flour mixture. Heat oil in a sauté pan over medium high heat. Place flour coated crabs, back side down in oil and sauté until golden about 3 minutes per side (be careful because the crabs contain water in them and they may spatter.) Remove, add butter, garlic, parsley and lemon juice. Pour sauce over crabs.


Blueberry Buckle
¾ cup sugar
¼ cup canola oil
1 egg slightly beaten
½ cup milk
2 cups flour
2 tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. salt
1 cup blueberries

Crumb Mixture:
½ cup sugar
1/3 cup flour
½ tsp. cinnamon
¼ cup butter, softened

Grease 9x9 pan, flour lightly.
Mix together sugar, oil, egg; stir in milk.
Mix together flour, baking powder and salt; stir into sugar mixture carefully fold in blueberries. Pour into pan.
Mix together crumb mixture and sprinkle over batter.
Bake 45-50 minutes at 350.
Serve with Old Fashioned Lemon Sauce

Old Fashioned Lemon Sauce:
½ cup butter
1 cup sugar
¼ cup water
1 egg, well beaten
3 tbls. fresh lemon juice
1 tsp. lemon zest

Combine all ingredients in saucepan.
Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, just until mixture thickens. Serve warm.
 

Made by Lena