My brother and I could not be more different. He is the quintessential computer genius, while I can barely find my way around a Word document. He’s not into sports (I love them), spent the first half of his life eating only white foods (while I’ve loved gravlax and salads since my toddler days) and can sleep standing up (I need total darkness, white noise and have specific temperature requirements). He’s incredibly private, too, while I… well…I blog.

But the one place we come together is in our sense of humor – find any movie, comedian, joke, untoward situation and he and I will inevitably laugh at the same parts (his, a quiet chuckle, mine a boisterous guffaw).

I’m not sure he reads this blog, but he knows I do it. I can only imagine what he thinks, because it’s like this crazy, public, mostly g-rated diary where one can share any stream of consciousness in the vain hope that it resonates with someone else. I hardly assume as much, but am thrilled when someone responds with commiserations or insights or gets some use out of one of my favorite recipes. That being said, I have absolutely no professional cooking expertise (mine is a knowledge-base acquired entirely by way of an embarrassing number of newbie mistakes), writing degree or anything at all that qualifies me as read-worthy. It's just, well, fun.

Which is why I love both of the following articles, the first of which was sent by my bro, the second I sent to him in response.

PLEASE READ THESE.

Haha. Ok. I think we can all agree these are hilarious.

Which about says it all.

Oh, wait, except I did want to dump a little persimmon and pork your way.

I have no idea what a persimmon really is. And it’s uses have, up until recently, been a total mystery to me. But they were on sale at the store and I felt like I could figure something out if I really tried so I bought a few and brought them home. Then waited. And waited. For those fuckers to ripen. Which took an indefensibly long time.

But when all was said and done, they reminded me of a strange cross between an apple and a pear. And sautéed up with a few other ingredients, they paired perfectly with grilled pork tenderloin Tygh had marinated overnight. So, Jakey, in case you are reading this, and can wade through my long-winded musings, and are looking for some easy way to make use of a bizarre kitchen item, then we may have just found something else we can agree on.

Rosemary Pork Tenderloin with Persimmon Sauce

For the pork:

1/4 C chopped rosemary

2 Tbsp dijon mustard

2 garlic cloves, minced

1/4 C olive oil

2 T balsamic vinegar or lemon juice

salt and pepper to taste

16 oz pork tenderloin

For the persimmon sauce:

6 persimmons, peeled and chopped

1 T minced shallot

2 T olive oil

1 T lemon juice

1 C water

¼ tsp cinnamon

1/8 tsp cardamom

pinch nutmeg

1 T honey

1 T white balsamic vinegar

pinch of salt

Make the tenderloin:

1. Mix all marinade ingredients in bowl or ziplock bag. Add pork tenderloin and let sit in fridge overnight, or at least 8 hours.

2. When ready to cook, preheat grill to medium. Cook on all sides about 3 minutes, or 12 minutes in total, until internal temperature reads about 165F. Let rest on plate, tented with foil, about 10 minutes. Slice into 1/2" thick medallions and serve with sauce.

For the sauce:

Heat olive oil in saute pan over medium heat, then add shallots, sautéing 2-3 minutes. Add persimmon. Saute until just heated through, then add all the remaining ingredients except the balsamic vinegar, bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer. Stirring often, cook for about 30 minutes, or until persimmons are soft. Add balsamic vinegar and salt. Can serve chunky, as is, or food process/mash to desired consistency (I blend mine in my Vitamix processor until it is smoooooooth). Serve warm, or make ahead and refrigerate for up to 3 days, reheating before serving. Can be frozen up to 4 weeks. Thaw in fridge and reheat gently to serve.

Sauce adapted from de-ma-cuisine.com