Chili-Rubbed Pork Tenderloin (Sous Vide)

Happy President's Day!

Just took the Adorable Monster out for his morning jaunt and fed him his kibble (poor thing doesn't eat human food). I may hit the farmer's market this morning and maybe do a little shopping with some friends. Dinner is still up in the air—any suggestions?

Was thinking of maybe making mussels and fries. Yum yum yum.

In the meantime, here's one of my favorite sous vide recipes I've made using my Sous Vide Supreme—Chili-Rubbed Pork Tenderloin. This dish was inspired by the restaurant Salt's Cure in Los Anegeles, which does a killer chili-rubbed braised pork shoulder over stone ground grits. I decided to cook a version of it with pork tenderloin and cooked sous vide, although this recipe could easily be made with conventional cooking methods as well.

I served it with an Apple-Ginger Relish (recipe here) and over stone ground grits. It can be plated individually, or served family style as I did for New Year's Eve.

Chili-Rubbed Pork Tenderloin (Sous Vide)

Serves 2 people
Prep time: 15 minutes; Sous Vide Cooking Time: 2.5 hours
Gluten-free; dairy-free

Ingredients

1 pork tenderloin (cut into two pieces/logs)
2 tablespoons chili powder
2 pats of butter
salt and pepper
2 tablespoons grapeseed oil (for searing)

Directions

1. Fill the Sous Vide Supreme with water and preheat to 135-140 degrees, depending on desired degree of doneness (135 = medium rare and my preference, 140 = medium).

2. Meanwhile, rub the pork chops with the chili powder, salt, and pepper. Place each piece of pork tenderloin into a separate plastic bag with a pat of better. Vacuum seal both bags.

3. Once the Sous Vide Supreme has reached the proper temperature (hint—filling it up with hot water will help it heat up faster), place the pork tenderloin bags in the water bath, making sure that the meat is submerged and that the bags are not touching each other. Cook the pork tenderloin in the Sous Vide Supreme for about two hours to reach pasteurization (though it can stay in longer).

4. Remove the pork tenderloin from the Sous Vide Supreme and cut open the bags to remove the meat. In a saute pan, heat the grapeseed oil over medium-high heat. Quickly, sear the pork tenderloin on all sides until nicely caramelized (about 1 minute per side). Remove from the pan and allow to rest for 5 minutes before slicing.

5. To plate, layer the slices and top with the Apple-Ginger Relish. Enjoy!

Sous Vide Beef Tenderloin with Mediterranean-Style Cous Cous

Aloha, Divas!

I'm back from a family trip to Kauai—what a stunning island! One of the most spectacular places that I've ever visited. Prehistoric almost.

But I am happy to be back in (smoggy/hot) LA. Now if only it would cool off. It's the end of September right? October is just around the corner? Why is it 90 freaking degrees?!

Lately, I fantasize about two things. Air conditioning and winter.

But hopefully today will be slightly cooler.

If you read my blog, then you know how much I love my Sous Vide Supreme. I can cook perfectly cooked, lusciously tender meat every time. It's also a great way not to use my oven (which heats up my whole house). This time, I did natural beef tenderloin, which is fabulous sous vide.

I simply salt and peppered it, cooked it for two hours (vacuum sealed), and then seared it. I served it over a Mediterranean-style whole wheat cous cous studded with chickpeas, grape tomatoes, red onion, parsley, cumin, and lemon. The resulting dish was clean, light, and of course...

Delicious!

Sous Vide Beef Tenderloin with Mediterranean-Style Cous Cous

Serves 2 people
Cooking time: 2 1/2 (including sous vide time)
Dairy-free

Ingredients

2 fillets beef tenderloin (about 4-5 ounces each)
2 tablespoons grapeseed oil
salt and freshly ground pepper

Mediterranean-Style Cous Cous
1 cup whole wheat cous cous, cooked per package instructions
1 cup grape or cherry tomatoes, halved
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 medium red onion or 1 shallot, peeled and chopped
juice of 1 lemon
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 14 ounce can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
salt and freshly ground pepper

Directions

1. Preheat the Sous Vide Supreme to 130 degrees for medium rare.

2. Season the steaks on both sides with salt and freshly ground pepper. Vacuum seal each steak into its own bag. Place them in the Sous Vide Supreme so that they aren't touching. Cover and allow to cook for about 2 to 2 1/2 hours. Once the steaks have finished cooking, remove them from the Sous Vide Supreme and cut them out of their bags. Quickly sear the steaks for a minute or so on each side in the grapeseed oil, until nicely browned. Allow to rest before slicing.

3. Meanwhile, to make the cous cous, combine the cooked cous cous, tomatoes, chickpeas, parsley, lemon juice, and olive oil. Toss well to combine. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

4. To serve, spoon the cous cous on a plate or in a wide-bottomed bowl. Top with the slices of beef tenderloin. Garnish with lemon slices or fresh chopped parsley. Enjoy!

Sous Vide Bison with Arugula and Parmesan

Chances are you don't eat enough bison.

This may conjure up images of Native Americans hunting on the plains of pre-colonial America. But they knew something that we seem to have forgotten—bison is a fabulous food source.

It's a favorite in my household. Bison is lean and exceptionally meaty. It's almost always grass-fed and raised on smaller farms. And most importantly, it tastes great. I have two sources for bison—Lindner Bison at my farmers market and my local Whole Foods, which has been carrying beautiful rib eye and NY strip steaks. While it used to be tough to find, bison is becoming more common.

Bison does taste great when cooked traditionally, but it's a prime candidate (pun intended) for sous vide cooking. This is due to its lean nature. Not only does it come out of the water bath at a perfect medium rare (my preference), but it also becomes phenomenally tender and juicy.

I've been cooking up NY strip bison steaks in my Sous Vide Supreme and then serving them over a bed of wild arugula that's been tossed with lemon juice and olive oil. The finishing touch? A light shaving of parmigiano reggiano, which gives the dish a nice nuttiness. This is simple, healthy eating at its best.

Notes on this Recipe: If you can't find bison, then regular beef steaks will work great. Also, if you don't own a Sous Vide Supreme (yet), then the bison steaks may be grilled or cooked traditionally, too.

Sous Vide Bison with Arugula and Parmesan
Serves 4 people
Sous Vide Cooking Time: about 2 hours
Gluten-free
Print Recipe

Ingredients

• 4 bison steaks, fat trimmed (I like New York strips)
• 4 cups wild arugula
• juice of 1 lemon
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons grapeseed oil
• 1 teaspoon dried garlic powder
• salt and freshly ground pepper
• parmigiano reggiano for shaving

Directions

1. Heat the Sous Vide Supreme to 130 degrees (F). 
2. Meanwhile, rinse the steaks and pat them dry. Sprinkle with salt (generously), freshly ground pepper, and a little garlic powder. Vacuum seal the steaks into pouches.
3. Place in the Sous Vide Supreme and cook for about 2 to 2 1/2 hours (see instructions). Once they've finished cooking, remove from the pouches.
4. Whisk together the lemon juice and olive oil. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Toss with the arugula and plate either on one big platter or four individual plates (the dish may be served family style or plated individually). 
5. Quickly sear each steak in the grapeseed oil and then remove it to a plate or cutting board. Slice the steaks horizontally (as pictured) and layer over the top of the arugula mixture. 
6. Shave the parmigiano over the top and finish with a little freshly ground pepper. Enjoy!

Smoked Paprika Cauliflower Puree (pictured with Pork Chops with Apple-Ginger Relish)

Did anybody get a Sous Vide Supreme for the holidays?

Judging from my blog traffic, I'm guessing that you did! 

I've written about mine at length and love the way it renders meat exceptionally tender and moist. It's especially great for lean cuts that might otherwise dry out with conventional cooking. I'll be positing a fabulous recipe that I made for Sous Vide Bison Steaks in the coming weeks. 

The other day, I made a Smoked Paprika Cauliflower Puree to go with my recipe for Sous Vide Pork Chops with Apple-Ginger Relish. The puree was light and flavorful. It paired perfectly with the sweetness of the apple-ginger relish and earthiness of the pork chops. 

So I decided that it was worthy of sharing here today. The puree would work beautifully as a side dish to almost any meal. It's lighter than mashed potatoes, but provides similar satisfaction. 

If you don't have a Sous Vide Supreme, then the pork chops can be prepared conventionally, too. Just rub them with herbs, olive oil, salt, and pepper. Then, fry them up in a pan.

Either way, it will be delicious.

Click here for the recipe for Sous Vide Pork Chops with Apple-Ginger Relish

Smoked Paprika Cauliflower Puree

Serves 4-6 people

Cooking time: about 30 minutes

Vegan; gluten-free

Print Recipe

Ingredients

• one head of cauliflower, roughly chopped
• 1 russet potato, peeled and roughly chopped
• about 3 cups of chicken broth
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika (pimenton)
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• salt and freshly ground pepper

Directions

1. Place the cauliflower, potato, and chicken broth in a pot and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cover. Cook for about 20 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender.
2. Puree the cauliflower and potato with the paprika, olive oil, and the chicken broth. Begin by adding about 2 cups of the broth and then add more to desired consistency.
3. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground pepper. Enjoy!

Sous Vide Beef Tenderloin with Arugula Chimichurri Sauce

Sous Vide Beef Tenderloin with Arugula Chimichuri Sauce

The end of the week is here!

Have you been running around like crazy, too? I feel like I have, but fortunately, August is almost, and things always seem to slow down in August.

For the weekend, I thought I'd share another sous recipe with you. Of course, I made this with my fabulous Sous Vide Supreme. This time, I took on beef tenderloin. I seasoned it with a rub, cooked in the sous vide machine for about two hours at 130 degrees, and then seared the beef quickly in a cast iron skillet.

I finished the beef with a simple Arugula Chimichurri Sauce, which is my new obsession. It's a simple blend of arugula, lots of garlic, lemon juice, a serrano pepper, a little olive oil, and salt and freshly ground pepper.

This stuff is super addictive -- spicy and refreshing at the same time. The arugula goes great with the beef. I could eat tons of this sauce (and I did, trust me!).

Note: this recipe would work with conventionally cooked beef tenderloin, too. 

Sous Vide Beef Tenderloin with Arugula Chimichurri Sauce
Serves 4 people
Cooking time (active): about thirty minutes
Gluten-free; dairy-free
Print Recipe

Ingredients

• 4 beef tenderloin fillets (about 4 ounces each)
• about 4 teaspoons of dry steak rub 
• 2 tablespoons grapeseed oil
• 1 cup fresh arugula, packed
• 8 garlic cloves, peeled
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• juice of 1 lemon
• 1 serrano or jalapeno, seeded (optional)
• salt and freshly ground pepper

Directions

1. Preheat the Sous Vide Supreme to 130 degrees for medium rare.
2. Rub the steaks with the dry steak rub (and salt if the rub does not already include salt), or just sprinkle with salt and freshly ground pepper if you don't have a dry rub on hand.
3. Vacuum seal each steak into its own bag.
4. Place them in the Sous Vide Supreme so that they aren't touching. Cover and allow to cook for about 2 to 2 1/2 hours.
5. Meanwhile, to make the Arugula Chimichurri Sauce, place the arugula, garlic, serrano or jalapeno pepper, and lemon juice in a food processor or blender. Pulse until mixed together. Add the olive oil and pulse again. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground pepper. Set aside.
6. Once the steaks have finished cooking, remove them from the Sous Vide Supreme and cut them out of their bags.
7. Quickly sear the steaks for a minute or so on each side in the grapeseed oil, until nicely browned. Allow to rest for 5 minutes before slicing.
8. To plate, arrange the steak slices on a place and top with a generous portion of the Arugula Chimichurri Sauce. Enjoy!

Source for Ingredients

• all natural beef, organic arugula, organic garlic, dry steak rub, and organic lemons from Trader Joe's 

Sous Vide Pork Tenderloin with Shallot-Apple Confit

Sous Vide Pork Tenderloin with Shallot-Apple Confit

This sous vide recipe combines pork tenderloin with a shallot-apple confit, in which the shallots are sauteed in rendered bacon fat, and then doused with sweet apple cider and a touch of sherry vinegar. The sauce is reduced until the shallots are tender and flavorful, perfectly complimenting the delicate pork.

If you don't yet own a Sous Vide Supreme, the sous vide machine for the home cook, then this recipe may be made conventionally by searing pork and then roasting it in the oven to preferred doneness. Finish it with the sauce.

Serve with Salt-Crusted Baby Potatoes and Kale with Currants & Pine Nuts

Sous Vide Scallops with Pea Tendrils and Buerre Blanc Sauce

Sous Vide Scallops with Pea Tendrils and Buerre Blanc Sauce

Scallops + Bacon + Peas + Butter

Don't those flavor profiles sound fabulous?

Continuing with my Sous Vide Supreme experiments, here's my latest recipe for Sous Vide Scallops with Pea Tendrils and Buerre Blanc Sauce.

I cooked the scallops sous vide with rendered bacon fat to a beautiful medium rare (all vacuum sealed together in a bag). Then I seared them on the stove, and served them over sauteed pea tendrils with a tangy Buerre Blanc sauce.

The sous vide scallops were stunning. That's the only word for it.

Sous Vide Pork Tenderloin with Apple-Bourbon Coulis

Sous Vide Pork Tenderloin with Apple-Bourbon Coulis

Divas, I'm still rocking out my Sous Vide Supreme, a sous vide machine for the home cook. It makes the best pork tenderloin on the planet Earth!

So last Sunday, the A-Girl, my frequent dining companion, came over for nosh and movie night. When she walked in the door, The Adorable Monster nearly lost his fur brain, crying and jumping for joy. He loves the A-Girl, and I think that the feeling is mutual.

Sous Vide Pork Chops with Apple-Ginger Relish

There's nothing better than hitting up the farmers market and returning home with an armload of great product.

This week, I was lucky enough to procure milk-fed heritage pork chops from Healthy Family Farms, my local CSA. Their pork is so delicate and flavorful that doing anything other than cooking it sous vide felt like a crime. Enter my trusty Sous Vide Supreme and Vacuum Sealer (this is the must have holiday gift for any serious cook). Previously a technique limited to high end restaurants due to the exponential cost of immersion circulators and gastrovacs (though some brave home cooks have jerry-rigged their own devices), with the advent of the Sous Vide Supreme, home cooks can now rejoice and sous vide to their heart's delight.

Vacuum-Sealed Pork Chop with Bacon Fat

To cook the pork, I first cut out the bones to make them boneless pork chops (the bones are in my freezer, soon to be used to make stock). Then, I set my Sous Vide Supreme to 140 degrees. Meanwhile, I rubbed the meat with garlic powder, dried sage, dried thyme, salt and pepper. The final ingredient? A little rendered bacon fat that I'd squirreled away from Nueske's Applewood Smoked Bacon from the first installment of Zingerman's Bacon of the Month Club.

Given the beautiful apples that are in season right now, I decided to make an Apple-Ginger Relish to serve with the pork chops. The dish turned out fabulous -- it tasted like the epitome of the season -- hearty, succulent, tangy, sweet. I served my Sous Vide Pork Chops with Apple-Ginger Relish over fresh shell beans (simmered in water with a bay leaf and olive oil) tossed with a little sauteed baby kale, however just about any whole grain or bean concoction would work great with this dish.

I loved this dish so much, I can't wait to make it again!

Sous Vide Pork Chops with Apple-Ginger Relish
Serves 2 people
Prep time: 15 minutes; Sous Vide Cooking Time: 2.5 hours
Print Recipe  

Ingredients
2 boneless pork chops (1 inch thick)
1/2 teaspoon dried sage
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
2 teaspoons rendered bacon fat, cooled in the refrigerator until solid (this will allow you to vacuum seal the bags -- liquid is sucked out)
salt and pepper
2 tablespoons grapeseed oil (for searing)

apple-ginger relish
1 Granny Smith apple, diced (I leave the skin on, but you can remove it)
1 teaspoon fresh ginger, minced
1 garlic clove, peeled and chopped
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup chicken stock
salt and pepper

Directions
Fill the Sous Vide Supreme with water and preheat to 140 degrees.

Meanwhile, rub the pork chops with the sage, thyme, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Place each pork chop into a separate plastic bag with 1 teaspoon of the bacon fat. Vacuum seal both bags.

Once the Sous Vide Supreme has reached 140 degrees (hint -- filling it up with hot water will help it heat up faster), place the pork chop bags into the water bath making sure that the meat is submerged and that the bags are not touching each other. Cook in the Sous Vide Supreme for two and a half hours (for one inch thick -- longer cooking time is needed for thicker cuts of meat -- see the temperature chart that comes with the Sous Vide Supreme).

Pork Chops Fresh Out of Sous Vide Supreme

When two and a half hours have passed, remove the pork chop bags from the Sous Vide Supreme and cut open them open to remove the pork chops. In a saute pan, heat the grapeseed oil over medium-high heat. Quickly, sear the pork chops on both sides until nicely caramelized (about 1 minute per side). Remove from the pan and allow to rest for 5 minutes before slicing.

Meanwhile, make the apple-ginger relish in the same pan where you seared the pork chops. Pour out all but 1 tablespoon of fat. Heat the pan over medium heat. Add the garlic and ginger and saute for 1 minute. Add the apples and saute until softened, about 4 minutes. Add the apple cider vinegar and cook for 1 more minute. Then, add the chicken stock and bring to a simmer, deglazing the pan with a wooden spoon. Simmer for a few minutes, or until reduced in half.

Sous Vide Pork Chops with Apple-Ginger Relish

To plate, slice the pork chops and lay out on a plate. Spoon the apple-ginger relish on top of the slices. Enjoy!

Source for Ingredients
milk-fed pork chops (Healthy Family Farms), organic garlic, and ginger from the Hollywood Farmers Market

organic Granny Smith apples from West Hollywood Farmers Market

organic apple cider vinegar, organic chicken broth, and grapeseed oil from Trader Joe's

organic dried sage, organic dried thyme, and organic garlic powder from Whole Foods

rendered bacon fat from Nueske's Applewood Smoked Bacon (received as part of Zingerman's Bacon of the Month Club)

Meatless Monday: Sous Vide Sweet Corn

Sous Vide Sweet Corn

Divas, in my continuing quest to master my Sous Vide Supreme, I've been trying it out on all manner of vegetables.

My Top Chef Brother told me that he sous vide cooks nearly every vegetable on his restaurant's menu, including those baby artichokes that I'm currently obsessing over. So at his urging, I decided to give sweet corn a whirl in the water bath. I bought some lovely sweet corn at the Hollywood Farmers Market. Then, I sliced it off the cob and seasoned it with salt and pepper. I placed it in the vacuum bag with butter and a little raw cane sugar (honey works great, too) and sealed it up.

Sous Vide Supre

I put it in the water bath at 185 degrees and let it cook for 40 minutes. After it was done, I removed it from the bag and served it straight up (I'm trying to develop my sous vide palate). Wow, the sous vide cooking really brought out the best in this ingredient. It was sweet, slightly crunchy, and super... corny, for lack of a better word. It's as if the sous vide machine distilled the corn into its finest incarnation.

Next up? Eggs, duck breast, and pork chops. Stay tuned...

Sous Vide Sweet Corn
Serves 4-6 people
Cooking time: 50 minutes (10 minute active)
Print Recipe

Ingredients
4 ears of corn, kernels removed
1 tablespoon butter
1 teaspoon raw honey or raw cane sugar
salt and pepper

Directions
Preheat the Sous Vide Supreme to 185 degrees.

Meanwhile, season the corn kernels with salt and pepper. Place them in a vacuum bag with the honey and butter. Vacuum seal it up.

Vacuum Sealed Sweet Corn

Once the Sous Vide Supreme has reached 185 degrees, place the bag of corn into the machine and allow to cook for 40 minutes. Once it's finished cooking, remove it from the machine and allow to cool. Open the bag and check seasoning (salt and pepper). To serve, spoon the corn into a serving bowl.

Note: If refrigerating or freezing the corn, after it's finished cooking in the sous vide machine, it must go straight into an ice water bath (fifty percent ice) to chill. Then, the bag of corn can be kept in the fridge or in the freezer for up to six months.

Source for Ingredients
organic sweet corn from the Hollywood Farmers Market

organic raw cane sugar from Trader Joe's

Sous Vide Rack of Lamb with Mint-Shallot Vinaigrette

Happy Labor Day weekend!

As a nice surprise, I thought I'd post another Sous Vide recipe. This time, I took on grass-fed rack of lamb from Healthy Family Farms, my local CSA. Their lamb is amazingly tender, not gamy at all, and I thought cooking it Sous Vide might help preserve its delicate flavor. I'd also been craving rack of lamb.

First, I hit up the Hollywood Farmers Market on Sunday to collect my preordered rack of lamb, and then I picked up the other ingredients I'd be needing for my mint-shallot vinaigrette (namely, mint and shallots). I brought them home and set up shop. The rack of lamb would need to cook in a 130 degree water bath for 1 1/2 - 2 hours for medium rare. 

First, I rubbed the lamb with ground garlic, a dried herb mixture (thyme, oregano, rosemary), and salt and pepper. Then, I wrapped the bones in parchment paper so they wouldn't puncture the plastic bag. Then, I vacuum sealed the lamb with a tablespoon of frozen olive oil (I don't have a chamber sealer, so this prevents the oil from being sucked into the vacuum sealer). Into the water bath it went.

When the lamb came out, I quickly seared it in hot oil on all side and allowed it to rest for five minutes. Then, I sliced it up and served it with my vinaigrette. For the record, this was the most tender lamb I'd ever tasted. The delicate flavor was perfectly preserved, and the sear added nice texture. To complete the meal, I made roasted fingerling potatoes and an heirloom tomato and butter lettuce salad.

Note: if you don't have a Sous Vide Supreme (yet), then here's a link to the recipe with traditional cooking methods. It's delicious both ways!

Sous Vide Rack of Lamb with Mint-Shallot Vinaigrette
Serves 2 people
Prep time: 20 minutes; Cooking time: 1 1/2 hours
Print Recipe

Ingredients
1 rack of lamb (preferrably, grass fed)
1 teaspoon ground garlic
1 tablespoon dried herbs (thyme, oregano, rosemary)
2 tablespoons olive oil (frozen/solidified for vacuum sealing)
salt and pepper
2 tablespoons grapeseed oil

mint-shallot vinaigrette
5 sprigs of mint, stems removed and discarded
1 small shallot, peeled
1 garlic clove, peeled
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

Directions
Preheat the Sous Vide Supreme to 130 degrees for medium rare.

To prep the lamb, cut the rack in half and trim any extra fat (it doesn't sous vide well). Rub each half with the garlic and herbs, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Wrap the bones with parchment paper so they won't puncture the bag. Then, place each piece of lamb into its own vacuum sealer bag along with a tablespoon of frozen/solidified olive oil. Vacuum seal it up.

Place the bags into the Sous Vide Supreme, making sure that they don't touch, and allow to cook for 1 1/2 to 2 hours.

Meanwhile, to make the vinaigrette, put all the ingredients in a small food processor or blender and puree until forms a bright green sauce.  Adjust seasoning (salt) if needed.  Set aside.

Once the lamb is finished cooking in the sous vide machine, remove it and open up the bags. In a saute pan, heat the grapeseed oil over high heat until almost smoking. Quickly, sear the lamb on all sides. Remove from heat and allow to rest for five minutes before slicing.

To place, place the slices of lamb on a plate. Top with the mint-shallot vinaigrette and fresh cracked pepper. Enjoy!

Source for Ingredients
grass-fed rack of lamb (Healthy Family Farms), organic mint, organic shallots, and organic garlic from Hollywood Farmers Market

organic ground garlic and organic dried herbs from Whole Foods

Wine Pairing
With this meaty dish, we decided to open a bottle of cabernet sauvignon from one of my favorite California producers, Rivers-Marie. While they're more known for their pinot noir, we love their cabernet. This bottle was a 2006. It was lovely - fruity and earthy - and paired wonderfully with this dish.

Sous Vide Pork Tenderloin with Sherry-Shallot Vinaigrette

Here is my first post about my new Sous Vide Supreme.

Let me begin by saying that I've only used it six times so far (in two weeks), but already it's life changing. Sous-vide, French for "under vacuum," involves vacuum sealing food into plastic bags and cooking them at low temperatures for extended periods of time in a temperature controlled water bath. In concept, this method of cooking maintains the integrity of the ingredients due to the low temperatures.

A technique frequently used in fine dining settings (my Top Chef Brother does a ton of it, and is my chief culinary consultant in all things sous vide), it's only recently become affordable to the home chef thanks to the Sous Vide Supreme.

Lean meats (pork tenderloin, beef tenderloin) are the most clearly appropriate for sous vide cooking. Not only does it render them exceptionally tender and keep them moist, but it brings them to a perfect medium rare throughout. With sous vide, there is no risk of overcooking.

Cooking sous vide depends on two things—temperature and time.  To assist in learning this technique, I relied on blog posts, the cookbook "Sous Vide for the Home Cook," the temperature charts that came with the Sous Vide Supreme, and my Top Chef Brother's advice. The ubiquitous tomb, "Under Pressure" by Thomas Keller, is on its way (though I've heard it was written for professionals, but we'll see). More on this once I receive the book.

For my very first sous vide experiment, I decided to cook pork tenderloin and settled on a decadent technique. I decided to cook the pork with rendered bacon fat. Yup, you heard me right. I served the pork tenderloin over a bed of pearl barley and topped with a sherry-shallot vinaigrette, wanting to taste the meat. I was not disappointed! The pork was by far the best and most tender I've ever made. It literally dissolved in my mouth in a pool of bacon-flavored meat. This recipe was a winner.

Next week, following my Top Chef Brother's advice—I'll be trying another preparation of pork tenderloin that involves an apple cider brine, a sear, and then sous vide cooking the meat with bacon slices for flavor. I can't wait!

Sous Vide Pork Tenderloin with Sherry-Shallot Vinaigrette

Prep time: 15 minutes; Cooking time: 2 hours
Serves 4 people
Gluten-free; dairy-free

Ingredients

1 pork tenderloin
1 teaspoon dried garlic, ground
2 tablespoons rendered bacon fat, refrigerated or frozen until solid
salt and pepper
2 tablespoons grapeseed oil

sherry-shallot vinaigrette
1 teaspoon sherry vinegar
2 tablespoon good extra virgin olive oil
1 shallot, peeled and diced
salt and pepper

Directions

1. Preheat the Sous Vide Supreme to 135 to 140 degrees (depending on how well you want it cooked).

2. Meanwhile, rub the pork tenderloin with the garlic and season with salt and pepper. Place in a plastic bag with the rendered bacon fat. Vacuum seal the bag. Place in the Sous Vide Supreme and cook for at least 2 hours (but you may cook it for longer).

3. To make the vinaigrette, whisk together the olive oil and vinegar and season to taste with salt and pepper.

4. Once the pork has finished cooking in the Sous Vide Supreme, remove from the water bath. Heat the grapeseed oil over medium high heat in a saute pan. Cut open the bag and remove the pork. Quickly sear it on all sides and set aside. Allow it to rest for five minutes before cutting the tenderloin into half inch slices.

5. To plate, layer slices of pork on a plate and drizzle with the sherry-shallot vinaigrette. Enjoy!

Source for Ingredients
organic pork tenderloin, organic ground garlic, sherry vinegar and organic pearl barley from Whole Foods

organic shallots and olive oil from the Hollywood Farmers Market