Recipes

Recipe of the Week

Guest Chef this week is Matt MacDonald, probably the newest kid on the restaurant block in St Thomas. He is the Head Chef at Craig and Sally's, one of the most popular bistros in Frenchtown, an area noted for its great eating choices. Leave it to one of the island's youngest chefs (actually I'd be willing to lay money that he's the youngest head chef) to come up with a recipe a tad more complicated (just a little...don't be intimidated).

Roasted Pork Loin with Sun Dried Cherry and Shiitake Mushroom Sauce

1 3 lb Pork Loin
1 tsp salt
1 tsp coarsely ground black pepper
1 tsp garlic powder (much easier to work with than fresh but substitute if you prefer)
1 tsp dried thyme leaves

Dry pork loin and rub well with combined seasonings. Place on a rack in a baking pan and roast in 325 degree oven for 1 1/2 hours. Remove from pan, discard any burnt drippings (don't discard everything willy-nilly - this is what will give your sauce so much flavor), and deglaze the pan with approximately 1/2 cup white wine. Then to the next step...

2 cups water
2 cups veal stock (I know you don't have any of this - just sub a good beef broth or bouillon)
1/2 tsp thyme
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp rosemary, crushed
Salt and pepper to taste
1 cup shiitake mushrooms, sliced and stems removed
1 cup dried cherries

Pour the wine and dripping mixture into a small saucepan. Add rest of ingredients and boil until mixture is reduced by half. Mix a teaspoon of cornstarch (I usually use heaping) into a little cold water and add slowly to mixture, stirring constantly until thickened.

This will serve 4 hearty appetites and still leave some for sandwiches. A terrific side dish for this is mashed sweet potatoes with roasted garlic (if you want to know how to make these give me a shout).