One BIG Recipe: Weeknight Dinner

Difficulty:

1/5

Servings: 4

Ease of Preparation: Medium

Shopping List:

Pantry:	On hand:	Need (Minimum):	Yes/no:
Olive oil		1 cup (240 ml)
Salt		¼ cup (60 ml)
Black pepper		¼ cup (60 ml)
Preserved Lemon		1 tablespoon (15 ml)
Graham Cracker Crumbs		½ cup (120 ml)
Sugar		1 ¼ cups (300 ml)
Icing Sugar		½ cup (120 ml)
Vanilla Beans		2
Cornstarch		2 teaspoons (10 ml)
Vegetable Oil		¼ cup (60 ml)
Apple Cider Vinegar		1 cup (240 ml)
Ground Coriander		1 teaspoon (5 ml)
Farro		1 cup (240 ml)
White Wine		¼ cup (60 ml)
Garlic Powder		1 teaspoon (5 ml)
Dried Oregano		1 tablespoon (15 ml)

Dairy:
Eggs		4
Parmesan		1 ½ cups (350 ml)
Butter		5 tablespoons (75 ml)
Cream Cheese		8 ounces (240 ml)
Whipping Cream		1 cup (240 ml)

Bakery:
Whole-Grain Bread		4 slices

Produce:
Asparagus		3 bunches
Garlic		2 cloves
Blueberries		4 cups (950 ml)
Lemons		2
Thyme		1 sprig
Rosemary		1 sprig
Sage		1 sprig
Red Onion		1
Romanesco		1 head
Haricots Vert		1 ounce (28 g)
Snow/Snap Peas		1 ounce (28 g)
Zucchini		2-3
Parsley		3 tablespoons (45 ml)

Butcher:
Pork Tenderloin		1
Chicken Stock		3 ½ cups (880 ml)

Method:

Mise en Place

Start the Pork Tenderloin:
Set up an immersion circulator to 63 C (145.4 F)
Pat the pork tenderloin dry with paper towel and season well with salt and pepper.
Place the pork in a sous-vide bag along with the butter, garlic, thyme, rosemary, and sage.
Seal the bag and place in the immersion circulator for 1 hour.
Make the Crust for the Cheesecake:
In a bowl, combine the graham cracker crumbs, sugar and melted butter. Mix well to combine.
Press the crumbs tightly into the bottom of 3-4 mason jars.
Refrigerate the crust until firm, 10-15 minutes.
Cook the Farro:
Rinse the farro in cold running water, drain, then tip into a medium saucepan.
Add 3 cups (710 ml) of the vegetables stock to the farro, turn the heat to medium-high and bring to a simmer. Cover and allow to simmer for 30 minutes.
Cut the vegetables for the Succotash:
Slice the red onion
Cut the Romanesco into florets
Halve the green beans
Halve the snap peas
Trim the ends off the asparagus
Cut some asparagus for succotash, leave the rest aside for the Grilled Asparagus.
Dice the zucchini
Cook the Eggs for the Appetizer:
Carefully lower the eggs into the water of the immersion circulator, alongside the pork. Allow the eggs to cook for 40-45 minutes.
Make the Cheesecake Filling:
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, combine the cream cheese, icing sugar, and vanilla seeds.
Beat on low speed until fluffy, 5-7 minutes.
Spread the cream cheese mixture over the chilled crusts.
Cover with plastic wrap and chill thoroughly, 2-3 hours in the refrigerator or 30 minutes-1 hour in the freezer.

Get cookin’!

Begin checking the farro at the 30-minute mark. Once the grains are cooked to the level of tenderness you like, drain off any excess liquid and set aside to cool to room temperature.
Grill the Asparagus:
Preheat the grill to medium-high.
Drizzle asparagus with olive oil and season with salt.
Grill asparagus until charred and pliable, 4-6 minutes.
Remove the asparagus to a plate, allow to cool to room temperature, and refrigerate until just chilled, 15-20 minutes
Shave some Parmesan using a vegetable peeler for the Asparagus and grate some on a rasp for the Succotash.
Make the Blueberry Gastrique for the Pork:
In a heavy-bottomed, high-sided saucepan over medium-high heat, begin to melt the sugar. Add the water, and stir just enough to moisten the sugar, giving it the consistency of wet sand.
Once beginning to melt and caramelize around the edges, swirl the pan evenly to distribute the browning sugar. Continue until all the sugar has melted and turned amber.
Remove the pan from the heat, tilt away from you, and carefully add the vinegar, noting that the caramel will sputter and steam.
Once the mixture has calmed down, return the pan to medium heat, stirring and scraping any hardened sugar off the bottom.
Add the berries and continue cooking until they’ve broken down and the sauce has reached a syrupy consistency, 8-10 minutes.
Make the Blueberry Topping for the Cheesecake:
In a saucepan over medium heat, combine the blueberries and sugar. Stir continuously until the berries begin to release their juices, 3-4 minutes.
In a small bowl, whisk together the cornstarch, lemon juice, and water until smooth.
Drizzle the cornstarch mixture into the blueberries while stirring and continue to cook until thickened, 2-3 minutes more.
Begin Cooking the Succotash:
Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until just softened, 2 minutes.
Add the Romanesco and cook, stirring often, for 2-3 minutes. Add the white wine as needed to prevent scorching.
Add the beans, peas, asparagus, and zucchini, stirring to combine, and cook for another 2 minutes, until all the vegetables are beginning to soften, but still retain some crunch. Season with garlic powder, dried oregano, salt and pepper.
Add the cooked farro, breaking up any clumps with a wooden spoon. Stir to combine, continuing to add splashes of vegetable stock if needed.
Serve the Grilled Asparagus:

Grilled Asparagus with Sous Vide Egg

Grill each slice of bread until crispy and slightly charred, 1-2 minutes per side.
Rub the toasted bread vigorously with the garlic clove and reserve with the asparagus.
Place the bread on serving plates and top each with some of the asparagus.
Remove the eggs from the sous-vide bath and once just cool enough to handle, carefully crack the shells and release the just-cooked eggs onto the waiting asparagus.
Garnish each plate with Parmesan and preserved lemon and serve immediately.
Add the coriander powder to the Blueberry Gastrique, swirling to incorporate.
Transfer the sauce to a blender and blend until smooth
Return the sauce to the saucepan and keep warm until needed.

Take a break, sit down and enjoy…

Dinner time!

Whip the Cream for the Dessert and set aside in the refrigerator.
Serve the Succotash and Pork Tenderloin

Farro Succotash

Remove the bag of pork tenderloin from the immersion circulator.

Sous Vide Pork Tenderloin

Remove the pork from the bag and pat dry.
Heat a cast-iron pan over medium-high heat and add a drizzle of vegetable oil.
Sear the pork tenderloin until browned on all sides, 1-2 minutes per side.
Stir in ¼ cup (60 ml) of the grated cheese to the succotash.
Remove the pan from the heat. Spoon the succotash into a serving dish.
Garnish with chopped parsley, lemon juice, and the remaining cheese and serve immediately.
Transfer the browned pork to a cutting board and slice into long slices against the grain.
Fan the slices out on a serving plate, drizzle with Blueberry Gastrique and serve immediately.

Sit down and enjoy – great work!