Wednesday, July 1, 2020

Dinner in French: My Recipes By Way of France by Melissa Clark


"I can't really speak French, but I cook in French." That's Melissa Clark. It's the merging of French cuisine with the food she grew up eating in Brooklyn that Clark has mastered, and it's that merging that is the core of Clark's cookbook, Dinner in French.


Dinner in French shares recipes for soups, quiches, tarts, savory pies, fish and shellfish, salads, eggs, cheese, chicken and other meats, vegetables, and after-dinner treats. I was especially taken with the recipes for Jam-Filled Sables, Crispy Duck Legs with Satsumas, French Onion Soup with Grilled Gruyere Sandwiches, Truffled Mac and Cheese, and Meyer Lemon Tart with Olive Oil and Fleur de Sel. I will make the Meyer Lemon Tart with Olive Oil and Fleur de Sel. Soon.

But I decided to start by trying Clark's Roasted Pork Loin with Rosemary.




ROASTED PORK LOIN WITH ROSEMARY

5 garlic cloves, finely grated or very finely minced
3 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary leaves
3 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme leaves
2 teaspoons whole-grain mustard, plus more for serving
1 3/4 teaspoons fine sea salt, plus more as needed
1 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
1 (2 1/2-3 pound) boneless pork loin
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 cup dry white wine
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, cubed
Chopped fresh fennel fronds or parsley, for serving


1. In a large bowl, stir together the garlic, rosemary, thyme, mustard, salt, and pepper. Rub the mixture all over the pork, cover, and refrigerate to marinate for at least 2 hours or up to overnight.

2. Heat the oven to 400 degrees F. Pat the pork dry and place it, fat-side down, in a large ovenproof skillet. Drizzle the roast with the oil. Roast for 25 minutes, then turn it over and roast until it reaches 135 degrees F on a meat thermometer, 15 to 25 minutes longer. Transfer the pork to a plate and tent it with foil.

3. Place the skillet over medium-high heat and whisk in the wine, scraping up the browned bits. Simmer until the liquid is reduced by half, about 1 minute, then add any juices from the plate holding the roast. Whisk in the butter, a little at a time, until the sauce emulsifies; then simmer until it has thickened, 1 minute. Taste and add more salt if needed.

4. To serve, thinly slice the pork. Drizzle the slices with the sauce and top them with the fennel fronds or parsley. Serve with whole-grain mustard on the side. 




For more wordless photos, go to Wordless Wednesday.

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28 comments:

  1. there's nothing like a good cookbook to make me hungry - yum!

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  2. That sounds absolutely lovely. If only we weren't vegetarians ๐Ÿคฃ๐Ÿ™‹‍♀️๐Ÿ

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  3. Your finished dish looks really delicious! I haven't seen that book, but you make it sound like she's really re-imagined classic French dishes in a very approachable way. I've enjoyed her writing as a columnist for the New York Times.

    be well... mae at maefood.blogspot.com

    be well... mae at maefood.blogspot.com

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  4. What a coincidence! I just printed out a recipe by Melissa Clark (Gingery Grilled Chicken Thighs with Charred Peaches) that sounds delicious. We love pork loin, so I'm going to add this recipe to my weekly menu. I do have a question. Did you use pork loin chops or a tenderloin? It looks like the uncooked pork is already sliced. The combination of those herbs and wine sound marvelous. Thanks for sharing this, Deb.

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    1. I used pork loin chops. I should have mentioned that in the post, I think. This is what I had. I also skipped the fennel seeds (didn't have these either).

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  5. My younger daughter is the creative cook in my family and is always up for another cookbook. I'll have to mention this one to her. She is a real devotee of Julia Child's French cooking and would probably like this.

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    1. This author is good at simplifying recipes while retaining the elements that add character to the food.

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  6. Really that type of blog posts with too nice pictures of food should be banned. This is pure torture, lol!!

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  7. This looks good beyond any expectation. I do like Melissa Clark's recipes from the NYTimes but didn't know she had the cookbook. I might well be making pork tenderloin this week and I suspect I could do the same thing, more or less. Thanks for sharing the recipe, too.

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    1. I would have to say that this is one of the best meals I've ever made.

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  8. Makes you hungry just reading this.

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  9. Goodness, this is a cookbook I need to read. Great meal, lovely recipes.

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  10. Truffled mac and cheese? Meyer Lemon Tart? Both sound so amazing!

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  11. I love the concept of "cooking" in French so clever. Being vegan, French cooking doesn't always work well for me- but I'm glad you enjoyed your recipe.

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  12. I'm going to look out for this book. Thanks

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  13. The pork loin looks delicious. WE are planning pork chops this week but we could use these flavours as inspiration.

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  14. I love the recipes by Melissa Clark, I see them in the New York Times all the time. Delicious.

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  15. Going for that book! Your pork loin looks yummy, and I've saved the recipe to make soon.

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  16. mmmmm you are making me hunger. off to the kitchen :-)
    sherry @ fundinmental

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  17. Copied this recipe down. Thanks!

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