LITTLE PEAR TARTS FOR KINFOLK

I mentioned last post that I am crazed about pears this time of year. Well, I couldn't resist another pear recipe for you....

Ever since we removed wheat from our kitchen four years ago, I've been making all sorts of almond shortbread. Almond meal and butter make such a delicious team - who needs wheat anyway. Now that it's pear season... an herbaceous pear tart with a buttery almond crust seems just the thing to satisfy, so this is just the recipe I though to share in the autumn issue of Kinfolk and I wanted to share with you too!

Using rosemary in the tart dough, and bay in the pear compote, we end up with a good hit of garden herbs. Keep in mind, that both the almond tart crust and the pear compote are wonderful eaten separately as well.

Roasted Pork Loin with Rosemary, Garlic and Fennel

We are a family of pork lovers... give us pork any which way and we are happy. At least once a month we roast a pork loin and we gobble it up. Rubbed with a blend of rosemary, garlic, and crushed fennel seeds, the roast is simple, fast, and delectable. For months I have wanted to share this family favorite with you, but every time we make it, we eat before I can take a photo.



INGREDIENTS

• 1 1/4 pound pork loin
• 2 1/2 tablespoons dried fennel seeds
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped/pressed garlic
• 2 tablespoons fresh rosemary
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• salt
• pepper

About 30-45 minutes before cooking, remove pork from the refrigerator.  Pat dry, salt the loin generously, and set aside.

Crush fennel seeds with a mortar and pestle. Add rosemary leaves, garlic, salt, pepper, and olive oil. Integrate ingredients and you've got your rub. Transfer mixture to a low bowl big enough to hold the pork loin.

Here's Otis prepping the rosemary. He knows the drill...

Preheat oven to 375.

Roll the loin in the fennel/garlic/rosemary mixture and coat all sides thoroughly.

Put a medium cast iron pan on the stove top over medium-high heat.

Brown all sides of the loin in the hot cast iron.

Place cast iron pan with the roast in the hot oven.

Roast for 25-35 minutes. Check for doneness with a meat thermometer - it should read 135-140 degrees when the pork is finished. Keep a close eye on the roast: it can go from undercooked to overcooked very quickly.

Let the roast rest for 10 minutes or so before slicing and serving. Cooked this way, the pork loin is juicy and slightly pink in the center.

Enjoy!

Salted Rosemary Almond Shortbread

I keep noticing that so many of my favorite things to eat are easy to make and have very few ingredients, and that the success of a recipe is really determined by the quality of each ingredient. I guess I knew this before, but this shortbread recipe is a good reminder: a creamy organic butter, golden local honey, tender freshly-cut rosemary, and fine salt make all the difference in the flavor of this dish.


Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cups almond flour
• 8 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 3 tablespoons honey
• 2 teaspoons fresh rosemary, chopped
• 1 teaspoon flaky sea salt or fleur de sel
• 1/2 teaspoon turbinado sugar

Melt butter. Mix all ingredients except turbinado sugar. Press dough into 10 inch tart pan. Use a fork or toothpick to make many tiny holes in dough to insure thorough cooking. Sprinkle top with turbinado.

Bake in 350 degree oven for 15-20 minutes until golden brown.

Roasted Potatoes with Garlic and Rosemary

Honestly, it has been hard to get motivated about my own veggie garden these days. I keep going to my local market and seeing the all their gorgeous, organic, regional produce at really good prices and I know cannot compete with my own backyard project. Plus, who has time for gardening when I cannot pry myself from the kitchen.

Like an afterthought, these lovely french fingerlings were hidden in a corner of Monterey Market near the dairy department.


Ingredients

10-12 French Fingerlings (or any tasty potatoes you can get your hands on)
2 entire heads of garlic
4 branches of rosemary
olive oil
Sea salt
Fresh ground pepper

Preheat oven to 450.

Slice potatoes into quarters lengthwise, place in baking pan. Separate garlic into individual cloves, leaving skins on, and nestle amongst the potatoes. Remove rosemary leaves from one branch and chop. Add chopped rosemary and the remaining intact branches to the potatoes. Coat with olive oil, salt and pepper.

Roast for 25-35 minutes, depending on thickness of potato slivers.

This is our go-to recipe for oven roasted potatoes. Easy and delicious.

Serves 4.

Grilled Leg of Goat

My mom called to say she was buying a goat leg for Saturday supper. In West Marin, goats graze on grassy hills and breathe the fresh ocean air. That is my kind of meat.

This succulent goat served as a centerpiece in an epic meal with Braised Baby Artichokes, Lemon Cucumber Tzatziki, a simple green salad, Thackrey's local red wine, and Pear Galette with Almonds for dessert. We sat out in mom's garden and feasted, then went to the beach so the kids could play in the waves. It was a perfect afternoon.


Ingredients

Leg of Goat (or Lamb) 3-4 pounds, butterflied
1/2 cup olive oil
juice of 1 1/2 Meyer Lemon
2 big cloves garlic, chopped
fresh oregano, 3 sprigs
fresh rosemary, 2-3 sprigs
salt and pepper

Marinate goat overnight.

Bring meat to room temp, while heating up the grill. When grill is really hot, turn outside burners to medium, and turn off middle burner completely. Sear meat for 2 1/2 minutes per side. Cook goat over indirect heat for 30 minutes. Flip and cook 10 more minutes. Flip once more and cook 10 minutes. Take the goat off the grill when it gets to 135-140 degrees for medium-rare meat. Let rest for 15 minutes. Carve. Eat.

Serves 8

Grilled Figs

I thought I'd get the ball rolling with a super easy recipe....
Take ripe figs and place 2-3 of them on a branch of fresh rosemary (dampen the sprig with water before using to prevent burning). Repeat. Grill on a BBQ or over a fire until warmed through. They can be served solo, or with a side of fresh goat cheese. Yum!