Recipes: Make these dishes to elevate your Fourth of July feast

Make grilled pork tenderloin the centerpiece of your holiday cookout, with support from a salad topped with homemade buttermilk dressing and a Tunnel of Fudge cake for dessert.

Our inalienable culinary rights on the Fourth of July? Life, liberty and the pursuit of joyous grilling. Who says our holiday of backyard feasting must be just another weenie roast?

Grilled pork tenderloin could be a delectable centerpiece of this year’s holiday happiness. As I often do, I turn to grilling guru Steven Raichlen to guide my path. His Mojo-Marinated Pork Tenderloin is a just-right entree.

Raichlen marinates the tenderloins in a mix he dubs a “mojo marinade.” It’s a tasty blend of oil, garlic, cumin, lime juice, and orange juice, plus oregano, salt, and pepper. The prep requires that the mojo mix is brought to a boil. Once cooled, fresh mint or cilantro are added. Half of the cooled mixture is used to marinate the pork; the remaining concoction is spooned over the sliced grilled meat just before serving.

Don’t confuse pork tenderloins with pork loin. Tenderloins are thin and long; they are always boneless. Most often they are sold sealed, two-to-a-pack. Pork loins are larger often with a fat cap on one side, with or without bones; they can be cut into steak-like pieces.

I like to serve grilled sliced tenderloins layered between orange slices atop a rice blend tossed with drained (canned) black beans. I partner it with a green salad adorned with a buttermilk-based dressing. To finish, a Tunnel of Fudge Cake to serve with fresh strawberries and blueberries.

Have a delicious Independence Day.

Mojo-Marinated Pork Tenderloins

Grilling guru Steven Raichlen likes to serve this tasty pork accompanied with black beans and grilled plantains. I prefer to partner it with a cooked rice blend, such as Lundberg Wild Rice Blend, tossed with heated canned black beans, drained, and rinsed. Raichlen cuts the oranges into supremes (peeled sections). I save time by slicing off the peels and cutting the oranges crosswise into slices. Cleaning the grill grate is essential. I appreciate his technique, first cleaning with the heated grate with a wire brush and then folding a paper towel into a small square and clasping it with tongs. The paper towel is dipped in vegetable or canola oil and used to further wipe down the grate. Nice.

Yield: 4 servings

INGREDIENTS

Bamboo skewers or wooden toothpicks, soaked in water for 1 hour

1/2 cup olive oil

8 large cloves garlic, peeled, thinly sliced crosswise

1 teaspoon ground cumin or more to taste

1/2 cup fresh lime juice

1/2 cup orange juice

1 1/2 teaspoons coarse salt, or more to taste

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1/2 teaspoon ground oregano

1/3 cup water

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro or mint

2 to 3 pork tenderloins (1 1/2 pounds total)

2 large sweet onions, peeled, cut into 1/2-inch thick slices

For serving: 2 navel oranges, peeled, sliced

DIRECTIONS

1. Prepare mojo: Heat oil in deep saucepan over medium heat. Add garlic and cumin; cook until garlic is fragrant and pale golden color, 1 to 2 minutes. Do NOT let garlic brown too much or it will be bitter. Cautiously add lime and orange juice (it may sputter, so stand back). Cautiously add salt, pepper, oregano, and water. Stir and bring sauce to boil. Taste for seasoning, adding salt and/or cumin if needed. Cool to room temperature. Add cilantro or mint.

2. If it is present, trim tenderloins of silverskin (sinew on exterior). Place in single layer in nonreactive 9-by-13-inch baking pan. Pour half of the cooled mojo over pork and marinate, covered, in refrigerator at least 3 hours, preferably overnight, turning occasionally to insure even marinating. Refrigerate remaining mojo to serve as a sauce.

3. Preheat grill (if using gas, preheat to high). Remove pork from marinade and discard marinade (keeping reserved marinade for sauce). Brush and oil grill grate. Arrange tenderloins on grill. Brush onion with some of the reserved mojo, skewer them crosswise on bamboo skewers or toothpicks. Place on grill. Grill pork and onions until cooked to taste. The meat will take 3 to 4 minutes on each of its 4 sides, 12 to 16 minutes in all for medium. To test for doneness, insert an instant-read thermometer in the thickest part of meat. The internal temperature should be about 155 to 160 degrees. Onions should be nicely charred after about 4 to 6 minutes per side.

4. Transfer meat to a cutting board and let it rest for 3 minutes. Slice tenderloins crosswise on the diagonal. Fan out slices on plates or platter and top with onions (removed from skewers). Spoon the reserved mojo and garnish with orange segments or slices. Serve.

Source: Adapted from “How to Grill” by Steven Raichlen (Workman)

Tunnel of Fudge Cake

The Tunnel of Fudge Cake is an old-school favorite, an ultra-chocolatey moist Bundt cake with a rich, fudgy interior. The original recipe relied on packaged mixes. This version is from scratch. When testing for doneness, don’t rely on the standard toothpick test to see if after insertion the pick comes out clean. The fudgy center won’t allow for accurate results. Instead, remove cake from oven when the sides just begin to pull away from the pan and the surface of the cake springs back when pressed gently with your finger.

Yield: 12 servings

INGREDIENTS

3/4 cup (2 1/4 ounces) Dutch-processed cocoa powder, plus 1 tablespoon for pan

20 tablespoons (2 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into 20 pieces and softened, plus 1 tablespoon melted for pan

1/2 cup boiling water

2 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped

2 cups (10 ounces) all-purpose flour

2 cups pecans or walnuts, finely chopped

2 cups (8 ounces) powdered sugar

1 teaspoon salt

5 large eggs, room temperature

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1 cup (7 ounces) granulated sugar

3/4 cup packed (5 1/4 ounces) light brown sugar

Chocolate Glaze: 3/4 cup heavy cream, 1/4 cup light corn syrup, 8 ounces bittersweet chocolate (chopped), 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

For serving: Sliced fresh strawberries mixed with fresh blueberries

DIRECTIONS

1. Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Mix 1 tablespoon cocoa powder and melted butter for pan into paste in small bowl. Using pastry brush, thoroughly coat interior of 12-cup nonstick Bundt pan. Pour boiling water over chocolate in bowl and whisk until smooth. Let cool completely. Whisk flour, nuts, powdered sugar, salt and remaining 3/4 cup cocoa in large bowl. Whisk eggs and vanilla in 4-cup liquid measuring cup.

2. Using stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, beat softened butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar on medium-high speed until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Reduce speed to low and add egg mixture and mix until incorporated, about 30 seconds. Add melted chocolate mixture and mix until incorporated, about 30 seconds. Add flour mixture and mix until just combined, about 30 seconds, scraping down sides as needed.

3. Transfer batter to prepared pan and smooth top with rubber spatula. Bake until edges are beginning to pull away from pan, about 45 minutes, rotating pan half-way through baking. Let cake cool in pan set in rimmed baking sheet for 1 1/2 hours. Invert cake onto rack, remove pan, and let cool completely, at least 2 hours.

4. Prepare glaze: Heat cream, corn syrup, and chocolate in small saucepan over medium heat, stirring constantly, until smooth, Stir in vanilla and set aside until slightly thickened, about 30 minutes. Drizzle glaze over cooled cake and let set for at least 10 minutes before serving. (Cake can be stored at room temperature for up to 2 days.) Serve with a mix of fresh sliced strawberries and blueberries.

Source: “Everything Chocolate: A Decadent Collection” by America’s Test Kitchen (America’s Test Kitchen)

Buttermilk Dressing

Buttermilk adds a creamy tang to salad dressing. Fresh herbs and garlic add a lovely herbal edge. The dressing will keep for up to a week, covered and refrigerated. Be sure to shake up the buttermilk before measuring. Tinker with the proportions if you like. Sometimes I add a little more mayonnaise or double the number of chives. In the summertime when there is fresh tarragon in my yard, I substitute it for parsley. Your choice.

Yield: About 1 3/4 cups

1 cup well-shaken buttermilk

1/2 cup mayonnaise

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1 garlic clove, peeled, chopped

2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives

1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

DIRECTIONS

1. Place all ingredients in blender; whirl until smooth.

Source: “The Gourmet Cookbook” edited by Ruth Reichl (Houghton Mifflin)

Cooking question? Contact Cathy Thomas at cathythomascooks@gmail.com