Chef Michael Lomonaco's Recipe for Roasted Oysters with Country Bacon on StarChefs

CHILI-RUBBED PORK TENDERLOIN WITH PEACH FRITTERS
Michael Lomonaco - New York City
Adapted by StarChefs

Yield: Serves 4

2 pounds whole pork tenderloin
Vegetable oil to fill a deep-fryer
or deep skillet to an appropriate level

CHILI MARINADE:

2 tablespoons Chili Paste (see recipe below)
3 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons ketchup
Juice of lemon (about 2 tablespoons)
1 teaspoon ground cumin
3 tablespoons mango chutney

PEACH FRITTERS:

1 cup bleached flour
1/2 cup whole milk
1 teaspoon baking soda
6 ripe peaches, peeled, stones removed, and sliced into eighths
2 large eggs
1 tablespoons honey
flour for dredging
4 ounces dark beer

SPECIAL EQUIPMENT

Deep-fryer

Combine all the marinade ingredients in a container large enough to accommodate to the pork tenderloin strips. Add the pork tenderloin, turning to cover it completely with the marinade, and marinate in the refrigerator overnight, or at least several hours before cooking.

About 30 minutes before beginning to the pork, combine the flour, baking soda, eggs, honey, beer, and milk to make the fritter batter. Be careful not to overmix, and allow the flour to stay lumpy. Allow the batter to rest 30 minutes.

The pork is particularly delicious marinated overnight and grilled on an outdoor barbecue grill. In a pinch, it can be broiled in a hot oven broiler or roasted in a 375 degree oven. In any case, each tenderloin is small, so they should cook more than 15 to 20 minutes.

If grilling outdoors, prepare a barbecue with white-hot coals. remove the pork from the marinade, letting the excess drain back into the container. Season each tenderloin lightly with salt and pepper. Brush the grill with cooking oil. Lay the pork on the grill and cook, turning frequently to avoid burning. Before e removing it from the grill, broiler, or oven, use a meat thermometer to check that the pork has reached an internal temperature 165 degree.

While the pork is cooking, heat vegetable oil to between 320 and 340 in a deep fryer or a heavy, steep-sided skillet. If using skillet, the oil should be handled with care.

Dredge the peach sections in flour, and drop each floured piece into the fritter batter. Using tongs, carefully place the battered peach slices into the frying oil.

Fry only a few fritters at a time, so that they don't stick to each other or cause the temperature of the oil to drop below 320. At the other extreme, the oil should not be hotter than 340 to prevent burning the coating before peaches have cooked. As fritters becomes golden brown and crispy, drain it on paper towels, then remove it to a platter and keep warm while rest are cooking. When the tenderloin is done, cut it into 1/2-inch-thick slices and serve together with the peach fritters and onion rings.

Wine Notes:
This dish calls for the contrast of a full-flavored white wine whose coolness can quell the chili fire.

Babock Gewurztraminer, Santa Ynez Valley, California. A clean fresh style, yet with a Gerwurztraminer's fragrance and spice.

Hugel Tokay Pinot Gris Aslace Jubilee, France. This full-bodied white is exotic, with coconut aromas and a refreshing, palate-clean acidity.

DRY CHILI RUB
This wonderful way to marinate foods such as beef, pork, and chicken for roasting or grilling. This bold combination of spices imparts flavor and aroma as memorable as the beautiful color produced by the annato seeds. Annato, also called achiote, is found in many Latin markets. You can substitute achiote oil, which is the ground seed blended with the oil, but achiote oil is often heavily salted.

2 oz. dried ancho chili peppers
5-6 fresh jalapeno peppers
2 Tbs. cumin seed
1 Tbs. coriander seed
1/2 tsp. allspice berries
1/4 tsp. annato seeds(achiote)
1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
2 cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped
1/4 cup dark brown sugar, firmly packed
1/4 cup canola oil or vegetable oil

Stem and seed the dry and fresh chili peppers, using rubber gloves to protect your skin from the hot volatile oils. Grind all the ingredients in a food processor fitted with a metal blade to form a thick paste. Using approximately 2 Tablespoons per portion, rub into red meats the night before cooking; for fish and poultry, spread on several hours before roasting or grilling. Unused rub can be refrigerated in a clean sealed container up to 2 weeks.