When Dublin resident Margaret Butler prepares a meal, it is evident she knows her way around the kitchen. Margaret exercised her skills recently by preparing an elegant lunch for Dublin Life, as well as for her husband Greg and son Brian.

The Butlers, long-time Dublin residents, own and operate Dublin Cleaners. The entire family is active in the community, and Margaret has been a Rotarian for nearly a decade. In addition to prioritizing family and community service, Margaret also finds time to cook. She and Greg belong to a fairly exclusive gourmet group that meets every two or three months. Other members of the group include former Dublin Mayor Mike Close and his wife Chris, as well as Chef Hartmut Handke and his wife Margot.

Margaret does have a leg up on most of her peers: she took a cooking class once a month for almost 10 years from the now-retired Chef Handke, former owner of Handke’s Cuisine. Just a few tips she learned from Handke include how to make a clear broth, how to plate a dinner for visual appeal, and how to blend textures and colors of various dishes to complement each other.

Some of Margaret’s more requested dishes include pompano in parchment, standing rib roast with rosemary and thyme served with a horseradish sauce and family favorites such as fried chicken and her special baby back ribs.

Margaret’s elegant lunch presentation for Dublin Life was one of her most requested dishes: a brined pork tenderloin served with cherry salsa. She paired the meal with sautéed green beans topped with diced red bell pepper, caramelized onions, crisp bacon and toasted pecans. A perfect counterpoint on the plate included an elegant rice pilaf topped with chives. She shares this recipe with Dublin Life.

Margaret Butler’s Brined Pork Tenderloin with Cherry Salsa
(Serves four to six)

Brined pork:
1 cup hot water
3 tablespoons kosher salt
3 tablespoons light brown sugar
3 cups cold water
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons good balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
2 pork tenderloins (purchase plain pork tenderloins, not already marinated)

Cherry salsa (best made one day ahead):
½ cup cherry preserves
½ cup dried cherries
1/3 cup finely chopped red onion
1 jalapeño pepper seeded and minced
1 tablespoon good balsamic vinegar
¼ teaspoon fresh ground allspice (Butler says she may use a dash more)

You will also need vegetable oil for the grill.

For the brine: Combine the hot water, salt and sugar in a large non-reactive bowl, stirring until the salt and sugar dissolve. Add the cold water, olive oil and pepper. Remove any silver skin from the pork, place in a large sealable plastic bag, pour brine over pork and refrigerate at least two and up to six hours.

For the cherry salsa: Combine all ingredients, mix well, cover and refrigerate until ready to use. Let stand at room temperature while cooking pork.

For the pork: preheat grill to medium hot and grease grill rack with vegetable oil. Remove pork from brine and discard brine. Grill pork with grill closed until cooked through, turning occasionally, for about 15 minutes. Transfer to a cutting board, tent with foil and let rest for 10 minutes. Slice pork into ½-inch pieces and serve topped with salsa.