(page 7) of the March 2009 issue of Chef Magazine.
Chef Justin Ward—a member of the culinary faculty at The International Culinary School at The Art Institute of Atlanta, as well as the owner of Leapfrog Restaurant Solutions and chef/owner of Hungry Monkey Catering—was the $25,000 foodservice-category winner of Ocean Spray's Ultimate Cranberry Recipe Contest. Ward's winning original recipe was pork tenderloin with cranberry mole and cranberry salsa (recipe below).
The winners were announced on Oct. 7 at a private cocktail party that coincided with the debut of Ocean Spray's 2008 "Bogs Across America" tour in New York City, where about 2,000 pounds of cranberries were on display in a free-standing urban bog.
Chef Justin Ward, The International Culinary School
at the Art Institute of Atlanta
Yield: 12 servings
4 (12-14 oz. each) pork tenderloins, trimmed
2 t. kosher salt
1 t. pepper
Cranberry Mole (recipe follows)
Cranberry Salsa (recipe follows)
12 cilantro sprigs, garnish
Method (1) Preheat oven to 350°F. (2) Place pork in large bowl. Rub with chili powder, salt and pepper. Place pork on oven rack with baking sheet underneath. (3) Bake for 20-25 minutes or until internal temperature reaches 150°-155°F. Let stand for 5 minutes before slicing into 1/4"-thick pieces. (4) Ladle 3 oz. Cranberry Mole in center of each plate. Shingle 4-5 pork pieces over mole. Spoon Cranberry Salsa over pork, being careful not to cover all of meat. Garnish each plate with cilantro sprig.
Cranberry Mole
1 (6-oz.) bag Ocean Spray Craisins Trail Mix Cranberry & Chocolate
1/2 c. red onion, chopped
3 1/2 T. chili powder
1 c. water
3/4 c. Ocean Spray Jellied Cranberry Sauce
Kosher salt, to taste
Method (1) Place trail mix, onion and chili powder in 6-qt. saucepan. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring frequently, for 6-8 minutes. (2) Add water and cranberry sauce. Increase heat to medium. Simmer, stirring frequently, for 15 to 20 minutes or until mole is thickened. (3) Place sauce in blender. Blend on high speed until smooth. Add salt to taste. Return mole to saucepan to keep warm.
Cranberry Salsa
1 c. chopped Ocean Spray Craisins Original Sweetened Dried Cranberries
1 c. cucumber, peeled, seeded and diced
1/2 c. red onion, diced
1/4 c. fresh cilantro, chopped
Juice of 2 limes
1 T. Ocean Spray Jellied Cranberry Sauce
Kosher salt and pepper, to taste
Method (1) Combine sweetened dried cranberries, cucumber, onion, cilantro, lime juice and cranberry sauce in large bowl. Mix well. Season to taste with salt and pepper.