A critique (Pork Tenderloin)

Recipes that you pull down off the interwebs can sometimes be first-rate, but there is no guarantee.  A reader sent a pork and apple recipe that seemed to have all the right ingredients; however it did not come out right.  Her comment was “the meat seemed more steamed than roasted.”  Additionally, she thought that it would be good with some kind of crust, a good idea.  The reason that this recipe did not work is that there is a real jumble of technique.  If the author had simply decided whether he was making a sauté or stew, the results would have been satisfactory.  Since he didn’t, the result is not as good as the ingredients would suggest.  Also, pork tenderloin, or any lean cut of meat, should not be cooked in liquid.  It should be roasted quickly.  More on that later.

I haven’t a clue where this recipe came from.  It is probably not from Rachael Ray, because I don’t see any place where she suggests coating good food in some kind of crap carbs like corn flakes or Doritos.  It is doubtful that it is Paula Deen’s, since there is no diabetic-safe deep fryin’ or overt racial insensitivity.  I normally do not present other’s recipes, but this will be instructive.  It’s time to be a cook/nerd.  Here is a rundown of what was recommended.  I’ve cut out any info that your really don’t need.  Make notes.  See if you can spot the problems.

2 (1- to 1-1/2-pound) pork tenderloins

2 tablespoons vegetable oil, plus more as needed

  1 1/2 teaspoons salt, plus more as needed

  1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

  1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme leaves

  1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

2 apples, cored and sliced

2 onions, sliced

1 cup chicken stock

1 tablespoon butter

1. Heat oven to 425°F.

2.  Trim each tenderloin of any silver skin.  Pat pork dry with paper towels.

3.  Then, using your hands, rub the tenderloins all over with 1 tablespoon of the oil,    sprinkle with 1 1/2 teaspoons of salt, and rub until both tenderloins are evenly coated.

4.  Heat a tablespoon of oil in a large cast iron skillet or heavy-bottomed oven-safe frying pan over medium heat. You will know when the pan is ready when the oil shimmers.

5.  Add the pork tenderloins and cook, turning occasionally, until evenly browned all over. Transfer the browned pork to a large plate or cutting board.

6.  Add apples and onions then cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned around edges, about 5 minutes.

7.  While the apples and onions cook, coat the pork all over with the mustard, sprinkle it with 2 teaspoons of the thyme and black pepper, and rub until it’s evenly coated.

8.  Add the remaining teaspoon of thyme to the apples and onions, stir. Then, place pork tenderloins on top of apples and onions and slide into the oven. Roast 10 to 15 minutes or until an internal thermometer inserted into the thickest part registers between 145 and 150 degrees F.

9.  Transfer pork to a large plate and cover with aluminum foil. Let rest about 10 minutes.

10.  While the pork rests, place the pan with apples and onions back onto the stove and turn heat to medium. Add chicken stock and use a wooden spoon to scrape the pan, lifting any brown bits from the bottom. Bring to a simmer and cook until reduced by half. Add butter and stir until melted.

11.  Slice pork into 1-inch slices then serve on a bed of the apples and onions with pan sauce drizzled on top.

Crack open a jug.  This might take a while.  I’m drinking a Cab from Wycombe Vineyards in Bucks County, PA.  Here is my point-by-point critique.  Excuse me for being picky.  It’s sort of what I do.  This is how chefs think.

·         -The chef who wrote this recipe assumes that the reader is able to competently clean the sliver skin off the tenderloin.  Additionally, he thinks that a reader will know that a pan is hot by the look of the oil heating in it.  I would never take that sort of thing for granted.  Both of those things take training and/or experience. 

·         -Don’t rub the meat with oil, you’ll make a mess.  Just season it and sear it in the hot pan with oil.

·        - The author is correct.  The meat should be seasoned and browned on all sides.  Instead of searing the pork, then reserving it until later to finish, why not put it in the oven to finish cooking it now?  

·         -That’s a lot of onions!  Half of that amount would give you a better apple character.  You could cook the apples and onions in the pan where you seared the pork.  That way, they would pick up the pork flavor; however apples and onions have completely different cooking times.  Apples will cook through in ten minutes or so, while onions need at least thirty minutes.  The better way to do this would have been to stew the onions down in a separate pan, add in the apples (which you should have peeled) and cook them until they are soft, preserving their aroma.  Deglaze the pan with white wine or even better some hard cider, then stir the apple/onion compote in.  You are making a sauce, not just cooking up some stuff.

·         -Apples and mustard do not go together.  They are good in separate sauces.  Also you should never cook mustard for an extended amount of time since it will get bitter and acrid, like most cooks.  

  

·         -When the pork is returned to the pan with the steaming apples and onions, you are stewing it.  It will get tough and stringy.  The color will be pale, rather than browned.  That’s not what a cook wants to do with a fine cut of meat.  It is good that author suggests searing the pork.  It should then be cooked fully and rested while the sauce is finished.  Just before serving, the meat should be sliced across the grain then sauced.  The unbending rule is that cheap cuts are cooked at a low temperature for a long period of time, while expensive cuts get quick cooking at a high temp.  Actually, pork tenderloin is best sliced and pounded into paillards and sautéed.  Chef Ted used to do that and call it veal.  He always made his food cost.  He was not particularly ethical.

·         -Covering the pork with foil only continues the cooking, essentially steaming the meat, making it tough, ruining the browning that you worked so hard to do.  Instead set the meat in a warm place while you prepare the sauce.

·        - Ignore the whole discussion about a pan sauce.  Anything you would get out of the pan is already in the puree.  Skip that and make the best puree possible.  Oh, and why do Americans put chicken stock in everything?  Pigs have bones.  

·         -I would either mash or puree the apples and onions, then adjust the consistency with water, pork stock or cream.  Remember you are making a sauce, so it should be a thin coating texture.  Alternatively, it would be nice to heat the thick puree and flambé it with applejack or brandy.  Do like the recipe says, slice the pork and lay it on top.  

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Pages back, it was suggested that a crust baked on top would be interesting.  I agree.  Here are two ways you might do it.  For both preparations, sear the tenderloin in oil, place it on a broiler pan, brush it with something to hold the breading then add the crust.  Bake at 400° for about 15 minutes.  Remove from the oven, rest for 5 minutes, slice then serve.

Mustard Crusted Pork Tenderloin

1 cup bread crumbs

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

1 teaspoon black or yellow mustard seeds

1 teaspoon fresh sage, chopped

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

a few grinds of fresh black pepper

In a medium sauté pan, melt the butter over low heat.  Add the mustard seeds, sage, salt and pepper.  Sauté until the seeds begin to brown.  Add the bread crumbs, mix thoroughly, remove from the heat.  Brush the tenderloin with the Dijon mustard.  Top the pork with the mustard crust.

Parmesean Cheese, Black Pepper and Thyme Crusted Pork Tenderloin

1 cup bread crumbs

1 egg, beaten

2 tablespoons grated Parmesean cheese

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

1 teaspoon coarse grind fresh black pepper

1 teaspoon fresh thyme, chopped

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

As in the previous recipe, melt the butter, add the seasonings and the bread crumbs.  Away from the heat, blend in the Parmesean.  Brush the tenderloin with the egg, then top with the crust.

Well, I hope you have had fun.  The above recipe is not a bad one, but if you have a little technique under your belt, you’ll be able to see through the problems and make a better dish.

Good Friend, Good Onions (Confit of Onions)

My friend Jim Holton is an interesting guy.  Look him up here.  He has an unusually wide range of things that charge him up.  Jim is a top jazz piano player, really one of the best in Philly, a historian of the piano, able to play anything called.  Like him on Facebook for information about current gigs.  Basketball and football are passions, along with Scotty the Deacon Dog and the beautiful Cindy LeBlanc.  With Christine Djalleta, Cindy and Jim are the music ministers at our church, St. John’s Lutheran in Ambler, PA, where he leads a monthly Jazz Vespers service along with the Jazz and Gospel service each third Sunday.  It would be foolish to miss Jim on piano, Hideo Morris (vibes), Paul Deck (drums), Christine (vocals), Cindy (flute) and the great Tyrone Brown, an absolute gentleman, playing bass.  Occasionally, a young guitarist on his way up named Patrick Farrell sits in with the group.  The service starts at 10:30.  Be there!

Whenever the phone rings, I’m happy to hear from Jim, although I never know where the conversation will go.  Social justice issues are a common topic.  Diet and weight loss, his success and my struggles usually come up.  Don’t get Jimmy going about global warming unless your afternoon is clear.  Yesterday, who knows why, we spent a bit of time talking about steaks and onions. 

The following is a recipe for onion confit, a kind of an onion jam with a rich sweetness that works well paired with full flavored main courses, particularly grilled foods.  Additionally, it can be served as a hors d'overe, cold as a canapé maybe topped with smoked chicken or grilled shrimp.  Here’s the master recipe.  Onions are fibrous things.  You'll have to slice them properly.  Here's how.

In order to break them down you cannot be in a hurry.  The key is long, slow, low temperature cooking that will turn the onions into jam.  Better yet, this caramelization process results in a sweet finished product, without the hot burning character of most quickly sautéed onions.  It also reheats well.  Resist the urge to cut corners and sneak in some brown sugar.  It isn’t necessary if you take your time, plus it reduces the depth of flavor you get from cooking the confit properly.  Also, do not think you will get a better confit by using sweet onions.  Vidalias are only sweet when raw.  Once you cook them, they taste like any other white or Spanish onion.

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Confit of Onions

3 large Spanish onions, thinly sliced with the grain

1 tbs. unsalted butter*

1/2 tsp. kosher salt

1/8 tsp, a few grinds, white pepper

In a heavy stockpot with a tight fitting lid, melt the butter on low heat.  When the butter has melted, but still looks creamy, add the onions, season with salt and pepper.  Stir to coat the onions with butter, then cover the pot and allow the onions to sweat.  Stir the pot every 5 minutes. 

After the onions have yielded their liquid and become translucent, about 20 minutes, uncover the pot and continue to cook the onions on low heat.  Over the next 15 minutes, liquid will slowly evaporate and caramelize.  Continue to cook the onions, stirring constantly  until they are dry and look like preserves.  Keep warm in a double boiler until it is time to serve.

Use the onion confit as a topping on grilled meats or sautéed liver.  Grilled steaks are a perfect match.  You also might want to serve the confit with grilled lamb shoulder chops.  If you plan to do that, add 1 tsp. curry powder to the onions halfway through cooking.

*There are two reasons that I use unsalted butter.  First, the only reason a dairy adds salt to butter is to preserve it.  If you buy unsalted butter, you may be getting a marginally fresher product.  Second, I’m cranky and I insist on controlling every aspect of my cooking.  If I want salt in a dish, I wanna be the guy who put it in there. 

Mythology, Tomato Sauce and Your Italian Grandma (Tomato Sauce)

Our first cooking class is scheduled for next Saturday, March 28th at 1:00.  You'll find a full schedule at http://www.freshfunfoods.com/schedule/

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The mythology around tomato sauce is extensive.  Sworn essential ingredients are too numerous to list.  I have to use veal shins?  You certainly need olives, pork, Vidalia onions, use Chianti, no Barolo, at least two kinds or oregano, really?  Simmering times that must be adhered to vary from minimal to “I’ve had shorter vacations.”  And the key ingredient, as we all know, is an Italian Grandma’s stockpot.  An anthropologist studying foodways has a field day with this kind of stuff. 

Here’s the thing, like everything you do in the kitchen, use your head. 

Fresh is always better.  Buy tomatoes in season and make puree or diced tomatoes to can or freeze.  I’m still mourning the last of the tomatoes that my friend Jim Markowski got for me in August.  If you don’t have a connection like Jim, high quality canned tomatoes will work.  I like Furmano’s. 

Shorter cooking times are probably better.  Tomatoes are acidic.  If you simmer them for 24 hours, the sauce will be…acidified. 

Good booze is always better than cheap booze.  While you don’t need to reduce a great Bordeaux for sauce, go a step up from New Jersey plonk.   It might make sense to use an Italian style wine. 

A simple, clearly explained recipe is always better than the nonspecific, “whisper down the lane” family recipe.  That said, maybe you should find some time to cook with Grandma and write down her recipes.  That goes for Grandpa too.  He probably knows a trick or two. 

Still, with all that behind you, you will need to understand some basic technique to make a great red sauce.  Follow the directions below.  Take your time, enjoy how the smell of the various ingredients fill your home as you build the sauce and develop layer after layer of texture, aroma and flavor.

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Tomato Sauce (three quarts)

4 tbs. olive oil

1 green bell pepper, diced

1 medium onion, diced

2 cloves of garlic, chopped

2 tbs. fresh oregano, chopped

2 tbs. fresh basil, chopped

1tbs. flat parsley, chopped

2 c. dry red wine

6 oz. tomato paste

3 28 oz. cans of petite diced tomatoes

salt and fresh black pepper

In a large heavy bottomed stockpot, heat the olive oil on medium.   

Add the green pepper and onion.  Season with salt and fresh black pepper.  Sauté for five minutes, until the aromatic vegetables begin to wilt, but not brown.  Add the garlic, oregano, basil and parsley.   

  

Cook while stirring just for one minute, and then add the wine.  Increase the heat to high.  Reduce by half.

Reduce the heat to low, stir in the tomato paste and mix until it is smooth.   

Add the diced tomatoes, season with salt and fresh black pepper.  Add one can of water.  Increase the heat to high, bringing the sauce to a boil, adjust the seasoning with salt and fresh black pepper, and then reduce the heat to a low simmer. 

Simmer the sauce for 20 minutes only.  In that time, the sauce will have reduced slightly and will still taste light and fresh.