Sunday lunch: December 2010 issue of Everyday Food + February 2011 issue of Living edition. This was actually the lunch from the weekend before last; I’ve gotten a bit behind on my updates!

1. Emeril’s Cumin and Orange Pork Loin
I’ve never roasted pork loin before, but tying it up with twine was really fun. More glaze seemed to end up on the floor of my oven than the pork—the only thing I seem to know how to baste properly is Thanksgiving turkey—but the meat ended up moist, and tasted great.

2. Turnip and Potato Mash
Super simple dish where half of the potatoes one would usually use is replaced with an equal amount of turnips. The switch makes these very light and fluffy.

3. Gingered Golden Fruit Chutney
Putting apples, raisins, and tons of brown sugar in this made me skeptical about what it would turn into and if it would go best with the dessert rather than the main dish, but the onion, vinegar, and spice seemed to bring this solidly to the savory side.

4. Ginger-Lime Soda
Sadly, I couldn’t find ginger beer and had to substitute ginger ale. The drink still turned out okay, though honestly, I think plain ginger ale is yummier.

5. Île Flottante with Crème Anglaise (Floating Island with Custard Sauce)
The February 2011 issue of Living is absolutely gorgeous and full of dessert recipes to die for! Since I haven’t had an île flottante in over 10 years, I nearly fell over when I saw this issue had a variation on the dessert and resolved to make it as soon as possible. Although I think I overcooked my crème anglaise—it thickened to a consistency that resembled actual custard more than sauce and was slightly grainy—and was too lazy to make the caramel, the dessert still turned out to be utterly amazing. (Note: Although the recipe calls to drizzle the dessert with custard, a traditional île flottante is lightly coated with caramel and floats on top of a pool of crème anglaise.)