Well, it all worked out!
I had absolutely no idea what we were going to serve when I walked into the grocery store. I flitted about, and decided on BOTH the pork tenderloin AND the snow crab clusters (on sale). Turned out very nice. Plus, I "hid" the crab from the girls (who both love crab), and surprised them with it at table.
So, we had: Pork tenderloin, cut into ~2" pieces, then smashed into 3/4" medallions by fist. I seasoned these with coriander, thyme, and fennel, then dredged in flour. I then sauteed on high for ~3 minutes/side, then into the 200F oven to rest. In the meantime, I made a pan sauce with sherry, garlic, fresh thyme, butter, capers, and lemon (kind of piccata sauce), and eventually served this over the pork.
I made a pasta dish that was a modification of pepe e caccio. I cooked some angel-hair spaghetti, and in the meantime combined butter, fresh marjoram, garlic, salt, and pepper into a sauce. I finished the pasta in the sauce (along with some pasta water) and plenty of grated Parmigiano-Reggiano and Manchego cheese, and it was delicious.
For a veggie, I did a standard dish of the Sour_Grapes household, viz., I cut some Brussels sprouts in half, charred them in oil on the stovetop, then added some liquid and let them cook through. Then cover with grated parmesan cheese.
Finally, I sprung a surprise on the girls. I bought some snow crab clusters, which were on sale. I hid them from them; I heated a pot of water to ~150F, and held it there, then threw the crab legs in just before dinner. The crab legs were delicious (especially when drenched in butter + garlic!).ought th
We often try to assess the impression of each meal by assessing how "nice" (by which we mean "expensive") the meal would be in a restaurant.
We are of the opinion that many of these meals are "restaurant worthy," and tonight's fare was worthy of a good restaurant.