I made some of that fabulous Pork tenderloin, marinated in feijioda inspired spices, roasted with an orange-serrano chile glaze once again & I was left with the task of what to possibly do with the leftovers. And pork tacos are well, just so common.
The next day, Mr. Hubby asked, "What's for dinner?" to which I responded, "How about Blinis?" & he said "Who's that?" After a good laugh, I realized he'd actually hit on an excellent point. These fabulous savory pancakes which are traditionally served with caviar or smoked fish, seem to have almost become obsolete if not disappeared from our daily culinary vocabulary. So of course a reincarnation is in order!
Particularly, since they are delicious and so very easy to make (that is if you can flip a pancake). Most of the day was spent with a sort of strain - the type you get when there unresolved issues - the nagging feeling in the back of your mind when pieces of a puzzle don't quite fit together. A trip to the farmer's market (my daily hangout) revealed Anjou pears on sale (and quite ripe) - and since pork and pears are a marvelous combination, why not?
So now that I knew we ought to do a pear salsa, there really ought to be a chipotle something.
For those out of the US, these are best ordered over the internet and in fact I did find an Australian e-store who'd ship these to you (www.usafoods.com.au). Here in the US I usually find them in the International section of my regular grocery store, in the section selling Mexican produce (not where you find the American tacos & stuff but where you find produce from Mexico)
And so fell into place the puzzle of how to jazz up a marvelous leftover pork tenderloin!
There 4 parts to this recipe
- Roast Pork tenderloin (in advance)
- Chipotle mayonnaise (prepare while blinis batter is set aside to rise)
- Pear salsa (prepare while blinis batter is set aside to rise)
- Blinis ( prepare batter 1-3 hours before serving - on stove, just before serving)
I strongly recommend that most of the parts of this recipe be prepared in advance for a quick assembly before serving time. Namely, the pork, the blinis batter, Chipotle mayonnaise and the pear salsa - in that order.
It is also a good idea to plan on serving a roast pork tenderloin the week you intend to serve these so you end up with leftovers you can use for this recipe. The post on the site for pork tenderloin with feijioda spice is an excellent recipe and highly recommended but any roast pork tenderloin will do as long as its not mustard crusted.
If you don't believe me, ask Kat @ Food Advokat - she just fixed some with rave reviews...smiles...Thanks, Kat!
Blinis batter -
To begin, warm the milk in a microwave or stove top till warm but not hot. Add sugar & active dry yeast. Stir. Set aside to proof for 10 minutes till frothy.
Cook's Note - If it is not frothy after 10 minutes, the yeast has passed on and you'll need to get a new yeast packet & start over.
In a large mixing bowl, to the all-purpose flour, add the egg, sour cream, salt, garlic powder and finely chopped green bell pepper. Whisk till well blended. Add the yeast mixture and whisk till well blended. Set aside for 1-3 hours.
Chipotle Mayonnaise-
In a mini-blender or chopper, add 1 canned chipotle pepper, adobo sauce, lemon juice, sour cream and store-bought mayonnaise. Blend till it is a smooth puree. Refrigerate till further use.
Cook's Note - If you cannot get your hands on Chipotle in adobo sauce, substitute with 1/2 tsp chilly paste /sauce (sriracha) and 1 tbs tomato ketchup. You won't get the smokey flavor of chipotle but it will do.
Pear Salsa-
Gather the ingredients - the pears, Serrano chile or Thai red chilly, brown sugar, fresh cilantro, lemon, grated ginger, red Spanish onion and red bell pepper.
Pears - Wash and core the pears. Chop into 1/4" cubes.
Red bell pepper - Wash, discard the seeds and clean the inside. Finely chop and add to the chopped pears.
Serrano pepper - Halve, discard seeds and finely shop outer skin. If using Thai red chilly, cut into thin circles. It is important to seed the chillies or it will too hot.
Red Onion - Peel and finely chop. Add the red bell peppers.
Cilantro - Wash and finely chop. Add to the red onions.
Add the lemon juice, brown sugar and salt. Mix thoroughly with a spoon.
Taste and adjust salt, sugar and lemon juice if needed. The salsa should taste tangy sweet.
Cover & refrigerate till further use.
Pork tenderloin -
Slice the roasted pork tenderloin into 1/4" slices. Heat a non-stick pan on medium heat and add olive oil. Heat the oil till very hot and place the pork tenderloin slices in a single layer. Pan fry for about 3-5 minutes per side till golden brown. Turn over and brown the other side.
Remove to a plate and cool. Julienne into thin long strips about 1/8-1/4" wide, of equal widths as much as possible.
Blinis -
Heat a clean non-stick pan or griddle on medium heat. Spray non-stick cooking spray on the pan and on the inside edges of the fried egg rings.
Stir the blinis batter and Pour 1/4 cup of the batter into the rings. Cook for approx 1-1/2 minutes per side till golden brown. Flip over and repeat till both sides are golden brown. Place on a platter and continue to cook the pancakes till all the batter is utilized.
Assembly -
To assemble, on each serving plate or a large flat platter, arrange the blinis'. Spread 1 tsp Chipotle mayonnaise on each of the blinis'. Place pork tenderloin strips over the mayonnaise, enough to cover the base but not overflow into the plate.
Mound 1/8 cup pear salsa over the pork. Cut 2 chive sprigs into equal lengths and arrange in a tee-pee tent pattern around the salsa. Serve immediately.
Serve 1-2 per person as a first course or for a light supper.
The flavors in this dish hits you in waves.
First the smokey heat of the Chipotle mayonnaise and then the pork coupled with the sweet lemony freshness of the pear salsa.
The blinis provide the prefect backdrop to what can only be described as a explosion of flavors. The green bell pepper is a lovely and unexpected addition. Delightfully for the cook, a diverse set of elements did come together in perfect harmony.
Recipe for
ROAST PORK TENDERLOIN ON BLINIS WITH CHIPOTLE MAYONNAISE & PEAR SALSA
Preparation/cooking time to roast pork tenderloin & fermentation of batter (in advance) -1-3 hours
Preparation time for pork slices, salsa & dressing (in advance) - 20-25 minutes
Cooking time for blinis - 15 minutes (if cooking 2 at a time)
Assembly time - 15 minutes
Serves 6
4-5" roasted pork tenderloin
1 tbs olive oil
Pear Salsa -
1-1/2 ripe Anjou pears
1/4 red bell pepper
1/2 Serrano chile or 1 small Thai red chilly
1/2 cup cilantro leaves
1 tbs lemon juice
1 tbs packed brown sugar
1/2 tsp grated ginger
1/4 tsp salt
Blinis -
1 packet (approx 2 tsp) active dry yeast
1/2 tsp sugar
2/3 cup milk
1 egg
1/2 cup sour cream
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 small green bell pepper
Mayonnaise-
1 canned Chipotle chile
2 tbs adobo sauce (from the chile can)
2 tbs sour cream
4 tbs store bought mayonnaise
1 tbs lemon juice
Preparation
Blinis batter -
Warm the milk in a microwave or stove top till warm but not hot. Add sugar & active dry yeast. Stir. Set aside to proof for 10 minutes till frothy.
In a large mixing bowl, to the all-purpose flour, add the egg, sour cream, salt, garlic powder and finely chopped green bell pepper. Whisk till well blended. Add the yeast mixture and whisk till well blended. Set aside for 1-3 hours.
Chipotle Mayonnaise-
In a mini-blender or chopper, add 1 canned chipotle pepper, adobo sauce, lemon juice, sour cream and store-bought mayonnaise. Blend till it is a smooth puree. Refrigerate till further use.
Cook's Note - If you cannot get your hands on Chipotle in adobo sauce, substitute with 1/2 tsp chilly paste /sauce (sriracha) and 1 tbs tomato ketchup. You won't get the smokey flavor of chipotle but it will do.
Pear Salsa-
Pears - Wash and core the pears. Chop into 1/4" cubes.
Red bell pepper - Wash, discard the seeds and clean the inside. Finely chop and add to the chopped pears.
Serrano pepper - Halve, discard seeds and finely shop outer skin. If using Thai red chilly, cut into thin circles. Seed the chillies or it will too hot.
Red Onion - Peel and finely chop. Add the red bell peppers.
Cilantro - Wash and finely chop. Add to the red onions.
Add the lemon juice, grated ginger, brown sugar and salt. Mix thoroughly with a spoon. Taste and adjust salt, sugar and lemon juice if needed. The salsa should taste tangy sweet. Cover & refrigerate till further use.
Cooking method -
Pork tenderloin - 30-45 minutes before serving
Slice the roasted pork tenderloin into 1/4" slices. Heat a non-stick pan on medium heat and add olive oil. Heat the oil till very hot and place the pork tenderloin slices in a single layer. Pan fry for about 3-5 minutes per side till golden brown. Turn over and brown the other side.
Remove to a plate and cool. Julienne into thin long strips about 1/8-1/4" wide, of equal widths as much as possible.
Blinis-
Heat a clean non-stick pan or griddle on medium heat. Spray non-stick cooking spray on the pan and on the inside edges of fried egg rings (use to give pancakes a perfect circular shape).
Stir the blinis batter and Pour 1/4 cup of the batter into the rings. Cook for approx 1-1/2 minutes per side till golden brown. Flip over and repeat till both sides are golden brown. Place on a platter and continue to cook the pancakes till all the batter is utilized.
Assembly-
To assemble, on each serving plate or a large flat platter, arrange the blinis'. Spread 1 tsp Chipotle mayonnaise on each of the blinis'. Place pork tenderloin strips over the mayonnaise, enough to cover the base but not overflow into the plate.
Mound 1/8 cup pear salsa over the pork. Cut 2 chive sprigs into equal lengths and arrange in a tee-pee tent pattern around the salsa. Serve immediately.
Serve 1-2 per person as a first course or for a light lunch.
Enjoy!
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