Martin's

Based on a recipe that had been handed down in the family, Mr and Mrs Martin "proofed" their way through the Pennsylvania Dutch country and created the potato roll that has added a whole new dimension to the word sandwich. Great Product. Many have tried to duplicate the sweet taste of their roll, without success.

After forty years, Martin's is still a family owned and operated bakery; though they say their biz has "risen" a bit - with a 200+ thousand square foot bakery now servicing supermarkets up and down the East Coast. The Martins and their staff take great pride in maintaining the same gold standard in quality with their baked goods that gave them the stellar reputation they earned back in the 1960s.

Martin's Buns and my Pork BBQ Sandwich are a perfect match. Give it a try!

GEORGE HIRSCH’S PORK BBQ SANDWICH 

Makes six servings | From George Hirsch Living it UP! TV series 
BBQ'n makes friends | chefgeorgehirsch.com

1 1/4 TO 1 1/2 pounds pork tenderloin 
1/4 cup Pork Rub 
2 Tablespoons olive oil 
6 soft rolls or hamburger buns 
1 1/2 cups shredded cabbage 
1 cup Q Sauce 

One day prior or two hours before cooking dry rub the pork tenderloin. 
Rub pork spices over pork tenderloin and refrigerate until ready to cook. 

PORK RUB: 
2 Teaspoons each powdered garlic, paprika 
1 Tablespoon each black pepper, rosemary, thyme, Chipolte rub 

Q SAUCE: 
1/4 cup BBQ Sauce 
1/4 cup Steak Sauce 
1/4 cup Hoisen sauce (Chinese BBQ sauce) 
2 Tablespoons ketchup 
2 Tablespoons cider vinegar 
Mix all ingredients. Serve sauce warm or at room temperature. 

TO COOK PORK: 
Pre Heat Grill to high heat or 375 degree oven. 
Rub olive oil over pork tenderloin. Place pork tenderloins on high heat and grill to golden brown turning once on all sides (Use a roasting pan if cooking in oven). Lower heat to medium, cook until pork is fully cooked about 15-25 minutes (see *Tip Below). Remove from grill and let meat rest 5 minutes before slicing. 
Slice pork tenderloin very thin, pile high on soft buns. Drizzle Q Sauce over meat, top with finely shredded cabbage. 

NOTE: To decrease the cooking time in half (approximately 10-12 minutes), butterfly the meat in half lengthwise. Make a cut 3/4 through the pork tenderloin. Use four skewers across the meat to keep the meat from curling up when on the grill. 
- Make extra dry rub and keep in a tight container for quick access on future preparations. 

Rome Italy: Cup of Espresso

A good espresso, or should I say, a great espresso is hard to come by stateside. It's a long way to travel for a cup of espresso or cappuccino, but worth the trip. I suggest you stay for a few days and really enjoy it!

A good cup of espresso should be enjoyed this way; stop and sip from a proper cup. Meaning, the cup is not made of paper, styrofoam or other disposable materials. Then participate in certain social etiquette. Don't drink it in a car or while walking on-the-go. Take a few minutes, sit or stand at the counter at the coffee bar. BTW, in Italy the price of an espresso and cappuccino is fixed no matter where you go- imagine that. You'll save a Euro or so for standing at the counter, but I enjoy to sit and take-in centuries old customs. 

I've decided it's all the circumstances combined that make that cup taste so good; the list is long, so let's just say Romans know how to make a great cup. Everyday, when in Rome, I stop at Gargani's for double espresso and a sfogiatelle, my favorite Italian pastry and savored every moment. Can't wait to return. Tip: The cafe goes from empty to packed in minutes, so don't hesitate, just sit. Then just enjoy the food frenzy; waiters rushing, tables turning and piles of small plates. Anyway, here's where to go- when in Rome: 
R Gargani
Via Lombardia, 15
00187 Roma (Lazio), Italy

images: George Hirsch

Jubilee Time

Walk fast but don't run, cherry season in North America has finally arrived! This very short season, which only lasts about one month, makes way for endless sweet recipes. Simply, enjoy cherries fresh-out of the bag; just soak cherries in ice-water for five minutes for a refreshing chilly snack. Or, incorporate fresh cherries into shortcakes, clafouti, or savory sauces for duck, chicken and pork.

Today's recipe is a cherry show stopper. You can put on quite a live demonstration for your guests by whipping up this a la Escoffier classic, Cherries Jubilee. Auguste Escoffier prepared Cherries Jubilee for Queen Victoria's Jubilee celebration in the late 1800's. 

Here are a few good-to-know tips on cherries:

- Removing pits is easily accomplished with OXO's new Cherry + Olive Pitter - a Good Stuff pick.

- Cherries are a very delicate fruit and do not ripen further once picked.

- Choose cherries with stems still attached, this helps them maintain their freshness.  Cherries with plump, bendable stems have recently been picked and are at the peak of freshness.

- Select cherries with firm, smooth, unblemished skin, and buy only as many as you plan to eat within a couple days.

- For best results, store refrigerated in a plastic bag with holes in it, and wash cherries only when you're ready to use them.

Cherries Jubilee
Recipe by Chef George Hirsch | Makes four servings 
Adapted from Gather 'round the Grill Cookbook, 1995

2 Tablespoons sweet butter
1/2 cup Turbinado (suger in the raw) or pure cane granulated sugar
1/4 cup orange juice
Juice from half a lemon
2 cups Bing or other dark, sweet cherries, rinsed and pitted
1/2 teaspoon finely grated orange zest
1/4 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
Pinch of ground allspice
1/4 cup Kirschwasser
2 Tablespoons Grand Marnier or Cointreau
2 cups vanilla ice cream

In four small bowls, pre portion ice cream and return bowls to freezer prior to preparing cherries and until ready to serve.

Pre heat a sauce pan over a low temperature. Add butter and sugar and stir until melted. Continue cooking over a low flame until sugar begins to turn a light brown color. Stir in the orange and lemon juice; bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring until slightly thickened. Stir in the cherries, cinnamon, allspice and orange zest, return to a boil, then reduce heat, and add the Kirschwasser (cherry brandy). Pour in the Grand Marnier, and ignite with an igniter. Gently shake the pan and stir with a large spoon until the blue flame has extinguished itself. Receive applause from your guests.

Spoon the cherries and the sauce over the bowls of ice cream and serve immediately. 

CAUTION:

I am reminded of an episode from the TV show Frasier; when Frasier and Niles open an upscale French restaurant called "Les Frères Heureux", meaning "The Happy Brothers". The uber pretentious budinski brothers can't keep their hands out of the kitchen. When opening night arrives, everything that can go wrong, does - the waiters go to the emergency room and the chef quits, with Niles taking over the chef position and Daphne helping him. Martin becomes a bartender and Roz becomes a waitress. Frasier and Niles, throughout the night keep enhancing the amount of brandy in the batch of cherries jubliee. Well, you can imagine how this turns out; as Roz the ever faithful producer bails Fraiser out of yet another jam. She assists to serve the cherries jubilee in the dining room. As she ignites the cherries jubilee in the dining room it explodes with cherries embedded into the restaurant ceiling.

Lesson here - First, don't open a restaurant unless you know what you are doing. And, VERY importantly, the flames can get quite high when flambeing, so give your full attention to anything flammable above and around the area where you ignite the cherries. Lastly, NEVER add liquor straight from the bottle into the pan directly over a fire.

Take Along Treat

I'm always interested in finding new snacks, especially ones that are good for you. Today's snack made my Good Stuff picks; is ideal for travel or take-along treat for the beach. Seaport Farms' Dry Roasted Edamame is coated in wasabi; which has a similar bite to horseradish. Edamame also happens to be a great source of protein.

What is edamame?

Edamame is a specialty soybean harvested as a green vegetable when the seeds are immature and have expanded to fill 80 to 90 percent of the pod width. Like field-dried soybeans, the seeds of Edamame varieties are rich in protein and highly nutritious. Worldwide, it had only been considered a minor crop or used as a cover-crop, but was quite popular in East Asia as a snack food. In recent years it has become very popular as a vegetable used in many recipes including soups, stir-fry's, casseroles and salads.  As a snack, the pods are cooked in lightly salted boiling water and then only the beans are eaten by pushing them directly from the pods into your mouth. 

Available in most food markets.

Melon Mondays

Believe it or not, watermelon has higher concentrations of the antioxidant lycopene compared to any other fresh fruit or vegetable. A two cup serving of watermelon contains almost nineteen milligrams vs. four milligrams contained in tomatoes, and has only 48 calories. It can also provide 25 percent of your recommended daily intake of Vitamin C. Let's not omit that watermelon also marks summer fun and eating outdoors!

Tip. Pick a melon that feels heavy for its size, that's an indication it's juicy and fresh. Enjoy eating it freshly cut or make my refreshing summer cocktail made with watermelon. For my Melon Mojito recipe.

Make the melon a take-along to the beach or boat chilled on ice, in the collapsable bucket.