This recipe offers a quick and easy approach to gourmet cooking. The rich and complex flavors create an exciting and satisfying dish that can be prepared in about 30 minutes.
Many people still think the only way to eat dried prunes is to cook them and serve them for breakfast. Actually, prunes are a great snack eaten right out of the bag, and they add a great deal of nutrition to savory, as well as sweet, entrees.
I have used pork tenderloin in this recipe because it is so much lower in fat than other cuts of pork, and it is also extremely tender. Leftover pork is great sliced for sandwiches or diced for salads.
And the prune sauce is so good by itself that I often make it to serve over pasta, rice or beans for vegetarian dishes. The last time I made this dish, I served it over couscous prepared with apple juice instead of water, and it was a delicious combination.
PORT-POACHED PORK WITH PRUNE SAUCE
Preparation time: 25 minutes
Cooking time: 25 minutes
Yield: 4 servings
1 cup (6 ounces) large, dried, pitted prunes
1 pound pork tenderloin, fat removed, cut into 4 equal servings
1/2 teaspoon each: garlic salt, freshly ground pepper
3/4 cup port wine
1/2 cup water
3/4 teaspoon dried oregano, crushed
1/4 teaspoon each: ground nutmeg, salt
1. Place prunes in small bowl; cover with boiling water. Let stand at least 15 minutes.
2. Sprinkle both sides of pork evenly with garlic salt and pepper. Place lightly oiled non-stick skillet over medium heat until hot. Arrange pork in skillet; brown well on all sides.
3. Drain prunes; combine 1/2 of the drained prunes, port, water, oregano, nutmeg and salt in blender; puree. Pour mixture over pork in skillet. Arrange remaining prunes over top. Reduce heat to low. Simmer, covered, 10-15 minutes, depending on desired degree of doneness.
4. Remove pork from skillet; place pieces on individual plates. Spoon prunes and sauce evenly over pork.
Nutrition information per serving:
Calories ………… 275 Fat ……….. 4.4 g Saturated fat .. 1.5 g
% calories from fat .. 16 Cholestero … l65 mg Sodium …….. 420 mg
Carbohydrates …… 27 g Protein …….. 25 g Fiber ………. 3.2 g
CHOCOLATE CHEESE TORTE
Q. This recipe has been a favorite of mine for years. It is rather high in fat and calories, and even worse, the egg whites don’t get cooked in any way.
Joanna Bird, Akron
CHOCOLATE CHEESE TORTE
Preparation time: 50 minutes
Cooking time: 45 minutes
Cooling time: 10 minutes
Yield: 12 servings
1 1/3 cups graham-cracker crumbs
3 tablespoons each: sugar, unsweetened cocoa powder
1/3 cup butter or margarine, melted
4 packages (3 ounces each) cream cheese
3/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tablespoon coffee-flavored liqueur or rum
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 container (8 ounces) sour cream
1 ounce square unsweetened chocolate, grated
Topping:
1 1/2 teaspoons instant-coffee powder
2 tablespoons boiling water
4 squares semisweet chocolate
4 eggs, separated
1/3 cup sugar
1 tablespoon coffee-flavored liqueur or rum
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup whipping cream, whipped
1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Blend crumbs, sugar, cocoa and butter together until well mixed. Press firmly onto bottom and side of 9-inch springform pan. Bake 10 minutes; leave oven on. Cool crust while preparing filling.
2. Beat cream cheese in large bowl with electric mixer at high speed until light and fluffy. Gradually beat in sugar. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each. Add liqueur and vanilla. Turn into crust. Bake 30 minutes. Cool 10 minutes on rack. Spread with sour cream. Sprinkle with grated chocolate. Chill.
3. For topping, dissolve coffee in 2 tablespoons of boiling water in top of double boiler over hot, not boiling, water. Add semisweet chocolate. Stir until melted and blended. Beat 4 egg yolks in bowl with electric mixer until thick. Gradually beat in sugar. Add a bit of chocolate mixture. Beat well. Repeat until all of chocolate mixture has been added. Add liqueur and vanilla.
4. Beat egg whites until stiff. Gently fold into chocolate mixture. Spread over cooled baked layer. Refrigerate until firm. When ready to serve, loosen side of pan; remove. Place cake on serving plate. Decorate with whipped cream.
Nutrition information per serving:
Calories ………… 440 Fat ………… 30 g Saturated fat .. 17 g
% calories from fat .. 58 Cholesterol .. 165 mg Sodium ……. 260 mg
Carbohydrates …… 39 g Protein ……… 8 g Fiber ……… 1.5 g
WORRY-FREE CHOCOLATE-CHEESE TORTE
A To alleviate your concern about uncooked egg whites, I found a way to top your delicious torte with no eggs at all. Light non-dairy whipped topping provided a creamy yet firm texture and also shortened the steps. I substituted low-fat graham crackers, low-fat and non-fat cream cheese and light sour cream for their higher fat counterparts to lower the overall calories and fat. I also reduced the amount of sugar and chocolate without sacrificing flavor.
WORRY-FREE CHOCOLATE-CHEESE TORTE
Preparation time: 50 minutes
Cooking time: 50 minutes
Chilling time: 1 hour, 10 minutes
Yield: 12 servings
1 1/3 cups low-fat graham-cracker crumbs
3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
2 tablespoons each: sugar, melted butter, water
8 ounces non-fat cream cheese
4 ounces low-fat cream cheese
3/4 cup sugar
3 egg whites
1 tablespoon coffee-flavored liqueur or rum
1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 container (8 ounces) light sour cream
1/2 square (1/2 ounce) unsweetened chocolate, grated
Topping:
1 1/2 teaspoons instant-coffee powder
3 tablespoons boiling water
2 squares (1 ounce each) semisweet chocolate
3 tablespoons superfine sugar
1 tablespoon coffee-flavored liqueur or rum
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
8 ounces light non-dairy whipped topping
Additional light non-dairy whipped topping, optional
1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Blend crumbs, cocoa, sugar and butter together until well mixed. Blend in water until crumbs begin to hold together. Press firmly onto bottom and sides of 9-inch springform pan. Bake 10 minutes. Cool. Leave oven on.
2. Beat cream cheese in large bowl with electric mixer at high speed until light and fluffy. Gradually beat in sugar. Add egg whites one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add liqueur and vanilla. Turn into baked crust. Bake until filling no longer jiggles, about 35 minutes. Cool 10 minutes on wire rack. Gently spread sour cream over baked layer. Sprinkle with grated chocolate; refrigerate.
3. For topping, dissolve coffee in 3 tablespoons of boiling water in top of double boiler over hot, not boiling, water. Add chocolate. Stir until melted and blended. Gradually stir in superfine sugar. Add liqueur and vanilla. Cool to room temperature. Fold into 8 ounces whipped topping; gently spread over cooled baked layer. Refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour. When ready to serve, loosen side of pan; remove. Place cake on serving plate. Decorate with additional light whipped topping, if desired.
Nutrition information per serving:
Calories ……….. 315 Fat ………… 16 g Sat. fat ……… 10 g
Cal. / fat ……… 46% Chol. ……… 70 mg Sod. ……….. 235 mg
Carb. …………. 37 g Protein ……… 8 g Fiber ……….. 0.8 g
———-
Send your recipe for revision to: Cook it light, Chicago Tribune, 435 N. Michigan Ave., Chicago, IL 60611-4041.
