GOM: Chapter 10 - Pork tenderloin and Salsa

Supper at home tonight so it's early morning prep. Menu today, pork tenderloin, with peppers and mushrooms, Dijon mustard and heavy cream (double in English) with Tartiflette using the Douceur du Jura, the alternative for the traditional Reblochon cheese, acquired from Goat.Sheep.Cow. Tartiflette is my favourite potato dish – French, as you may have guessed - usually you would include bacon (dry cured if possible) but I am the spanner in the works and don't eat meat and so I'll make it without - the boys will be more than happy with their pork tenderloin. My friend hit 70 recently and is a keen cook and student and he's asked to observe today.

Tartiflette

1.5kg all purpose potatoes e.g. desiree, peeled and cut to

a similar size

1 large onion, finely chopped

4 thick dry cured smoked streaky bacon rashers, finely chopped

50g butter

1 garlic clove

250g reblochon cheese, rind trimmed and removed

(US Douceur du Jura alternative)

Pre-heat oven 180c/160 fan/gas 4 (UK)

for US see below

Boil the potatoes until cooked, cool, then slice.

Melt the butter in a frying pan and cook the onion and bacon

until softened.

Cut the garlic clove in half and rub the inside of an

ovenproof dish.

Place some of the potatoe slices in the bottom and

season with salt and black pepper, then layer with the

onion and bacon, repeat until all the potato slices have

been used, seasoning between each layer.

Chop the cheese and scatter over the potatoes and cover with foil.

Bake in the oven for 1 hour, remove foil for remaining 15 minutes

so that the tartiflette crisps around the edges.

This can be prepared ahead and feel free to use 2 tsps of garlic paste

when cooking the onions and bacon – rules are made to be broken.

For the pork tenderloin, prep ahead by inspecting the loin and removing any pieces of sinew by using a sharp paring knife, slipping the knife just under the sinew so that you have an edge to hold onto, lift the edge with your thumb and index finger and then gently run the knife away from your fingers and the sinew will come away easily – if you leave the sinew on the loin it will contract when you cook it and will be tough and not good to eat. Slice the loin into similar sized portions – medallions. You can use any vegetable you like, today it's thinly sliced peppers, red and yellow, and sliced portobellini (smaller version of portobello) mushrooms. All ziplocked (every kitchen should have them, an essential piece of kit) and refrigerated, ready to roll when the mood takes.

Now I am excited, tomorrow is my first (together with my friend) Salsa dancing class. A girl needs the proper footwear and guess who left her dancing shoes at home. Not a problem, off we go to Mister Don's shoe shop in Folly Road and I am now the proud owner of some seriously beautiful navy leather dance shoes – don't ask how much they were – the shoes come in their own soft cotton bag - advertising the shop of course, there's no show without punch and the salsa in the title is the dance!

Back home to the Hide – breaking news. For some days now I've been watching swifts - they seemed to be concentrating on a particular area under the dock and, as time passes, it becomes apparent that they are actually nesting. They work so hard backwards and forwards, their display is very much appreciated and I am grateful that they chose their nesting site conveniently for me. Their nest is tucked right underneath the bottom right-hand corner near the lawn. Perfectly safe for them against predators and thieves!

Supper at 7pm – preheat oven 325 degrees (170c). It's strange when at my age it has taken me ages to teach myself centigrade and metric weights and measures. I've now got to reverse because in the USA everything is Fahrenheit and imperial – keeps you on your toes. Pop your tartiflette in the oven at 6pm and set your kitchen timer for 30 minutes – your tartiflette needs 1 hour.

Heat a heavy bottomed frying pay with a little Canola oil (the nearest product I could find to rapeseed oil) add a generous knob of butter. Seal the medallions, season with sea salt and black pepper, set aside in my favourite cooking utensil – an appropriately sized foil tray – saute the portobellinis and then the peppers. Add two teaspoons of Dijon mustard, gradually add approximately half a pint of heavy cream, tip over the pork – pop into the oven when your timer sounds, for 30 minutes, after 15 minutes remove the foil from the tartiflette.

Serve with green salad.

Happy days.