Birthday noshin'

Because I love food, I feel compelled to share my meals with you. For Gordon's birthday, I made stuffed pork tenderloin (prosciutto, basil leaves, smoked gouda and sundried tomato pesto), green beans, and roasted potatoes (red, Yukon gold and purple, all from my garden last year. I am starting to run out now, wah.) He was quite enthused:


I may be an artist in life, but I am no artist when it comes to arranging food on a plate. Too impatient, too eager to eat. Gordon, by contrast, is quite careful to make food look picture-perfect. Not me!

And then the cake: banana cake with marscapone icing. I got the recipe from a bloggy friend in BC. The only change I made was to add about 1/3 (or was it 1/2?) cup milk chocolate chips to the cake, along with the nuts. If you'd like the recipe, go here. The recipe calls for a square pan, but I made it in a round cake pan.

Gordon has a real sweet tooth so he was a very happy man. That said, the cake wasn't too sweet (I DON'T have a sweet tooth; I have a FAT tooth!) And the marscapone icing was TO DIE FOR.

As you can see, my frosting skills are about as impressive as my food-styling ones, but hey, it tasted yummy!

Love the recipe, Time to Spend. Thanks!


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Here's the pork recipe for Steph and anyone else:

http://www.canadianliving.com/food/prosciutto_pesto_pork.php

A pork tenderloin is just the right size for two – and this lovely stuffed version is ideal for sharing with someone special. Serve with Roasted Cherry Tomatoes for Two and Pine Nut Pilaf For Two.

Servings: 2
Ingredients:


1 pork tenderloin (about 12 oz/375 g)
2 tbsp (25 mL) sun-dried tomato pesto
2 oz (60 g) prosciutto, thinly sliced
4 large leaves fresh basil
3 tbsp (50 mL) shredded smoked gouda or mozzarella cheese
1 tbsp (15 mL) vegetable oil

Preparation:
Cut pork lengthwise in half almost but not all the way through; open like book. Spread pesto down centre of 1 side. Lay prosciutto on pesto; top with overlapping basil leaves. Sprinkle with cheese. Fold pork over filling; secure with toothpicks or kitchen string.

In large ovenproof skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat; brown pork. Transfer skillet to 400°F (200°C) oven; roast until juices run clear when pork is pierced and just a hint of pink remains inside, about 18 minutes. Transfer to cutting board; tent with foil and let stand for 5 minutes. Remove toothpicks and slice.

Source

Canadian Living Magazine: March 2007