Porkstravaganza

I have had some lovely dinner parties, but this one I just had was especially fun and successful. I had decided to take advantage of the only good part of not having Jared or Bernie around, getting to cook trayf. So I wanted to throw on some pork for myself and some friends I thought would appreciate it. My first thought was chops, because there is nothing like a good brined pork chop, but I always do chops when I serve pork, and there were to be so many guests that I'd have to cook them in several batches. Seemed like a pain. I could do a roast, which would have been delicious and fed lots of people eaily, but the preparation was so simple I thought I would challenge myself instead. So, recalling a diinner out wiith Jared and in_water_writ* from several years ago, I decided to try my hand at stuffing a tenderloin. I carefully butterflied an eight-pound loin (cut in half to fit in the pan), stuffed it with a mixture of cornbread, onion, celery, and chicken broth, rolled it up, and secured it with butcher's twine and wooden skewers. Carefully sticking it through with my probe thermometer, I cooked the bugger to temperature-- since starting to do that, my meat has come out of the oven a lot better. Accompanied by baked sweet potatoes and a side salad of mesclun, pecans, red pepper, and red onion dressed with olive oil and balsamic vinegar, I am pleased to report that every diner present had an enjoyable meal.