In the kitchen with Wayne Johnson

This segment is produced with and sponsored by Alessi & Tony's Fresh Market.

For our "In the Kitchen" segment we send our cooks out to shop - to create a dish that they love!

And back "In the Kitchen" with us is one of our favorites - food and lifestyle expert Wayne Johnson! Check out his YouTube channel, "Wayne Bites."

We followed Wayne as he shopped at the Tony's Fresh Market in Prospect Heights to see what ingredients he wanted to use for his light fresh summer recipes.

Wayne's choice for food? Some summer tasty dips, a pork tenderloin salad and a lovely cheesecake! And all the recipes use authentic Alessi products!

Visit the Alessi website for all the Alessi products.

Alessi and Tony's Fresh Market have a surprise for our viewing audience. Until 2am tomorrow, go to the main page of windycitylive.com https://abc7chicago.com/windycitylive/ , click on promotions and go to the WCL Grocery Instant Win contest for your chance at winning one of these great prizes:

-$25 gift card to Tony's Fresh Market

or

-$90 Alessi gift box

And you can opt in for a free package of the Vigo Premium Onion Soup & Dip Mix.

Visit the Tony's Fresh Market website for a location near you.

For more on Wayne - check out his website and YouTube channel!

Wayne's recipes:

Vigo Onion Soup Dip With Fresh Vegetables

Ingredients

1 pkg Vigo Authentic French Onion Soup And Dip Mix

16 oz Sour Cream

1 lg Red Pepper

1 lg Green Pepper

1 lg Orange Pepper

1 Zucchini

1 Seedless Cucumber

1 med Jicama

1 small bunch Green Beans, blanched

Fresh Chives, chopped, optional, for garnish

Method

Mix Vigo soup and dip mix with sour cream. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use. Slice vegetables into strips or slices of dipping and arrange on a large platter around a dipping bowl. When ready to serve, transfer the dip to the serving bowl and sprinkle with a bit of fresh chives for garnish.

Vigo Miso Soup Spread With Cherry Tomatoes

Ingredients

1 pkg Vigo Savory Umami Flavor Miso Soup & Dip Mix

Alessi Extra Virgin Olive Oil

8 oz Whipped Cream Cheese Spread*

1 lg Baguette

1 pint Cherry Tomatoes

1/4 cu Fresh Dill

Method

Rinse and dry the tomatoes and slice them in half crosswise. Set aside.

Mix together the Vigo soup mix with the cream cheese spread. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.

Preheat oven to 400F. Slice the baguette into thin slices on an angle. Lightly bush the slices with olive oil and spread on a baking sheet. Lightly toast the slices in the oven until gold brown. Remove and let cool.

To serve, spread the cream cheese mixture on the crostini and top with sliced tomatoes. Sprinkle dill on top for garnish. Arrange on a platter. Try multiple toppings with this recipe. It's great with sliced cucumber, pepperoni, smoked salmon, and prosciutto.

*With 8 ounces of cream cheese, the flavors are really strong and work well with the tomatoes. But you can also try doubling the cream cheese for a lighter flavor.

Roasted Pork Tenderloin Salad

serves two

Ingredients

1 Pork Tenderloin

1 tbl Wayne's Pork Dry Rub Mix (recipe below)

1 tbl Alessi Olive Oil

3 1/2 to 4 oz Baby Greens

6 oz Vigo Marinated Artichoke Hearts

4 oz Alessi Italian Style Roasted Red Peppers

3 oz Alessi Julienne Cut Sun Dried Tomatoes

1 tbl Alessi Traditional Balsamic Reduction (plus additional to drizzle on top at serving)

1 tsp Salt

1 tsp Pepper

Method

The day before roasting the pork tenderloin, rinse it in cold water and pat it dry. Liberally cover it with the dry rub mix and place it in a sealable plastic bag. Let it marinade overnight in the refrigerator. The next day, about an hour before you're ready to serve, preheat your oven to 450F and place a cast iron or oven safe skillet inside. At the same time, remove the tenderloin from the refrigerator so that it has about 30 minutes to reach room temperature.

When the oven is ready, carefully add 1 tablespoon of olive oil to the pan and add the tenderloin. Roast for 10 minutes and then turn the tenderloin and roast for an additional 6-10 minutes until it reaches an internal temperature of 145F. Times will vary because of true oven temperatures and the size of the tenderloin. Remove the tenderloin from the oven and place it on a cutting board to rest for 10 minutes.

While the tenderloin is roasting, prepare your salad. Place the baby greens in a large bowl and tear into small pieces if you like. Spoon the artichokes, sun dried tomatoes, and red peppers from their jars into separate small bowls. Chop each into small pieces and place the chopped pieces in a colander or strainer to strain away most of the oil. The mixture of the oils makes a flavorful combination, but you don't want an excessive amount of oil in your salad. Just as the tenderloin is ready to slice, add the vegetables to the baby greens along with the balsamic reduction, salt, and pepper. Toss everything to combine and divide into two serving bowls.

Slice the tenderloin into thin slices and place them on top of the greens. Drizzle additional balsamic on top (optional).

Wayne's 'Squealer' Grilling Spice Mix

ideal for roasting and grilling pork

Ingredients

5 1/2 tsp Paprika

3 1/2 tsp Black Pepper

1/2 tsp Red Pepper Flakes

1 1/2 tsp Cumin

1 1/2 tsp Oregano

1 tsp Salt

1 1/2 tsp Garlic Powder

1 1/2 tsp Onion Powder

1 tsp Cayenne Pepper

2 1/2 tsp Brown Sugar

Method

Mix ingredients together and either grind in spice grinder or in a mortar and pestle. Store in an airtight container.

Raspberry Balsamic Cheesecake

Ingredients

Raspberry Sauce (prepare ahead)

12 oz Fresh Raspberries

1/4 cu Sugar

2 tb Water

3 tbl Alessi Raspberry Balsamic Reduction

Crust

3/4 cu Vigo Bread Crumbs

2 tbl Sugar

2 tbl Brown Sugar

5 tbl Butter

Filling

1/2 cu Granulated Sugar

10 oz Cream Cheese, room temperature

4 oz Mascarpone Cheese, room temperature

1 lg Eggs + 1 Egg White, resting at room temperature for 30 minutes

1 tbl Bourbon, like Maker's Mark

1 tsp Vanilla Extract

1/2 tsp Lemon Juice

1/4 tsp Salt

Topping

4 oz Sour Cream

1 tsp Bourbon

2 tbl cu Granulated Sugar

1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract

1/2 tsp Lemon Juice

Additional raspberries for garnish

7" Springform Pan

Parchment Paper (optional) to line the bottom of the pan

Method

Early in the day, make the raspberry sauce. Place raspberries, sugar and water in a medium sauce pan over medium heat. Heat until raspberries break down and liquify. Bring mixture to a boil and boil for 1 minute. Remove from heat and carefully blend in a blender until smooth. Strain the mixture through a fine strainer and add only 1 tablespoon of balsamic reduction. Refrigerate for 2 hours before using.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Place bread crumbs in a bowl and add granulated sugar and brown sugar. Melt butter in a small pan or in the microwave and pour over bread crumbs. Mix thoroughly and transfer to the springform pan. Place piece of parchment paper over the bottom of the springform pan (optional) and clamp the side around it so that extra comes outside of the pan. That will help in transferring the cheesecake to a serving platter. Press the crumbs about 3/4 up the side and over the bottom of the pan as uniformly as possible. Bake the crust in the oven for 10 minutes. Remove and set on a wire rack to fully cool, about 30 minutes.

In a large bowl, with either a stand mixer or electric mixer, cream together the sugar, cream cheese and mascarpone cheese. Mix thoroughly for about 5 minutes at medium high speed. Add egg and egg white and continue to mix. Add bourbon, vanilla, lemon juice and salt. Mix for an additional 3 minutes. Pour half of mixture into your cooled springform pan. Swirl about a tablespoon of raspberry sauce over the mixture. Add remaining mixture and add another swirl. Using a knife cut through the mixture just a few times to distribute the raspberry sauce. If you swirl it too much you'll lose the marbling effect when the cake bakes.

Place pan on a baking sheet and bake for 40-50 minutes. Ovens vary greatly. The outside edges of the cheesecake will be stiff but the center will still be soft and jiggle a bit when the cheesecake is done. Remove from the oven and increase the oven temperature to 400 degrees F. Let the cheesecake cool for 30 minutes. The cake will settle a bit.

Mix together sour cream, bourbon, sugar, vanilla and lemon juice topping. Once cheesecake has cooled, gently spoon the topping over the cake and spread it evenly. You can create a pattern on the top of the cheesecake by placing more raspberry sauce in a sealable bag and cutting a small hole in one corner. Starting at the center of the cheesecake, create a spiral with the sauce. Then, using a toothpick or wooden skewer, draw a line just below the surface of the topping from the center of the cheesecake out to the edge. Repeat 5 more times even spaced around the top. Starting in a space between your first set of lines, draw a line from the outside edge back to center. Repeat 5 more times.

Place the cheesecake in the oven and bake for an additional 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and let the cheesecake rest at room temperature four about 45 minutes. Then, place the cheesecake in your refrigerator for 4 hours or longer until it is fully set and chilled.

Add 2 tablespoons of Balsamic reduction to the raspberry sauce and spoon it over the cheesecake when serving. Add fresh raspberries for garnish.