A Love Affair With Southern Cooking_ Recipes and Recollections - Jean Anderson [57]
4. Pour the remaining bourbon mixture (you should have ½ to 2/3 cup) into the roasting pan, set over moderate heat, and deglaze the pan by scraping up the browned bits.
5. Pour the deglazing liquid into a small saucepan and boil uncovered over high heat for about 2 minutes, stirring often, until as thick and dark as molasses. Stir in 1¼ cups of the chicken broth and the half-and-half. Quickly blend the remaining ½ cup of broth with the flour and salt, add to the pan, and cook, stirring constantly, for 3 to 5 minutes or until the gravy thickens and no raw floury taste lingers.
6. To serve, slice the pork about ½ inch thick and top each portion with plenty of gravy. Accompany with boiled rice or mashed potatoes and smother these with gravy, too.
* * *
TIME LINE: the people and events that shaped Southern Cuisine
1806
With Carnival getting out of hand, the Louisiana governor bans masked balls and parades.
1808
The U.S. Constitution outlaws the slave trade.
1810
President Madison annexes West Florida, which includes Florida west of the Appalachicola River and parts of Alabama and Mississippi and Louisiana east of the Mississippi.
1813
A proper market goes up near the levee in New Orleans with flagstone floors and slate roofs. Popular items: calas (hot rice cakes), Texas beef at 12½ cents a pound, pain patate (cold sweet potato pie), ground sassafras (filé powder) for gumbo, bay laurel, plantains, newspapers, and lottery tickets.
1815
The Shakers begin building Pleasant Hill, their settlement in the Kentucky bluegrass. By the 1850s, there are some 600 Shakers at Pleasant Hill occupying 250 buildings and working 2,800 acres of land. They become famous for their seeds, their produce, their furniture, their architecture, and their food.
* * *
SPICY GRILLED PORK TENDERLOIN
MAKES 4 TO 6 SERVINGS
I hesitate to call this “barbecue” although some people might. It’s unlike any barbecue I’ve eaten; still it’s a popular way to prepare pork tenderloin down south. Note: If you have no gas or charcoal grill, roast the tenderloins in the oven following the directions below.
2 large whole garlic cloves
4 large scallions, trimmed and chunked (white part only)
¾ cup pineapple juice
½ cup cider vinegar
One 8-ounce can tomato sauce
2 tablespoons tomato ketchup
2 tablespoons molasses (not too dark)
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon packed light brown sugar
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
½ to 1 teaspoon hot red pepper sauce (depending on how “hot” you like things)
Two 1-pound pork tenderloins
2 tablespoons cold butter, diced
1. Whiz the garlic, scallions, pineapple juice, and vinegar in an electric blender at high speed until smooth. Pour into a jumbo-size plastic zipper bag, add all remaining ingredients except the pork and butter, seal, and shake well to combine.
2. Add the pork tenderloins to the bag and reseal. Refrigerate overnight, turning the bag from time to time so the pork marinates evenly.
3. When ready to proceed, pour 1/3 cup of the marinade into a measuring cup and reserve. Pour the balance into a heavy, nonreactive saucepan and set aside. Preheat the grill to moderate heat (375° F.). Note: If you have no grill, preheat the oven to 400° F.
4. Grill the tenderloins with the lid up, turning and brushing now and then with the reserved 1/3 cup marinade, for 25 to 30 minutes or until an instant-read thermometer, thrust into the center of a tenderloin, reads 150° F. Note: If you have no grill, roast the tenderloins on a rack in a shallow roasting pan on the middle oven shelf for about 35 minutes or to an internal temperature of 150° F., turning and brushing or basting occasionally.
5. Meanwhile, bring the pan of marinade to a boil over moderately high heat, reduce the heat to its lowest point, set the lid on the pan askew, and keep the sauce warm while the tenderloins grill.
6. Transfer the tenderloins to a carving board, tent