Directions

Onions
Remove skin from onion and thinly slice both yellow onions.  Heat sauté pan over high heat, add sliced onion and cook while constantly stirring/tossing in order to achieve a deep caramel color, without burning.  Do not use oil in the pan, simply add a few drops of water to the pan to deglaze if the onions begin to blacken at any time.

Once the onions are a deep brown color, add 3 Tbsp of sherry vinegar.  Continue to cook the onions until the liquid has reduced to dry.  Add 3 cups of chicken stock and lower heat to medium, continue to reduce until the consistency is thick and shiny.  Add a pinch of salt and black pepper, set the onion glaze aside.

Pork
Allow the pork to come to room temperature while preparing the herb coating. 

Roughly chops all herbs and garlic (if using) together, including chive, parsley and aromatic herbs (thyme, oregano, and any others you elect to use).  Combine roughly chopped herbs and garlic in a food processor with ½ cup butter and 1 ½ cup bread crumbs.  Pulse until mixture is well combined, but not quite a puree.

Spread the herb, butter, and bread crumb mixture onto a sheet (you may use parchment paper, plastic wrap or a siplat). Once evenly spread, place in the refrigerator to chill. 

While the crust is chilling, season the tenderloins with salt & pepper.  Pan sear over high heat until desired doneness, turning regularly for consistent cooking (about 6 minutes a medium/medium rare with a rose center, they will continue to cook slightly in the next step).

Remove the herb crust from the refrigerator and cut into rectangles that will lay over the tenderloins.  drape the herb crust over the two tenderloins and place under a broiler until bubbling.  Remove from the pan and allow to rest on a drip pan.

Grapes & Plating
While the tenderloins are resting, remove grapes from stems and heat a sauté pan over high heat. Lightly coat the grapes in oil of your choosing and place into the heated pan.  Continue to cook until the skins of the grapes blister (the grapes will still be raw in the center), approximately 2-3 minutes.

Lay the onions in the center of a serving platter, cut the tenderloins into medallions and place onto the bed of onions.  Spoon the warm grapes over the dish and serve.

Directions

Dried Oranges & Candied Almonds
Lay segments of oranges on an oiled baking sheet and dry on low temperature (250 F) until leather skin has formed, approximately 4 hours. Set aside

To cut orange segments: Peel the oranges with a paring knife, carefully cutting just under the pith, keeping the orange as round as possible when cutting away the peel.  Cut between the membranes to segment the orange, discarding the remaining membrane after all segments have been removed.

Measure 1 cup of slivered or sliced almonds, pre-cut or freshly cut. Dust with powdered sugar and spread on a lined baking sheet.  Caramelize in oven at 350 F until just browned and shiny, approximately 8 minutes – depending on the thickness of the almonds, this can take anywhere from 5 to 10 minutes. 

Pasta & Mushrooms
Bring 6 qts water (or ¼ gallon) to the boil, drop in linguini and cook a minute less than directed for al dente on the package.

Meanwhile, heat a large sauté pan over medium high heat.  Add mushrooms and sauté until lightly browned.  Dice one clove of garlic and add to the mushroom pan, immediately adding (or deglazing) with 2 ounces of brandy to prevent the garlic from burning.

Once the brandy has cooked off, reduce heat to medium and add 1 cup of heavy cream and a pinch of nutmeg.  Continue cooking mushroom, garlic and cream mixture until reduced by about 1/3^rd.

Once the past is done, drain pasta of most of its water (leaving about a tablespoon or two of liquid). Reserve remaining pasta water.  Add the mostly drained pasta to the cream and mushrooms.  Toss the pasta with the cream sauce to begin coating the pasta. 

Increase the heat of the sauté pan to high and continue to reduce the cream, mushroom and pasta until a coating consistency is achieved. If needed, use pasta water to adjust consistency. Season with salt and pepper. Serve with the oranges and almonds sprinkled over.

Directions

Crème Fraiche
Zest and juice 1 medium sized lemon.  Combine 1 cup of crème fraiche with the lemon zest & juice.  Add a pinch of salt & pepper (to your preferred taste) and set aside.

Sweet Potato Cakes
Grate – Peel 2 medium to large sized sweet potatoes, then great on the larger side of a box grater.  Place the grated sweet potato in cold water, just covering the potatoes to rinse off as much starch as possible.  Allow to soak for 30 to 60 minutes. 

Rinse, Drain & Dry – Drain the water from the grated sweet potatoes.  Lay a clean kitchen towel out and place the grated sweet potato directly onto the towel, then roll the towel and lightly press on it to absorb as much water from the sweet potatoes as possible.

Mix – To make the mixture, add the grated sweet potato to a large mixing bowl.  Chop 1 bunch or tarragon, add to the bowl, add 1 egg, and salt & pepper (again this depends on your preference, but we used approximately 1/8 tsp of each – or a larger pinch).  Sprinkle 1 tsp of flour over the mixture.  Use your hands to gently mix all of the ingredients, being careful to not squish or compress the potatoes too much or they will be very dense after cooking. The ideal texture will be just stuck together and still lacey on the exterior.

Clarify the butter – Use ghee, clarified butter, or clarify your own at home to remove the milk solids to prevent burning and smoking.  To clarify your own butter by heating butter (we prefer high quality European style butter for this dish) over low heat.  Do not boil or stir the mixture, just slowly bring it up to temperature until the milk solids start rising to the top. Skim the white milk solids from the top of the pan with a slotted spoon or ladle.  When the milk solids have been removed, simply transfer the golden, clear clarified butter to another dish to use for frying.

Pan Fry – Heat a frying pan over medium heat, pour in a thin layer of clarified butter, when the mixture is warm and starts to look very shiny, place spoonfuls of the potato mixture directly into the pan, letting them naturally take shape.  Do not press down.

Once the first side becomes crispy and a deep golden brown, flip the rounds with a spatula and begin cooking the other side.  They will be relatively loose, so ensure you are gentle when flipping them and removing them once they are done on both sides.  This will ensure they stay light and fluffy.  Carefully transfer to a paper towel to absorb some of the remaining butter.  Season with salt & pepper very lightly (a small sprinkle per each cake).  Serve with the crème fraiche mixture and capers.

Directions

Herbed Ricotta
Mince 1 bunch of chive & 1 bunch of parsley, set aside.  Zest the peel of 1 medium sized lemon.  Combine 1 cup of Ricotta with the lemon zest, and minced herbs.  Add a pinch of salt & pepper to taste.  Cover and allow to rest in refrigerator for at least 1 hour, but up to 48 hours to allow the flavors to marry.

Roasting the Butternut Squash
Preheat your oven to 450 F
May be done at a lower temperature if your oven does not go this high, simply add baking time to achieve doneness

Remove skin from Butternut squash with a peeler.  Slice whole squash in half lengthwise, remove seeds with a large spoon, then slice into thin planks, (about ½ an inch thick).  Drizzle with oil (we use a neutral seed based oil, but any high smoke point oil will work). Season with a pinch of salt & pepper.  Place the seasoned planks onto a lined baking sheet in an even layer, with space between each plank to encourage even at browning. Roast for 20 minutes, or until tender and color is well developed. Remove and hold at room temperature until lukewarm.

Caramelized Pumpkin Seeds
In a large skillet, combine 1/8 cup brown sugar with 1 cup of pumpkin seeds.  Cook over medium heat, while continuously stirring until sugar has melted and coats the seeds. Continue cooking until the sugar begins to caramelize, about 2-3 minutes.  Remove the pan from heat and spread the caramelized seeds onto an oiled sheet pan or wax paper to cool.

Assembly
Stack the planks of Butternut Squash on 4 individual plates, add dallops of the herbed ricotta and drape with fresh apricot slices.  Sprinkle the plate with caramelized pumpkin seeds.  If desired, use good quality olive oil to drizzle around the plate for a beautiful visual effect.  Enjoy with a glass of chilled Convergence Chardonnay.