There are so many fascinating websites out there in the ether right now. I can remember when blogging was a small fraternity or sorority of likeminded people. Now bloggers are everywhere. I am always discovering new sites. One site that, to me, is very interesting comes from a French woman named Mimi Thorisson. Her blog is called Manger, as in the French word meaning “to eat”.
Mimi is a stunningly beautiful woman of French and Chinese heritage. She lives with her husband (who is a photographer), her children and at least 14 dogs in a charming home in the Medoc region of France. With a background in writing for publications and extensive traveling all over the world, she brings a knowing eye and mind to her food blog. Her husband Oddur Thorisson”s photographs are works of art and her recipes are impeccable. I have enjoyed getting lost in her world.
Mimi made this dish with chasselas grapes. These are wine grapes, although they are suitable as table grapes as well. Since chasselas grapes are native to France, I just substituted regular seedless grapes that are readily available here. The pork tenderloin is sliced into 1″ pieces and cooked with shallots, wine and the grapes. This was a quick and easy dish to pull together. We loved it. Mimi has been featured in Bon Appetit magazine and has a cookbook coming out in September 2014.
PORK TENDERLOIN WITH GRAPES (Adapted from Manger by Mimi Thorisson)
1 Pork Tenderloin, sliced into 10 to 12 1-inch pieces
1 cup each red and green grapes
2/3 cup white wine plus 2 tablespoons for the end
3 shallots, sliced finely
1/8 cup chicken stock
Salt and pepper to taste
Unsalted butter for frying
1 tablespoon olive oil for frying
Slice shallots finely and fry in 1 tablespoon butter for 5 minutes on a medium heat. Add wine and lower heat – reduce until nearly totally absorbed.
Add the grapes to the pan with a little knob of butter and cook for 2 minutes until glossy. Set aside.
In another pan, heat olive oil, and 1 tablespoon butter and fry the pork pieces for 3 to 4 minutes on each side. Season with salt and pepper. Remove filets from pan, add chicken stock and scrape to deglaze pan. Add the 2 extra tablespoons of white wine and 1/2 tablespoon butter. Reduce for 2 minutes on high heat. Return meat to pan, lower heat and add the shallot and grape mixture. Cook for a few minutes to reheat and meld the flavors. Serves 2 to 4.
This looks super good Penny and I would not have thought of using the grapes.
Hi Larry. David loved the grapes and kept going back for more.
I remember the early days of blogging too. It’s just exploded since then. I’ll be sure to check out her blog. I’ve often been tempted to try the classic Chicken Vernonique, but stopped short because I wasn’t sure my husband would like cooked grapes, although he loves to eat grapes. What a great idea to use pork with the grapes and I see in the below comments that I have nothing to fear if David liked them. Hope you are both having a lovey weekend Penny.
Sam
After I left, I went over to Manger and realized I follow her on Facebook, but wasn’t getting the notifications. I just fixed that, so I’ll be able to see her posts there. You are right Penny, Mimi has a great blog and from the little I saw, I felt as if I had taken a petite trip to France. What a lovely way to start the day 🙂
Sam
I knew you would love her blog Sam. Hope Meakin likes the grapes. They are barely cooked.
Pork tenderloin is perfect when cooking for two and this sounds like a nice dish…thank you.
Thank you Karen. I made your Caldo Verde soup this weekend and we loved it.
She is one of my favorite bloggers. I too get lost in her world. It is like a fairy tale really. This dish looks really good!
You are right about the fairy tales Penny. She is a terrific writer. I loved the post about the black beets and casting a spell.
I pinned this before I finished reading your post. I have seen this recipe around the ether, but this looks like “the one”.
M~
It is a winner Madonna. Thanks for pinning.
I’ve been following Manger for some time know so I know what you mean about getting lost there 🙂 It’s such a visual treat. I believe she and her husband are expecting so it will be fun to watch that development too. This sounds so delicious and also very attractive to look at!
Yes, Susan, they are expected their 5th child. Such a beautiful family.
I thought the other children were his from a previous marriage and this was her first but I certainly could be wrong. In any event, so much eye candy in they lives 🙂
Susan, I think the youngest 4 are hers. There are 2 older children, who spend much time with them, who are her stepchildren. So there are 6 kids all together with 1 more on the way. Phew! One of her posts is called ” Sixes and Sevens.”
Mmmmm….this sounds amazing…I have it on the list! Will check out the blog. Thank you.
Kathy, Hope you like the dish and the blog.
Pork tenderloin is a favorite of mine & this dish looks delicious. I’m going to check out that blog, thank you!
Mimi is stunning, she reminds me of a Japanese/Caucasian woman I worked with many years ago.
That Mimi is beautiful and so is that dish. Oh my goodness!
[…] Mimi Thorisson’s lovely blog Manger. One of the first dishes I made from her blog was this Pork Tenderloin with Grapes. We loved it and my eyes were opened to the possibility of actually cooking grapes. It was also […]