Monday Night Dinner

So today I tried a couple of things that I had never done before.  For one, I tried my hand at making a puree and I think it came out well...not stellar, but not bad by any stretch of the word. I ended up making a roasted beet and carrot puree with some other ingredients (toasted pine nuts, cilantro, fresh orange juice, and pineapple).  It was a bit earthy before I added in the pineapple, orange and cilantro, so the additional ingredients definitely "brightened up" the flavors of the puree. If I had to give the puree a grade, I would probably give it a solid B...before it was paired with its counterpart - Herb Crusted Pork Medallions.

The pork came out great!  I loved the way it tasted and the way it was cut made for a pretty cool presentation. Sometimes pork can be difficult to control. It is easy to over-cook and just as easy to under-cook (very bad idea), but I've learned over time that the smaller the cut of the meat, the easier it is to control.  It was very easy to keep the pork juicy without undercooking it by cutting it into smaller pieces/medallions. The herbs that I used for the crust were: sage, rosemary, thyme, mexian oregano, smoked paprika, sea salt and cracked pepper. It could definately have stood alone but when partnered with the roasted beet puree it was even better.  Great combination.

Roasted asparagus is always a good side dish.  It seems to me that roasting vegetables enhances the flavor immensely, especially asparagus.  This was also the first time that I had ever used hollandaise sauce over asparagus - another great combination.

I just recently learned how to make hollandaise sauce and it can be a little difficult but heres a good trick - Use a blender.  Hollandaise requires so much attention and mixing that using a blender cuts out a lot of hard work, and you still get the same results.

And by the way, Hollandaise + Bacon = AMAZING!

During the course of the meal, I learned that the mixing of the citrus in the hollandaise and the smooth texture of the puree played really well together. I eventually found myself "sopping" up the combined sauces with the pork medallions...no shame here!

So tonights dinner:

Herb Crusted Pork Medallions & Roasted Beet Puree with Roasted Asparagus & Hollandaise Sauce.

       

        Plating without Bacon

     

     Plating with Bacon

Which one do you think looks better?

I couldn't decide so I'm leaving it up to you guys!