1.3 lbs pork tenderloin (too much for two people, but that's what I bought)

1 large parsnip

Olive oil



The centerpiece of the meal is a pork tenderloin punctured with vicious looking irregular shards of parsnip. I had initially intended that the result look like a "gaping maw" with the parsnips as teeth, but nothing ever turns out quite like I planned and I find it difficult to make food look precise. Though not entirely what I'd intended, the result still came out decidedly Halloween-ish and sculptural, so I was pleased with it.Unless you've specifically bought a prepared tenderloin, the meat will almost always come partially covered with a patch of thin shiny membrane called the silver skin. You can eat silver skin if you want to, but it's tough and not terribly pleasant so I would recommend trimming it off. To do so carefully insert a knife under the white membrane on the surface of the meat and slide it down to the edge. Gently peel back the tough silver skin and discard.Cut the trimmed tenderloin into serving-sized sections and set aside. I cut my tenderloin into three pieces which made really big portions, but I needed the area to work with for the presentation so I figured we could just be overserved and save half the dinner for later.Heat 2 tbs of olive oil in a large pan over high heat. Test whether the pan is hot enough to add the meat by flicking a drop of water at it. When a drop of water sizzles when it hits the pan it's ready to add the meat. Place all pork pieces in the pan and brown on all sides. You are not attempting to cook the meat through, just to sear the outside and seal in the juices, so it should only take a minute or so on each side. Once the meat is browned remove from the pan and let cool to where you can handle it. Set the pan aside leaving the pork residue as a base for the sauce.While the meat is browning you can start preparing the parsnip shards. Peel a large parsnip and cut into slices of even width. Cut each slice into sharp spikes, whittling the ends into a point. The final product benefits from irregular spikes, so don't worry too much as you're doing it. Toss finished spikes with olive oil to prevent surface oxidation and to protect the vegetables during cooking.Take one of the browned pork pieces and stab it with a paring knife. Don't puncture it all the way through, just create a gouge large enough to seat a parsnip spike in it. Each spike should be rooted about 1-2 cm in the meat, and can be wiggled around and adjusted for composition once added. Continue stabbing and filling wounds with parsnips until you've created a nice look. Place finished stabby parsnip meat sculpture onto a baking dish with the baby carrots (witch's fingers, step 5) and place in a 350 degree oven for 40 minutes or until the internal temperature reads 160.