Pork Tonnato and Roasted Peppers

Saturday 30 August

We were happy to welcome the Tennessee branch of our family for Labor Day Weekend.  The weather was sultry and overcast, so we stayed indoors, chatting, cooking, and relaxing.  (Let's face it, we do that even when the weather is superb.)

Lunch turned gradually into dinner, with the help of appetizers: homemade sundried tomato hummus scooped onto crackers or tortilla chips.

Then we seguéd into our main course: roast pork tonnato.  
For once, our pork tenderloin came out beautifully moist, because we cooked it according to New Joy's trick of starting it in a 450º oven for 10 minutes, then turning down the heat to 250º and roasting low and slow until the instant-read thermometer reaches 150º.

As an accompaniment, there were English muffins that Holt had made the night before, using the baking rings JoDee gave him, and the recipe that came with them.

English Muffins

Combine in a mixing bowl:

1 cup water

1/2 cup scalded milk

2 tsps. sugar

1 tsp. salt

Dissolve 1 Tbsp. active dry yeast in 2 Tbsps. of warm water for 3-5 minutes.

Combine the two mixtures.

Sift and measure out 4 cups all-purpose flour.  Beat 2 of them gradually into the mixture.

Cover the bowl with a cloth and let the dough rise in a warm place for 1-1 1/2 hours, or until it collapses back into the bowl.

Beat in 3 Tbsp. of softened butter.

Beat or knead in the remaining flour.

Grease the inside of the muffin rings, arrange in a lightly greased cookie sheet, and fill each half full of batter.  Let them stand until doubled in bulk, filling the rings.

Put the sheetful of muffins in an oven preheated to 425º.  Bake until golden brown. 

Cool on a rack and remove rings. 

Makes 16 muffins.

If you want crumpets, it's the same recipe except increase the milk to 2/3 cup.

He had also put together a beautiful platter of green, yellow, and red roasted peppers (some from Ed's garden, some from the Farmers' Market) with capers and garlic.

And for dessert, some Michigan blueberries and Madison's sliced nectarines, half of each stirred over low heat with 2 Tbsp sugar and 1 Tbsp. flour (as if for a pie), then the other half added off heat, and left to cool.  We topped them with drained yogurt, so no pie was necessary.