A Side of Raunch

“Waspy Wasperson’s plans were cancelled. Do you mind if he joins us for dinner?”, asked Irish Lebowski over email.

“If he can handle the raunch, we’re cool”, I replied.

I don’t know why I found the warning necessary. Irish and I lived together for two years; Waspy knows me well and is well attuned to my MO.

So, I headed over to Irish and Waspy’s house on Friday night, the night before my departure for Florida. The plan was to make some dinner to celebrate the holidays, drink some wine, and see what shenanigans ensued. All went as planned, and topics of conversations included, but were not limited to: their wide screen TV, which makes me believe in miracles; Hillary vs. Barrack; and why I love assholish men. (Results of conversation: It is awesome, but to obtain one I will probably need to get married; Hillary all the way; because I am a masochist that enjoys the game way too much? I am sure there are a lot of reasons for the last one.)

Along with all these enlightening and enriching conversations, Irish and I managed to throw together this pork tenderloin. This was so simple, yet tasted incredible. Then again, it is pork stuffed with brie; I don’t really know how one could go wrong with this. This is a fairly faithful adaptation of a recipe from Cooking Light. The only thing we changed dramatically was the filling. The original recipe called for figs and blue cheese. It made some alternate suggestions (including the apricots and brie, as well as cranberries and chevre) and our love affair with brie lead us to this option. We also seasoned the meat inside and out, something the original recipe overlooked. Another example of how the right ingredients, even if it is just a few, can make a fantastic meal.

Hooray for good friends, hooray for pork and hooray for raunch. Hope you all are having a very naughty holiday season and have an incredibly indulgent New Year to come.

Apricot Brie Pork Loin

Adapted from Cooking Light

1 (1-pound) pork tenderloin, trimmed

1/2 cup dried apricots, coarsely chopped

1/2 cup brie, chopped

Salt and pepper

Cooking spray

1 tablespoon apple jelly, melted

Preheat oven to 450°. Slice the pork in half lengthwise, cutting to, but not through, other side. Open the halves, laying pork flat. Place pork between 2 sheets of heavy-duty plastic wrap; pound to 1/2-inch thickness using a meat mallet or small heavy skillet. Salt and pepper meat. Sprinkle apricots and brie over pork, leaving a 1/2-inch margin around outside edges. Roll up the pork, jelly-roll fashion, starting with long side. Secure at 2-inch intervals with twine. Sprinkle pork with salt and pepper, and place on a foil-lined jelly-roll pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 450° for 20 minutes. Brush jelly over the pork. Bake an additional 5 minutes or until a thermometer registers 160° (slightly pink). Let stand for 10 minutes. Discard twine; cut pork into 12 (1-inch-thick) slices.

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