It was 1974, I was thirteen, and we were in Pensacola, on a typical family vacation in the Florida panhandle. Each year we would make several extended summer weekend trips to Navarre Beach, Santa Rosa Island, and other coastal Florida beach cities such as Panama City, Destin, Fort Walton,and Pensacola. And at just four to five hours drive time from New Orleans, the Pensacola area was our favorite weekend getaway to paradise.
Florida
On one of our summer trips we spent the day in old downtown Pensacola and ate lunch at the Bean and Leaf, a quiet little coffee, tea, and sandwich joint. I ordered the Reuben Sandwich and this was quite an adventure for a 13-year old, I fell in love and it has been a happy marriage ever since. I am not sure if this restaurant still exists, several Internet searches found one location on Bayou Blvd in Pensacola, FL, but it cannot be confirmed.
Corned Beef Sliced
The classic Reuben starts with rye bread, buttered on one side and then grilled on the flat top or hot skillet, then a dollop of Thousand Island dressing is smeared on the exposed side and several slices of corned beef are added to this, the quantity of slices is entirely up to the maker, but in this case we are portioning four ounces per sandwich. I have seen some where the meat is piled so high and thick it could be more than a pound of the thinly sliced morsels. Then the drained sauerkraut is gently arranged evenly over the corned beef and then Swiss cheese gets topped, finished with one more slice of rye bread that has been smeared with Thousand Island dressing on the inside and buttered on the outside.
Once the bottom slice is nice and toasted the whole sandwich is flipped and the other side is toasted. Once the toasting is nice and browned and the Swiss cheese is melted the sandwich is done.
There are variations of course in the way the Reuben sandwich is prepared, some use pastrami, some use other dressings such as a horseradish based sauce, others use various other soft and medium flavored cheeses. Here is an example of one that we ate at one of the deli shops at the Terminal Market in Philadelphia, PA on our trip on May of 2010.
Grilled Reuben Sandwich
The Step-By-Step
Step 1. Butter one side each slice of rye bread, then place the buttered side down on the hot flat top or heated skillet.
Rye Bread Grilling
Step 2. Spread ½ tbsp of the Thousand island dressing onto each of the top sides of rye bread.
Rye Bread 1000 Isle Spread
Step 3. Add four ounces of the corned beef evenly on each of the rye bread slices.
Corned Beef Added to Rye Bread
Step 4. Evenly and gently add ¼ cup of the sauerkraut on top of each sandwich and the corned beef slices.
Sauerkraut on top of each sandwich and the corned beef slices
Step 5. Add one slice of Swiss cheese to each sandwich.
Add one slice of Swiss cheese to each sandwich
Step 6. Spread ½ tbsp of the Thousand island dressing onto one side of each of the remaining slices of rye bread. Then place the slices with the dressed sides down. Then butter the top sides of the remaining rye bread.
Toasting the Reuben
Step 7. When the bottom rye bread is nice and grilled, use a flat spatula to flip the sandwich and grill the other side. The sandwich is done when both sides are grilled nicely to golden brown and the cheese has melted.
Reuben Grilled Both Sides
What you will need…
Ingredients
8
Slices
Rye bread
2
Tbsp
Butter
4
Tbsp
Thousand Island dressing
1
Lb.
Corned beef, cooked, sliced thin
1
Cup
Sauerkraut, drained
4
Slices
Swiss cheese
Procedure Steps:
1.
Butter one side each slice of rye bread, then place the buttered side down on the hot flat top or heated skillet.
2.
Spread ½ tbsp of the Thousand island dressing onto each of the top sides of rye bread.
3.
Add four ounces of the corned beef evenly on each of the rye bread slices.
4.
Evenly and gently add ¼ cup of the sauerkraut on top of each sandwich and the corned beef slices.
5.
Add one slice of Swiss cheese to each sandwich.
6.
Spread ½ tbsp of the Thousand island dressing onto one side of each of the remaining slices of rye bread. Then place the slices with the dressed sides down. Then butter the top sides of the remaining rye bread.
7.
When the bottom rye bread is nice and grilled, use a flat spatula to flip the sandwich and grill the other side. The sandwich is done when both sides are grilled nicely to golden brown and the cheese has melted.
To Serve: Transfer the grilled sandwiches to a serving plate and cut in half. Serve with a kosher dill pickle wedge if desired.
In this technique I will demonstrate preparing your typical corned beef, with several options and variations. For example, corned beef and cabbage is a very popular dish around the end of year holidays and for Saint Patrick’s’ Day as well. And then there is the New England Boiled Dinner, which includes the corned beef and cabbage along with potatoes, onions, and carrots. Other ways of preparing corned beef include baking in the oven, or grilling on the barbecue pit, or microwave, I am not going to demonstrate these techniques however, and you will never find me using a microwave to prepare a dish such as this one.
Corned beef and cabbage
The most popular way of cooking corned beef is with the boiling method, simply adding the corned beef, the juice, and if there is a spice packet, adding it to a large enough pot and covering all this with about an inch or so of water. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer, cover and allow to cook for about 2 ½ to 3 hours, or until fork tender, or an internal temperature of 160° F is reached.
If you are going to make the corn beef into the traditional New England Boiled dinner, then during the last 45 minutes of cooking you would add the potatoes, carrots, and onions, and bring back to a simmer. If you wanted to add cabbage, add it at the last 20 to 30 minutes of cooking. That simple!
New England Boiled dinner with Horseradish sauce, and some cabbage.
When you are ready to serve, allow the corned beef to rest for about 20 minutes, and then slice it across the grain into thin pieces. It also makes for a great Reuben sandwich, and I love making them with leftover corned beef.
Corned beef also tastes great with a horseradish sauce, so I have also included a quick to fix version of that sauce as well.
The Step-By-Step
Step 1. Place the corned beef with the fat side up, the juices, spice packet, and bay leaves into a large pot. Cover with enough water to just over 1 inch or so over the corned beef. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer and cover. Allow to simmer for about 2 ½ to 3 hours or until fork tender and internal temperature of at least 160° F is reached.
Corned beef boiling
Step 2. For a New England Boiled Dinner, with about 45 minutes remaining for the corned beef add the onions, potatoes, and carrots. Bring back to a boil and simmer until corned beef is cooked.
Add the onions, potatoes, and carrots
Step 3. For cabbage, add the quartered cabbage with about 20 to 30 minutes remaining cooking time for the beef. Bring back to a boil, cover, and simmer until beef is cooked.
Add the quartered cabbage
Step 4. Remove corned beef from the boil, and allow to rest for 20 minutes.
Step 5. For the sauce, combine the mayonnaise, horseradish, and mustard in a small bowl and mix well.
Mustard, Blue Plate mayonnaise, and prepared horseradish.
Horseradish Sauce
What you will need…
Ingredients
1
5 Lb.
Corned beef
1
Packet
Spices
2
Quarts
Water
3
Each
Bay leaves
1
Large
Onion, chopped
2
Lb.
Potatoes, cubed
3
Large
Carrots, chopped
1
Head
Cabbage, quartered
For the sauce
½
Cup
Mayonnaise
1
Tbsp
Prepared horseradish
2
Tsp
Coarse mustard
Procedure Steps:
1.
Place the corned beef with the fat side up, the juices, spice packet, and bay leaves into a large pot. Cover with enough water to just over 1 inch or so over the corned beef. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer and cover. Allow to simmer for about 2 ½ to 3 hours or until fork tender and internal temperature of at least 160° F is reached.
2.
For a New England Boiled Dinner, with about 45 minutes remaining for the corned beef add the onions, potatoes, and carrots. Bring back to a boil and simmer until corned beef is cooked.
3.
For cabbage, add the quartered cabbage with about 20 to 30 minutes remaining cooking time for the beef. Bring back to a boil, cover, and simmer until beef is cooked.
4.
Remove corned beef from the boil, and allow to rest for 20 minutes.
5.
For the sauce, combine the mayonnaise, horseradish, and mustard in a small bowl and mix well.
To Serve: Slice into thin pieces and across the grain for tender texture.
Herb Roasted Pork Tenderloin with Peach Glaze sliced and ready to serve.
There is something about the way pork and fruity sweetness meld into a perfect taste sensation. Fruit glazes are nothing new, and combining them with pork is as old as the hills, so why do it again? Because it has stood the test of time and is just as great today as it was 25 years ago.
Pork recipes abound with various and sundry combinations and permutations including being prepared stuffed, or glazed with apples, peaches, apricots, raisins, oranges, pomegranate, sage, brandy, calvados, cornbread, root beer, and the alternatives are endless. In this recipe the pan seared and roasted pork tenderloin is finished with a peach preserve which is combined along with some Grand Marnier liquor deglaze and reduction for the finishing glaze.
The average pork tenderloin weighs just over one pound, give or take a few ounces here and there and when cooked will yield approximately four servings of four ounces each. To be sure how much you will need, it is a good rule of thumb to know the weight of the product in the raw state, and then factor your yield from the starting weight. The weight loss after cooking depends on several factors, including time and temperature, procedures, and resting periods. This particular preparation results in minimal weight loss, therefore a higher end yield of product. There will be some shrinkage during the cooking process, but the initial sauté pan searing and then resting after the roasting period aids in retaining most of the original juices and therefore more of the original weight of the pork tenderloin.
Yield Test – restaurant lingo
In the restaurant business there is what is known as the “Yield Test”, and in particular it is used in the butchering department to determine the actual useable raw meat after it has been broken down into its final preparation state. For example, many restaurants and large hotels make their own ground beef, and this requires purchasing large sides of beef or rounds of beef, for example top round or bottom round. The price per pound is much less for these larger cuts of beef, however, once they are trimmed of the bones, fat, silver skin, sinew, and blood, the usable portion of beef is much smaller, therefore, the price per pound of usable product goes up. The usable portion of the end product is the final yield, and you want to ensure that your yield is as high as it can be because you want to capture every penny.
A difference of ten cents per pound in yield can seem like penny’s on the dollar, but when you factor in that you are going through thousands of pounds of beef a week, those dimes add up to a huge savings, or loss, depending on your final yield.
A video short….
The Step-By-Step
Step 1. Preheat oven to 350° F. Heat a sauté pan and add the olive oil, then cook the onions, celery, and carrots (mirepoix) until soft. Using a slotted spoon transfer the mirepoix into a roasting pan and spread into one layer, and then set aside. Save the sauté pan and remaining olive oil for later use.
Sauté the mirepoix (onions, celery, carrots) until soft.
Sautéd mirepoix in the roasting pan.
Step 2. Trim any excess fat and silver skin from the tenderloin. Tie and lash up the tenderloin with a long stretch of kitchen string to create a uniform sized piece of meat. Season the tenderloin with the garlic salt, black pepper, and Italian seasonings on all sides.
Pork tenderloin ready to trim off the fat and silver skin.
Pork tenderloin tied with kitchen string.
Step 3. Heat the sauté pan and brown the pork tenderloin on all sides. Once browned well, transfer the tenderloin to the roasting pan with the mirepoix, and then place into the preheated oven for 45 minutes or until an internal temperature of 160° F is measured with a meat thermometer placed into the thickest part of the meat.
Pork tenderloin herbed crust and pan seared.
Pork tenderloin ready to roast.
Step 4. While the tenderloin is in the oven, deglaze the sauté pan with the Grand Marnier, and using a wooden spoon scrape the debris from the pan. Once the liquor has reduced by ½ add the peach preserves, reduce heat to low and stir in the preserves until smooth. Turn off the heat and reserve the glaze.
Step 5. Once the tenderloin is done, remove from the oven and allow resting for 20 minutes. Using kitchen shears remove the kitchen string from the tenderloin and then evenly brush on the peach glaze. Slice into ¼-inch slices, or about 20 even slices per tenderloin.
Glazed and sliced pork tenderloin.
Pork tenderloin served.
What you will need…
Ingredients
1
Tbsp
Olive oil
2
Cups
Onions, large dice
1
Cup
Celery, large dice
2
Cups
Carrots, large dice
18
Ounce
Pork tenderloin
1
Yard
Kitchen string
1
Tsp
Garlic salt
1
Tsp
Black peppercorns, fresh ground
1
Tsp
Italian seasoning
½
Cup
Grand Marnier, or orange liquor
½
Cup
Peach preserves
Procedure Steps:
1.
Preheat oven to 350° F. Heat a sauté pan and add the olive oil, then cook the onions, celery, and carrots (mirepoix) until soft. Using a slotted spoon transfer the mirepoix into a roasting pan and spread into one layer, and then set aside. Save the sauté pan and remaining olive oil for later use.
2.
Trim any excess fat and silver skin from the tenderloin. Tie and lash up the tenderloin with a long stretch of kitchen string to create a uniform sized piece of meat. Season the tenderloin with the garlic salt, black pepper, and Italian seasonings on all sides.
3.
Heat the sauté pan and brown the pork tenderloin on all sides. Once browned well, transfer the tenderloin to the roasting pan with the mirepoix, and then place into the preheated oven for 45 minutes or until an internal temperature of 160° F is measured with a meat thermometer placed into the thickest part of the meat.
4.
While the tenderloin is in the oven, deglaze the sauté pan with the Grand Marnier, and using a wooden spoon scrape the debris from the pan. Once the liquor has reduced by ½ add the peach preserves, reduce heat to low and stir in the preserves until smooth. Turn off the heat and reserve the glaze.
5.
Once the tenderloin is done, remove from the oven and allow resting for 20 minutes. Using kitchen shears remove the kitchen string from the tenderloin and then evenly brush on the peach glaze. Slice into ¼-inch slices, or about 20 even slices per tenderloin.
To Serve: Portion 4-ounces of sliced pork tenderloin for each plate. Serve with your favorite side dishes.
A delightful cookie bar here, and another one included in our new family Christmas Cookie tradition. This reminds me of a similar preparation, an apple crisp hot dessert recipe that featured sweetened oatmeal crumble topping and we served as a restaurant menu special with a la mode ice cream of course.
Yet, these cranberry crisp bars are served at room temperature; however, I am sure that if one was to warm up a bar or two and add a scoop of ice cream, it would be a great sweet tooth treat indeed!
The Step-By-Step
Step 1. Preheat oven to 350° F. In a large mixing bowl combine the butter and brown sugar until well incorporated. In a separate bowl combine the 2 cups oatmeal, 1 ½ cups flour, and 1 tsp baking soda. Then add the dry ingredients to the wet and stir well until crumbly texture.
Add the oatmeal to the brown sugar butter mixture
The oatmeal crust and crumble coming together
The oatmeal crust and crumble dough
Step 2. Take half of the mixture and press it into the bottom of an un-greased 13×9-inch pan. Bake in the oven for about 15 to 20 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown.
Press half the crumble dough into pan for bottom crust
Step 3. While the crust is in the oven, make the filling in another bowl by combining the dried cranberries, sour cream, granulated sugar, 2 Tablespoons flour, lemon zest, vanilla extract and the egg. Mix well and pour this into the browned crust, spreading evenly in one layer. Sprinkle the remaining oatmeal mixture evenly over the filling creating the crumble topping.
Sour cream and dried cranberries
Adding the flour, sugar, lemon zest
Adding in the vanilla extract
Pouring in the whipped eggs
Mixing the filing together
The browned bottom crust
Adding the filling to the browned bottom crust
Spreading the filling evenly throughout the pan
Sprinkling an even layer of oatmeal crumble for the topping crust
Step 4. Bake this in the oven for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the crumble topping is golden brown, and filling has set.
Cooling the baked cranberry crisp
Step 5. Cool for several hours to room temperature, and then cut into 8 rows by 4 rows.
The Cranberry Crisp Bars are served
Ingredients
1
Cup
Butter, softened
1
Cup
Brown sugar, packed
2
Cups
Oatmeal, quick cooking
1 ½
Cups
All-purpose flour (plus 2 Tbls.)
1
Tsp
Baking soda
2
Cups
Craisins (Dried cranberries)
1
Cup
Sour cream
¾
Cup
Granulated sugar
1
Tbsp
Lemon peel, zested
1
Tsp
Vanilla extract
1
Large
Egg, beaten
Procedure Steps:
1.
Preheat oven to 350° F. In a large mixing bowl combine the butter and brown sugar until well incorporated. In a separate bowl combine the 2 cups oatmeal, 1 ½ cups flour, and 1 tsp baking soda. Then add the dry ingredients to the wet and stir well until crumbly texture.
2.
Take half of the mixture and press it into the bottom of an un-greased 13×9-inch pan. Bake in the oven for about 15 to 20 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown.
3.
While the crust is in the oven, make the filling in another bowl by combining the dried cranberries, sour cream, granulated sugar, 2 Tablespoons flour, lemon zest, vanilla extract and the egg. Mix well and pour this into the browned crust, spreading evenly in one layer. Sprinkle the remaining oatmeal mixture evenly over the filling creating the crumble topping.
4.
Bake this in the oven for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the crumble topping is golden brown, and filling has set.
5.
Cool for several hours to room temperature, and then cut into 8 rows by 4 rows.
To Serve: Arrange bars on serving platter, keeps for up to 1 week in a covered container.
