Let me start by saying that Seth really outdid himself with these next two recipes. Not only are the dishes GORGEOUS but they taste exceptional as well. Although there are many ingredients and steps that go into the main dish and its complimenting side, I’m telling you its all worth it in the end. This meal really tantalized my taste-buds, and would certainly rock at any party especially as we transition into the cooler days of autumn. I love that Seth included his Herbs de Provence mixture – such a beautiful combination of herbs. Also, the tomato gratin itself is such a robust and tasty dish – so so good! If you get a chance to try out these lovely dishes & recipes we’d love to hear from you!
Provencal Grilled Pork Loin Roast:
Herbs de Provence:
- 3 tablespoons dried oregano
- 3 tablespoons dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1 teaspoon dried sage leaf
- 3 tablespoons dried savory
- 2 tablespoons dried lavender flowers
- 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
Combine and mix well / store in jar in a dark cool location.
Brine:
- 2 cups apple juice
- 1 cup water
- 1 tablespoon black pepper
- ¼ cup salt
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 4 cloves crushed garlic / skin on
- 3 bay leaves
Put all ingredients into a large pot and bring to simmer. Take the pot off the heat and let cool. Once fully cooled, add pork loin to the brine and refrigerate for 4-24 hours.
Grilled Pork Loin:
- 3 Tablespoons herbs de Provence
- 1 Tablespoon salt
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- 1 (4-5 lbs) bone in pork loin roast
Retrieve pork from brine at least a ½ hour before you grill, pat to dry off the roast. Coat the roast with olive oil, sprinkle with salt, pepper and herbs de Provence. Set aside and bring to room temperature. Prepare your gas or charcoal grill and let it get hot! Sear the pork roast on the hottest portion of the grill until grill marks appear. Once the marks have been established, move the pork to a cooler part of the grill and cover with lid until the internal temp reached 145 degrees, about 30-45 minutes. Remove to a platter, cover loosely with foil, and allow it to rest for 10 minutes. Before slicing, add any accumulated juices to a bowl and spoon over sliced pork.
Tomato and Walla Walla Onion Gratin
- One day old baguette with crust cut into 1 inch cubes and crumbled in a food processor or chopped by hand. You need about a ½ cup
- 3-4 large tomatoes, the best and ripest you can get your hands on! (farmers markets or your garden are the ideal place to find these)
- 2 ½ chopped Walla Walla onions
- 4 garlic cloves finely chopped
- Kosher salt and pepper to taste
- 1 ½ tablespoons fresh chopped thyme leaves
- 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- ½ cup freshly grated parmigiano – reggiano
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Heat about 2 tbsp vegetable oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add Onions and garlic and season with salt and pepper. Lower the heat to medium – low and cook until translucent but without browning. Stir in1 tablespoon thyme and red pepper flakes and cook for another 5 minutes.
Drizzle the tomatoes with olive oil and season with salt. Combine the Parmesan, bread crumbs and remaining thyme in a small bowl.
Spread the onion mixture in the bottom of a 13 ½ x 9 ½ inch gratin dish or 13 inch round shallow baking dish. Layer the tomatoes in the dish, working on the diagonal. Arrange a layer of overlapping slices and sprinkle 2-3 tbsp of cheese bread mixture over the top. Continue the process of overlapping and sprinkling of the mixture until the all the slices are snug in your dish. Sprinkle the top with any remaining mixture and a pinch of salt.
Bake for 1 hour until the tomatoes are completely tender. Remove from Oven and let rest for 10 minutes. Turn on the broiler before serving and place gratin back in oven to brown the top, 2-3 minutes.
Stay tuned for Thursday, as I’ll be sharing our final recipe & photo installment from our summer series. Hint : it’s dessert concocted from a local PNW seasonal berry!
FF Collective : {photography : Monica Hines | food and recipe development : Seth Hines | styling and art direction : Jenn Elliott Blake | custom graphics & titles : Amy Moore
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