Photos by L.G. Patterson
Cooking together is fun. It seems a lot less like work.
Chef Sara Fougere and I have known each other and worked together for almost 20 years. She has been a huge CACC Culinary Program supporter both personally and professionally. She shows up to all of our sales and also judges events at a professional level. She is a constant learner, soaking up any new technique or recipe like a sponge. We always enjoy collaborating — and this time was no different.
We each did a dish that could have been mostly completed the day before, then finished in a short time before a summer meal. It was truly delightful.
Sara made a wonderful watermelon, cucumber and strawberry salad. Its components could be prepared a day or two beforehand, then dressed and tossed to order. Two days after the shoot, my wife raided the refrigerator to find some leftovers. While eating the salad, she said, “this is so good!”
Sara Fougere’s Taste of Summer Salad
Quick, light and fresh! This salad is delicious with or without dressing, and can easily be made the day before and refrigerated without loosing any flavor.
Ingredients
Salad Ingredients
- 4 cups Cubed seedless watermelon
- 2 cups Chopped fresh strawberries
- 2 cups Chopped cucumber Sara suggests the long slender English variety for smaller seeds
- 1/2 cup Feta crumbles (or chunks of fresh mozzarella)
- 1/2 cup Basil cut chiffonade style
Dressing Ingredients
- 2 tbsp Olive oil
- 1 tbsp Balsamic vinegar
- 1 tsp Salt
- 1 tsp Ground pepper
Instructions
- Combine all salad ingredients in a large mixing bowl.
- Whisk dressing ingredients together in a separate bowl, then drizzle over the salad and gently toss.
Brook Harlan’s Pork Loin and Compound Butter
I always feel like a well-roasted pork loin can be paired with just about anything. It can be seasoned and seared the day before, then roasted in the oven for about 30 minutes before eating. Paired with a simple compound butter that could be made days earlier and kept in the refrigerator, or months in advance and kept in the freezer. The simplicity on the plate is one of the things that makes it delicious.
Ingredients
- 1 cup Butter softened at room temperature
- 2-3 tsp Fresh basil minced
- 1-2 tsp Chives thinly sliced
- 1-2 tsp Fresh lemon juice
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Pork loin roasted
Instructions
The Butter
- While you can make your compound butter with just about anything, the classic includes herbs and acid along with butter and a little salt. The balance of the butter slowly melting on the freshly sliced pork is fresh and flavorful.
- Whisk all of your room temperature ingredients together in a bowl. They are not going to want to mix together — when there is agitation to slightly warm the butter, the lemon juice will emulsify into it.
- Season the mixture with salt and pepper. You want it to pop with flavor, but not be overwhelming; it will mellow out with the pork.
- Put the mixture into a container to store in the refrigerator or shape it with plastic wrap.
The Plastic Wrap
- Lay out a piece of plastic wrap, place the butter in the middle and fold the plastic wrap in half.
- Use a thin cutting board or lid and push the plastic wrap where the butter starts to fold to create a cylinder.
- Twist both ends until the butter is tight in the center, tie and store in the refrigerator for seven to 10 days, or in the freezer for one to two months. Then, take out what you need and set it on the counter for an hour or two to bring it up to room temperature.
The Pork
- Season your pork loin heavily with salt and pepper.
- With oil, sear in a pan over medium high heat until all sides are brown.
- Then place onto a roasting pan with a rack.
Roast Today
- Place the pork on the roasting pan into a pre-heated oven at 350 degrees.
- Cook for 20 to 30 minutes, until the center of the pork is between 135 and 140 degrees (it will rise to about 145 degrees while resting).
Roast Tomorrow
- Place the pork on the roasting pan and set in the refrigerator.
- If you are not going to cook it the second day, cover once cool (but cook within two days).
- Remove the pork and let it come to room temperature one hour before cooking.
- Place the pork into a pre-heated oven at 350 degrees. Cook for about 25 to 35 minutes until the center of the pork loin is between 135 and 140 degrees (it should rise to about 145 degrees while resting).
Serve
- Do not carve until the pork has rested for at least 15 to 20 minutes.
- Ideally, you will see the temperature in the center rise (to about 145 degrees), then start to come back down.
- Thinly slice the pork (¼ to ½ inch slices) and lay onto a serving tray.
- Top the sliced pork loin with the compound butter (either slices or dollops), let the butter melt slightly and serve.
