Benjamin Henion

I love pork. Kahlua pork. Pork tenderloin. Bacon, don't forget bacon. Its great to use a meat that is so versatile . You can really go any direction as far as regional cuisines or cooking styles or flavor combinations. All in all, Kahlua pork is the best. The rich Hawaiian culture overwhelms you when you traditionally cook a Kahlua pig. Not only does the end product taste great, but the steps taken to get that result have been tradition for hundreds of years. It does take quite a bit of time, but its well worth it. Above is a roasted pork tenderloin I made for the entree of a three course demo I did recently for the Peterson Air Force Base Officers club. It was simple, yet very flavorful. I did Roasted Pork Tenderloin, Granny Smith Apple and Dried Cherry Bread Pudding, and a Rosemary- Calvados Jus which I of course began with bacon. Delicious!

Recently I was approached by a server in regards to a soldier we had dining with us. This gentleman had just returned from 16 months over seas. He was enjoying dinner with his wife, and we wanted to say thank you for serving our country. We decided to take a minute out to show him that we really do appreciate what our troops do, and although we may not be fighting in Iraq, we are patriotic. The banana foster cheesecake pictured above was my attempt at making a U.S. themed plate to send to his table. I am no pastry chef (as you can plainly see). But I do think that this plate turned out nice and I know that the two of them were thrilled to receive something like this. We don't always get the chance to thank the people that fight for our freedom, but given the chance I like to show appreciation on an individual basis. I would truly like to see more effort put into taking care of the people that preserve our freedom, simply by using the tools we have and the skills we possess. It ...