As I mentioned in an earlier blog, I am spending 2023 getting to know the contents of my cookbooks. To be clear, this is not the same as the woman who went through Julia Child’s cookbook in a year. I’m just trying out recipes that look interesting to Greg and me. This week, the “America’s Test Kitchen” cookbook came off the shelf and I flipped through to discover a pan sauce recipe called “Dried Cherry-Port Sauce with Onions and Marmalade.”
The ingredients intrigued me enough to add a couple of things to the grocery list and give it a go. The port and onions are always on hand, but I knew I didn’t have any marmalade in the pantry and while I keep raisins and craisins handy for salads and baking, dried cherries are not typically a pantry staple.
Greg is a pro at pan searing and roasting pork loin to perfection, so the essential building block for the dinner was easy. As I read over the recipe, it seemed easy, too. I found a fun side dish, invited friends to be taste testers and decided to make Tuesday our epi-curiosity day.
We thawed the pork loin and got everything measured and ready for dinner. When our guests arrived, we poured cocktails and chatted while Greg and I made dinner. As we neared the end, Keith commented that it was a lot like dinner and a show.
There’s always that moment when you take a deep breath and wait … the moment of truth! I’ve tried recipes before. Who hasn’t? The questions run through your mind: Will I like it? Will anyone like it? Will they be honest? I dished out the portion on my plate last … and dug in.
WOW! This one was a resounding success. Lips smacked. The only sounds were the slicing of the pork and chewing. Moans of satisfaction and “mmmmm’s” of deliciousness filled my ears. By the end of the meal the plates were clean … and any hope of leftovers had disappeared. As we cleared the table, Vikki asked for the recipe and snapped a pic with her phone.
There’s a whole world out there just waiting to be explored … and tasted.
© The World A to Z, LLC 2023 — Unless otherwise indicated, no compensation was received for this blog.
Just the facts: I did not post the recipe here because the cookbook contents are copyright protected. America’s Test Kitchen offers a free 14 day trial of their recipes online. After that you have to pay for a subscription.
The World A to Z 
Looked delicious 🤤!!
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