Recipes from Autumn Tea

Pork Loin Crostini with Apple Chutney

Original recipe from TeaTime Magazine. Recipe has been altered.

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 teaspoons minced garlic
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 pound pork tenderloin, trimmed
• 1 French baguette
• 3 tablespoons butter, melted
• 1 (3-ounce) packaged cream cheese, softened
• 1 tablespoon mayonnaise
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
• Apple chutney

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In small bowl, combine olive oil, garlic, salt, and pepper. Rub oil mixture on outside of pork loin. Place in roasting pan, and roast for 30 minutes, or until meat thermometer inserted in center reaches 155 degrees. Cool completely, and slice thinly.
3. Cut baguette into 12 (1/2 inch) slices. Brush both sides of each baguette slice with melted butter; place on baking sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until edges are golden.
4. In a small bowl, combine cream cheese, mayonnaise, and thyme. Spread cream cheese mixture evenly on one side of baguette slices. Layer prepared baguette slices with sliced pork, and top with apple chutney.

Apple Chutney Recipe

Recipe from online–Simply Recipes. Feel free to improvise according to your own tastes.

Ingredients

• 2 large tart cooking apples, peeled, cored, and chopped
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 Tbsp grated orange peel
• 1 Tbsp grated fresh ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Directions

1 Combine ingredients and simmer: Put all of the ingredients (chopped apples, onion, apple cider vinegar, brown sugar, orange zest, grated ginger, cinnamon) into a medium saucepan and stir to combine.

Heat on high to bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer, covered, for about 40 minutes.

2 Uncover and simmer off excess liquid: Uncover and simmer over low heat for a few minutes more to cook off any excess liquid. Remove from heat and let cool.

Cover and refrigerate for up to 2 weeks.

Beet and Pistachio Crusted Goat Cheese

Recipe adapted from Tyler Florence.

Makes 30 tea sized servings.

Ingredients

• 4 tablespoons olive oil, plus 2 tablespoons
• 30 fresh whole sage leaves
• 6 slices prosciutto, julienned
• 2 shallots, sliced in rings
• 1 (750 ml) bottle pinot noir
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• Salt and pepper
• 6 red baby beets, trimmed
• 2 (4 to 6 ounce) goat cheese log
• 12 ounces, pistachios, crushed

Directions

Coat a small saucepan with 4 tablespoons of olive oil and place over medium heat.  Fry the sage until the leaves crisp up, about 2 minutes.  Gently remove to a paper towel.  Then, fry the prosciutto until crispy and remove with a slotted spoon.

Coat the saucepan with the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil (adjust amount of olive oil as needed).  Add the shallots and sauté for 2 minutes.  Deglaze the pan with the wine and balsamic vinegar, cook down about 3 minutes.  Add the sugar, salt, and pepper.  Set the beets in the poaching liquid and cook until tender, about 20 minutes.  Set beets aside to cool.  When cool enough to handle, rub off the beet skins with paper towel.  Set aside to cool to room temperature.

When the beets are cooled, slice each beet into about 5 (1/2 inch each) slices.  Crumble the goat cheese.

Time to assemble.  (If desired, place baby greens under each beet slice.)  Place beet on bottom.  Add goat cheese crumbles.  Top with crushed pistachios, fried prosciutto, and one sage leaf.  Serve.

Note:  This can easily be made into a delicious salad.  Simply save your poaching liquid.  Whisk the cooled poaching liquid with ¼ cup olive oil; season with salt and pepper.  Arrange a handful of frisee, watercress and beet greens (or any other greens) on each plate.  Lay the beet slices and crumbled goat cheese on top.  Top with pistachios, fried sage and crispy prosciutto.  Drizzle the vinaigrette over each salad and serve immediately. 

Pumpkin Cheesecakes

Makes 36 mini cheesecakes.

Pumpkin Cheesecake

From TeaTime Magazine

Makes 36 mini cheesecakes

Ingredients

• 2-1/4 cups gingersnap crumbs
• 1-1/2 cups finely chopped pecans
• 1-1/3 sugar, divided
• 2/3 cup butter, melted
• 2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
• 2 large eggs
• ½ cup pumpkin
• 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Garnish:  glazed walnuts or whipped cream

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a medium bowl, combine gingersnap crumbs, pecans, 1/3 cup sugar, and butter.  Press into bottom and three-fourths up sides of three 12-cup mini cheesecake pans.  Bake 6 minutes.
3. In a medium bowl, combine cream cheese and 1 cup sugar.  Using an electric mixer at medium speed, beat until creamy.  Beat in eggs, pumpkin, and pumpkin pie spice until smooth.  Stir in vanilla extract.
4. Spoon about 1 tablespoon pumpkin mixture into each baked crust.  Bake 18-20 minutes, or until set; cool.
5. Chill 2 hours before removing from pans.
6. Garnish with glazed walnuts or whipped cream, if desired.
7. Note:  We have also used small five-inch diameter springform cheesecake pans.  Then each small cheesecake was cut into fourths.

Orange-Scented Coconut Macaroons

Recipe from TeaTime Magazine. This is perhaps my daughter Elizabeth’s all time favorite recipe. She makes it every year at Christmas for all her employees.

Yield:  approximately 3 dozen macaroons (large) and 6 dozen (small)

• 2 egg whites
• 1/8 tsp. salt
• 1 (14 oz.) can sweetened condensed milk
• 2 TB fresh orange zest
• 1 tsp. orange extract
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 tsp. coconut extract
• 2 (14 oz.) packages shredded sweetened coconut
• 8 (1 oz.) squares semisweet chocolate, melted

1.  Preheat oven to 300 degrees.  Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.  Set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, combine egg whites and salt, whisking until frothy, approximately 2 minutes.  Add condensed milk, orange zest, and extracts, stirring to combine.  Using a rubber spatula, fold in coconut until well combined.
3. Using a spring-loaded ice-cream scoop, scoop macaroons into 2-1/2 inch mounds.  Place approximately 1 inch apart on baking sheets.
4. Bake until golden brown, approximately 20 minutes per batch.  Transfer pans to wire rack and let cool completely.
5. When cool, remove macaroons from pans.  Dip bottoms of macaroons in melted chocolate.  Place on parchment paper to harden.  Drizzle with remaining chocolate.