Chunky Peach BBQ Sauce with Grilled Pork Tenderloin - a Food Photography Challenge

BBQ... what does it mean to you?  In my childhood years, BBQ was more of a verb than a noun.  Dad would BBQ chicken, or maybe T-Bone Steaks on the weekend.  However, when my husband and I moved to Kentucky early in our marriage, BBQ became a "thing".  I must admit that I never did quite figure out what that "thing" was, but I know it's something traditional and not to be messed with.

Shortly after our move to Kentucky I happened to be chatting with a neighbor boy of about 10 years old and he mentioned that he "had BBQ last night".  In my naive California way I asked, "BBQed what?".  Perplexed he retorted, "What do you mean BBQed what?  We had BBQ!"  I never did figure out what "BBQ" was, but  know it was indeed special.

Moving back to California our new San Diego home included a fabulous built in grill.  Here we don't really BBQ, but I do grill 4-5 times a week.  I grill everything from the traditional chicken, fish and steak to garlic bread and pizza and even fruit and veggies.  I look upon my grill as my BFF.  We have a wonderful relationship as long as I pay attention to her - meaning not forgetting that I have something cooking.

With this month's Food Photography Challenge for my photography group, The Inspired Plate, posted as BBQ, I must admit to being in a bit of a quandy.  Should I go traditional with meat doused in a viniagery sauce (BBQ) or work on something a little more out there like our favorite grilled pizza?

Once again, Dad provided the answer.  Nothing says summer quite like the rosy kissed cheeks of a tender, fuzzy peach, and with an occasional bag of the fragrant, sweet stone fruits appearing on my doorstep, I know Dad has been thinking of me.

Yesterday, such a bag appeared, and wending peaches into this month's Food Photography Challenge didn't prove to be a difficult decision.  Photographing said BBQ, though, did prove to be quite a challenge.

Meat has always proved to be difficult for me to capture nicely.  Frankly, I don't really think meat is "pretty", or even attractive.  Sizzling away on the grill, meat is indeed mouthwatering, and a nice, juicy fillet topped with a pat of herb butter can even almost appear sexy.  Pork tenderloin, however, just didn't bring out those feelings for me.

With a fabulous Peach BBQ sauce simmering away on my stove, aromas of bacon, chipotle and sweet peach filled every corner of the house.  The pork slowly roasted over my low flame on the grill, and after a quick rest on the cutting board, the pork proved to be exceptionally tender and perfectly cooked.

Combining the steaming sauce and tender pork with a side of Aroz Verde, the plate actually held mouthwatering appeal.  Shooting as the sun set into the ocean just a few miles behind me, the light brought out the colors of the sauce and the rice contrasted nicely with its green hue.

As the setting sun dropped quickly and my teenage son hovered over his dinner, time was of the essence and after some 20 shots my shoot was deemed done.  The dinner, however, lasted far longer as my son and I lingered over our peaches and pork for an enjoyable and infrequent dinner with just the two of us.  With topics bouncing all over the spectrum and conversation flowing for over an hour, this BBQ dinner proved to become an evening that this mom will long remember.

For more BBQ Food Photography, join my for a trip around our Inspired Plate Blog Circle.  Next up?  A fabulous photographer I had the pleasure of joining on a photo shoot a few weeks ago,

 Laurie Vengoechea | Southern California Food Photographer

Chunky Peach BBQ Sauce

Early this spring I received reports of Dad's much loved peach tree teeming with blossoms.  Weeks later had little baby fruits growing, and today we have ripe, rosy peaches!!!  Moving into his home a few years ago he was thrilled when the neighbors gushed about the abundance of peaches his tree provided to the neighborhood, and they were so right.  Today, not only does Dad provide peaches to his neighbors, but me and mine as well.

Knowing that the tree was doing its job, I did my own job in preparation of the harvest and gleaned every recipe I could during my blog travels.  While the last few days have had us enjoying the rosy fruits my favorite way, simply sliced and eaten out of hand, today some of the little gems were in danger of becoming overripe and the request from my son for another Pork Tenderloin sent me to one of my favorite recipes - Peach BBQ Sauce.

Sweet yet tart with just a hint of spice (unless you want more) Peach BBQ Sauce works wonderfully with the pork.  Originally from Epicurious, I've adapted the versatile recipe to suit our tastes;  on occasion we have a vegetarian version while others call for the flavors of the full bacon enhanced version.  My personal preference for a chunky sauce has me omitting the straining direction, but I can imagine that the strained sauce would be stunning!  Either way the sauce is a true treat and has summer flying full speed ahead.

Grilled Pork Tenderloin with Chunky Peach BBQ Sauce

Chili Espresso Pork Tenderloin with Mango Cucumber Salsa

The warm sunny days of spring have worked their magic and filled our Farmer's Markets with an eagerly anticipated bounty of produce.  Baskets overflowing with everything from fresh herbs and greens to carrots and beets and my favorite snap peas fill table after table.  Aromas of sweet strawberries permeate the area while children walk around with red stained chins from sampling the juicy treats.

Considering myself extraordinarily lucky, I have no less than 3 favorite markets to attend each week.  If I were to stretch my mile radius the options would become even more bountiful, however I'm satisfied (for the moment) with my 3 favorites.  Wednesdays offer a lovely afternoon market in downtown Carlsbad where my favorite local heirloom pesticide free tomatoes are just starting to make a most welcomed appearance.  Saturday mornings get and early start in Vista where vendors of all sorts arrive and are ready to sell by 8 AM.  Here I find my favored Herbed Olive Oils and local orange blossom honeys along with the best organic strawberries I've yet to find.  And then we have Sunday, a more leisurely market in Leucadia starting mid morning and featuring an entire row organic produce in addition to numerous prepared hot food offerings.

A recent new discovery at the Leucadia Market had me earnestly perusing the Salt Farm Gourmet Salt table.  Filled with over 20 types of salts and salt blends packaged in attractive little bottles I had a difficult time choosing only three to bring home.  After much discussion and back and forth decision making, my husband and I decided on a smoky salt, espresso salt and an Asian Salt blend.

Arriving home my planned Pork Tenderloin with a Chili Espresso Rub seemed to be the perfect way to try out my new salt finds!  Mixing a few pinches of the smoky and espresso infused salts into the rub brought a new depth of flavor to the table.  Adding ground espresso directly to the rub along with cumin, chili powder, ginger and coriander gave our pork a mouthwatering flavor and topping the grilled slices with a sweet mango salsa completed the package.  Tender and bursting with flavor the meal was finished off with grilled asparagus, a salad of market fresh tossed greens and veggies and of course, Liv's chocolate dipped strawberries.  Welcome spring!!

Orange Pork Stir-Fry

With "orange season" coming to a reluctant close I found myself using up the last of my dad's prosperous orange crop.  His tree, now barren of fruit, is popping with beautiful orange blossoms and lending a lovely orange blossom scent to his yard.  The blossoms give promise of yet another season to come, however we will miss our daily orange until the new fruits make their appearance.

Making our first sit down family dinner in nearly a week I went back in time to 2007.  Eating Well provided a recipe base that I was able to turn into my own with the ingredients I had on hand bringing a dinner to the table that the entire family enjoyed.

Sliced pork is stir-fried and then combined with chopped veggies and a bright sauce of orange juice, peel and soy ties it all together.  A touch of sesame oil and rice vinegar give the dish a bit of a kick and the optional addition of crushed red pepper made my husband's meal a hit for him.  Quick to put together, popular all the way around and healthy to boot, this is one of those meals I feel good about.

Roasted Pork Tenderloin with Apples and Onions

Making this dish last night the kids asked what's for dinner.  I replied "Pork chaaaps and apple shaaauuusssse".  They looked at me like I had finally gone over the edge (they've been expecting it for years) as I laughed and told them that they just didn't get it.  Close your eyes and say it... Pork chaaaps and apple shaaauce.  If you are a girl in my age range the phrase will take you back about 35 years.

Did you guess it?

In any case... our Pork Tenderloin with Apple and Onions is an updated version of Alice's recipe.  Seared on the stove, then topped with mustard and a few herbs and finished off in the oven along with the sautéed apples and onions, this easy dinner is a good choice on those busy school nights.  Add a quick salad and a slice of bread and you are set!  Now if only we had Alice to do the dishes....  =)

Grilled Rubbed Pork Tenderloin with Black Bean Salsa

Fall has arrived in San Diego and thank goodness it is bringing some gorgeous summer weather with it!  This year our annual May Gray turned into the usual June Gloom which extended into the July... bly?  And on into August and even September.  What a "summer" it has been, cold, dreary, drizzly and not a whole lot of sun.  However... we finally woke up to a bright sun peeking over the horizon and received a whole new look on life.

The world bathed in the morning sun is truly beautiful.  Light, low on the horizon, provides a photographer's dream with soft, golden colors, and beautiful angles.  And to imagine I found myself on my morning beach walk without my camera!  Luckily my husband has supplied me with a trusty blackberry and with how nice this image turned out I'm wondering why the heck I need all my Canon equipment??  (To my husband - if you are reading this I'm just teasing!).

Sunny weather, warmer temps and a touch of summer automatically send me to the grill.  With a perfect pork tenderloin in the fridge, a few spices in the pantry and a bowl full of market fresh heirloom tomatoes, the Rubbed Tenderloin with Black Bean Salsa was a given.  The spices are those one usually has on hand and are easy to whisk together at a moments notice.  The salsa also uses fresh ingredients that are not out of the ordinary, but when mixed together provide a lovely contrast to the slightly spicy, tender pork.  Finished off with a side salad, a slice of focaccia and a bowl of fruit we have a meal that works for the whole family!

Carolina Pulled-Pork Sandwiches

Well used recipes that are splattered and marked up are the best.  That is exactly the case with this pulled pork recipe that I have long since forgotten where I got it from.  The page was slyly torn out of a magazine at some doctor's office, for which I felt guilty for a while.  Now that I look back at how many times I've made these tasty sandwiches and how the simple flavors bring me back to happy times, I'm glad I took that recipe even if it did mean that someone else didn't get to see it!

My notes say that I first made this recipe in 1999... I remember the day perfectly.  I was 8½ months pregnant and for some unexplained reason I prepared a feast for all the neighborhood kids and adults for my son's 3rd birthday party.  Thank goodness my mother was there to help me as I seem to remember my feet swelling to the size of small watermelons shortly after lunch was served.  I don't think I moved for 3 days afterwards and definitely didn't cook again for weeks.

Ketchup is not an ingredient or condiment that I use often.  Frankly, I think it's a tad "yucky".  However... Carolina Pulled Pork calls for what I think is a fairly large quantity of ketchup, and I admit that I keep a bottle on hand simply for this recipe.  Aromatics, spices, pork, and a touch of apple cider vinegar combine in a stock pot with the ketchup, bubbling away for about an hour producing a savory scent that makes your stomach growl in anticipation.  The measurement of apple cider vinegar is perfect, adding just a bit of tang but not overpowering the other ingredients.  Feel free to adjust the cayenne pepper to your taste, although we have found that if you reduce it too much the sauce really loses it's punch, becoming a bit bland.  

Carolina Pulled Pork is often requested by my husband and freezes wonderfully for those nights when he asks for it, but I haven't thought ahead.  On our recent vacation, bowls of this pork were frozen along with our Mexican Casserole for our Feast in the Desert.  Thawed in the fridge and warmed in the microwave or on the stove it makes for an easy, portable dish that is always well received.  My husband has even used the pork in spiced up quesadillas for a quick, tasty lunch.  

Carolina Pulled Pork Sandwich
looted from a dentist's office magazine
We prefer to double this sauce~

¼ cup butter
1 - 2 large onions, chopped
3 -5 cloves garlic, pressed
1 Tbs mustard (recipe calls for powdered, but I use dijon if I don't have powdered on hand!)
1 Tbs paprika (I use 1½ tsp sweet + 1½ tsp hot)
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp cayenne pepper
2 cups ketchup
3 Tbs brown sugar
¼ cup apple cider vinegar
2 cups water
1 tsp salt
pepper
1 whole 5 lb pork roast
soft buns

Place pork roast in a crock pot, cover with water and cover with the lid.  Cook until pork is very tender and falls apart when pulled with a fork.

In a large pot melt butter.  Add onion and cook until softened, about 5 minutes.  Add garlic and cook for 1 additional minute.  Add mustard, paprika, cumin and cayenne;  cook for 1 minute.  Add ketchup, sugar, vinegar and water.  Simmer, covered for about 30 minutes.  Uncover and simmer for 30 minutes more.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  (Can be made 2 days ahead;  refrigerate, covered.  Heat before using.)

After the pork is cooked, place in a large bowl.  Shred.  Add sauce and mix until combined.  Spoon heaping amounts onto toasted buns and watch for smiles of pleasure!! 

Note:  I usually double the sauce as we prefer our pork to be "saucy". 

Grilled Pork Tenderloin with Mango Salsa

Summerish weather has finally hit here in Not-So-Sunny San Diego!  Fog still blankets us in the morning, but thank goodness the sun gods have seen fit to let the sun shine on us during the day.  I can't tell you what a difference a good day of sun makes on one's outlook!

With energy to burn we filled our day with "summerish" events (beach and shopping!) and came home to plan an evening meal in the gorgeous, sunny outdoors.  With a fresh pork tenderloin in the fridge and perfectly ripe mangoes on the counter we opted one of our all time summer favorites.  Spices from our pantry mixed together to create a slightly spicy and extraordinarily flavorful rub for the meat, and fresh mangoes, jalapeños, onion, a touch of lime and cilantro quickly combined for our delightfully contrasting sweet salsa.

The spice rub is one we have been using for a few years and has become our "go-to" rub when time is a bit short.  I mix up a batch and found some cute little storage bottles at an outlet store to keep whatever I have remaining so that I always have some on hand.  The bottled rub also works wonderfully for a cute hostess gift!

This is one of those meals that all comes together on the grill for those hot (or just plain nice) days when you don't want to cook inside.  Corn from the market and a buttered baguette joined the pork on the grill and with the addition of a side salad our meal was complete. 

Korean Style Pork with Asian Slaw

My new Fine Cooking subscription provided this family pleaser! I am particularly thrilled as my family tends to have very different tastes. Yes... we have occasionally gone down that forbidden road of different entrees for different people, but in this case the flavorful, but not too spicy dish was a glorious hit all the way around!

The pork was incredibly tender and the slaw a nicely seasoned, slightly spicy accompaniment. Many times I am not a precise recipe follower as I frequently alter recipes (usually successfully!) with ingredients on hand, ingredients that are more appealing to me, or ingredients that are lighter or less caloric. This is one recipe that I made mostly as written, except for missing the part about reserving some of the marinade for sauce and adding a few sliced snow peas and red peppers.