The news has been overtaken the last couple days with The Rapture: the idea that the world is going to end at 6 p.m. EST on today, May 21. According to the theory, the estimate is based on calculations from the Bible, and it will start with a series of earthquakes that will systematically destroy the earth. Believers will be whisked away to heaven, but non-believers will be left behind for an additional five months of torturous living before the world implodes on October 21. Or so they say.
Someone asked me what I would do differently if it WERE the last day of my existence, and honestly there's not much I would change...except what I eat.
My last meal would be so huge, I would be in a food coma by the time the first earthquakes hit. Since I love food and wine, this should not surprise you. The more I thought about it, though, the more food I realized I want to eat again if the end is nigh.
It's a long list and includes many courses. I'd start out with chipotle butternut squash soup -- a new concoction of mine I came up with last year -- followed by about 4 main courses. My mom's prime rib is definitely on the top of the list (it's smothered in kosher salt and baked until the outside is a fatty, crusty goodness that makes your mouth water and your hands swell from the sodium content) and Kaspressknödel, a fried German potato pancake-type delicacy with three different types of cheese in it. Creme brulee would also be on my list, plus some good tequila and a Piña Colada.
But since I also have room for additional main courses -- it's my last day on earth, why not? -- I have to admit I would also want some Caribbean Pork Tenderloin.
It's hard to say, but here I go: it's my favorite recipe in Savoring Chelan. There's something about the stacks of marinated pork tenderloin topped with apple and sweet potato sauteed in butter and cinnamon that makes my mouth water every time I think about it.
That's not to say I would include a couple more of the recipes from the book if I had a last week to survive before the stores were looted, (can you say Fire Pasta and Chocolate Truffles?) but since I'm coming onto the rapture party a little late in the day, this is the one that makes the cut.
Caribbean Pork Tenderloin
Contributed by Ray Sandidge, winemaker for C.R. Sandidge Wines.
Prep time: 20 minutes
Marinade time: 1-2 hours
Cook time: 10 minutes
Serves 4
Two whole pork tenderloins
Marinade
1/2 white onion, chopped
2 tablespoons minced garlic
1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
2 teaspoons ginger powder
1-1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
3 tablespoons lemon juice
3 tablespoons soy sauce
6 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons Balsamic vinegar
Sauté items
4 tablespoons butter
4 tablespoons brown sugar
2 whole apples, cored and cut into rounds (4 rounds per serving)
1 large sweet potato, peeled and cut into rounds (4 rounds per serving)
Garnish
Fresh chopped cilantro
Chopped pecans
Olive oil
Chopped green onion
Mix marinade items in a large glass or stainless steel mixing bowl. Cut pork tenderloins into 1 to 1-1/2 inch medallions and toss pork in the marinade until well coated. Refrigerate, covered, for 1 to 2 hours.
Remove pork medallions from marinade and grill 8 to 10 minutes, turning once. Sauté the apple and sweet potato slices in the butter with the brown sugar until lightly browned and softened.
Alternating sweet potato, pork, apple, sweet potato, pork and apple, make two stacks on the plate; you may need toothpicks. Garnish with cilantro, pecans, olive oil, green onion and serve with salad greens. Serve hot.
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