Pork Sandwich

This is a great way to bring in the Spring season with some simple vegetables. I used zucchinis, you can add squash as well or any other soft spring vegetables. Serve it with the sauce and vegetables on a bed of rice. The leftovers are perfect for use in sandwiches. This simplicity of this dish belies the amazing flavor. Apart from the apready mentioned crème fraîche, vegetables and pork, thyme, a little garlic, salt, and pepper are all the remainder of the ingredients. Simple is good.

So Good

Not only are the ingredients straightforward, but the cooking process is simple too. It’s basically a two step process. The first step involves browning the tenderloin to boost the flavor. A minute or two in a hot skillet and you’re done. The second part is wrapping everything in a big sheet of parchment paper and baking it in the oven. That’s it. Not terrible difficult, and the parchment paper makes clean-up easy too.

As always, click for larger images…

Notice the little hole in the side of the paper to let excess steam escape.

Ta-da! All done.

Ingredients
2 pork tenderloins, silver skin removed, salted and peppered
4-5 zucchini, cut into medium disk slices
3 cloves garlic
fresh thyme (8-10 strands)
6 tablespoons crème fraîche

You will also need a large sheet of parchment paper.

Instructions
1. Preheat the oven to 350F with the rack set to the lower middle section.
2. Place the parchment paper in a baking dish and layer the paper with the cut zucchini. Add some salt and pepper to taste (I used about a teaspoon of salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper).
3. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat (don’t use non-stick if you can help it, cast iron is great for this). Once hot, add two tablespoons canola oil. Sear the tenderloins, one at a time, to brown the exterior. It should take about 45-60 seconds a side to sear the meat. Place the browned tenderloins over the bed of zucchini.
4. Dollop the crème fraîche onto the tenderloins and place the springs of thyme over the meat/zucchini. Cut the garlic cloves in half and scatter them around the meat.
5. Fold the parchment paper over the dish and crimp the edges to seal. If you have a probe thermometer, insert it into the thick part of the tenderloin before sealing the parchment. A probe thermometer will ensure that the meat is cooked to the correct temperature and help guard against overcooking the meat. Leave a little hole in one side to allow the steam to vent.
6. Cook for about 45 minutes. If you have a probe thermometer, USE IT! Set it for 160F in the thickest part of the meat.

Slice and Serve

There are two huge benefits (apart from the lovely flavor) of crème fraîche, one, it can be made into whipped cream or butter (uh, yes! more on that in a few weeks), and, two, it doesn’t break (i.e., separate/curdle) when heated. This makes it an ideal treat whipped with sugar and served with strawberries or dolloped in soups and stews (much tastier than sour cream). Anything sour cream does, crème fraîche does better.

Strawberries and a half liter of crème frâiche, by flickr user testastretta-999

Basics
The main flavors in this thick velvety cream are a slight sour tang and a mild nuttiness. The thickness of most brands available in the US is similar to that of sour cream, but the texture can range from that of a heavy, slow-moving cream to a shortening-like paste.

It gets it’s distinct flavor and texture from the lactobacillus cultures found in nonpasteurized dairy products. This “good” bacteria is allowed to develop until the cream thickens and acidifies. Once it reaches the correct consistency, many commercial products are commonly pastureland to halt the process. (If you make it at home, all you can do is slow it down by refrigerating it.)

Don’t be concerned or get squeamish by this talk of bacteria in the cream. It’s actually because of this bacteria that the cream does not spoil. It’s the same principals that keep sourdough cultures from going bad. Essentially, the good bacteria crowds out the bad.

Homemade crème fraîche, by flickr user flit.

Uses
I’ve already given a few ideas for how to use it (whipped served with fresh fruits or dolloped in soups), but there are many more. Consider serving it with smoked salmon (instead of the customary cream cheese) or using it to thicken pan sauces. You can try replacing some of the butter in mashed potatoes with a bit of creme fraiche. Essentially any place where you see heavy cream, sour cream, or even butter used, you can replace some–or all–of it with crème fraîche.

Storage
As mentioned above, the bacteria in the cream actually helps preserve the creme fraiche so it tends to keep a bit longer than regular milk or cream would. Store bought brands generally keep well for several weeks well covered in the refrigerator. Homemade versions should be stored the same way but used more quickly as quality control is a bit more difficult.

Make your own
Where unpasteurized cream is available, heavy cream containing natural bacteria (lactobacillus cultures) is allowed to sit at room temperature to encourage the growth of these cultures. After it enough of the bacteria has grown, it should be refrigerated to slow/stop the continued growth of the bacteria.
This method is not possible in the US as the required pasteurization process kills the lactobacillus cultures. Creating crème fraîche involves seeding heavy cream with buttermilk (preferred method) or sour cream.

Ingredients
1 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons buttermilk (live culture yogurt or sour cream will also work)
Directions
Combine both in a glass container. Cover and let stand at room temperature (about 70°F) for 12 to 24 hours. Once it becomes very think, you will have crème fraîche! Refrigerate or use immediately.

Strawberries, creme fraiche, and sugar, by flickr user flit.

Nutrition
These are just estimates, actual values may vary by brand or by the type of cream you use to make your own.
Most contain about 28% butterfat and have a pH close to 4.5.
One tablespoon (about 15g, or 1/2 ounces) contains approximately the following:
Calories: 52
Protein: 0.3g
Carbohydrate: 0.42g
Total Fat: 5.5g
Saturated Fat: 3.5g
Cholesterol: 17mg

Substitutes
The closest off-the-shelf substitute available in the US is likely sour cream. In the southern United States, clabber is sometimes available and is similar. Plain full-fat yogurt can often be used as a substitute in cooking, but care must be taken to heat it gently as it can often separate.

Sources
English Wikipedia, French Wikipedia, Wise Geek, BBC, Epicurious, On Food and Cooking, by Harold McGee, and the backs of various creme fraiche containers.

Gratin Dauphinois.... MMmmmm, starchy...

Though nearly every potato gratin dish involves some sprinkling of cheese, it isn’t necessary. In fact, if you want to call the dish “Gratin Dauphinois”, adding anything else is forbidden. The combination of starches in the potatoes and the cream/milk is enough to create a thick, creamy consistency. Don’t get me wrong, adding cheese isn’t a bad thing, Kyle’s dish was fantastic. The addition of cheese allows for different flavor profiles and can compliment the flavors of other additions. But each time someone adds cheese and calls it Gratin Dauphinois, a large tear wells up and rolls down the cheek of a Frenchman living in Dauphiné. Well, maybe not, but if you add cheese, you have lost the right to call it Dauphinois.

All the other flavors in this dish are there to augment the cream and potatoes. A dash of nutmeg brings a mild nutty-earthiness to the dish. Garlic is added too, but only as a hint of flavor by rubbing the baking dish with a garlic clove. If you are wondering about the use of white pepper instead of black pepper, it’s simply to keep the color of the dish consistent. Black pepper is perfectly fine, but would leave black specks throughout the dish.

I like to use mostly all heavy cream when I make this, but some people may find that very rich. You can tame the richness of the dish by using lower fat creams, half and half, or even whole milk. You may have some success with part-skim milk, but I have never used anything less than whole milk. Last night when I made this dish, I intended to use all heavy cream, but I have been stealing some from the container for my coffee so I had to make up the difference with about 1/2 cup of whole milk.

If I have it on hand, I like to use a bit of crème fraîche in the recipe as well. I find the tangy, nuttiness appealing and think it complements the flavor of potatoes nicely. I’m not sure how authentic that addition is, but I like it. I find that I get good results when I replace a bit (1/4 to 1/2 cup) of the 2 cups of cream with crème fraîche, feel free to use more.

Gratin Dauphinois
Use a 2 quart baking dish. Recipe serves about 6.
Ingredients
2 pounds potatoes, (any waxy kind will do, I typically use the red ones)
2 cups heavy cream (whole milk or half and half will work too, avoid skim though)
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 tsp white pepper (black pepper is fine)
up to 1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
1 clove garlic, cut in two
1/4 cup heavy cream (or even creme fraiche)

Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 425F.
2. Peel and rinse the potatoes. Slice them on the thin setting of your mandoline or food processor (1/8 of an inch, about 3mm). A knife works well too. The goal is consistency in the slicing so use whatever tools you have that can help. NOTE: Do not rinse the potatoes after slicing them! That will remove some of the starch that is needed in this dish.
3. Place a large saucepan over medium heat and combine the potatoes, milk, salt, pepper and nutmeg. Bring to a simmer (reduce the heat as necessary) and cook for 8 minutes. Stir the bottom of the pan to prevent the potatoes from sticking to each other or the pan. The milk or cream will thicken slightly during this time.
4. Rub the bottom of a 2 quart baking dish with the garlic clove. Add about half the potato/milk mixture to the baking dish, then about half of the unused heavy cream, then the rest of the potato/milk mixture, then the last of the heavy cream.
5. Bake for about 35 minutes, until the edges are bubbly and the top is browned. Allow to rest for a few minutes before serving.
- Leftovers are good cold, but can be reheated in the oven at 400F for 10-15 minutes.