When "OK" isn't good enough

Going back a few months, I had an email chat at work with my friend Steve. He was asking about a pork tenderloin he had cooked the night before. I don't recall the particulars, but I remember that he was asking about the recipe because "it was OK, but OK isn't good enough for me when I do the cooking."

Anyone who cooks with any kind of frequency gets into that frame of mind. Dishes that your friends love, taste "so so" to you, or just plain off. A show of hands here: how many of you have served dinner to your friends, had them all "oooh" and "ahhhh" over it, while you sit there , knowing they're being honest, but thinking "I'm not tasting it...."

What you cooked is fine. What has happened, in my opinion, is that your taste buds have moved on. If you're serving a dish to company, it means , probably, that you've cooked it before, perhaps more than once, and you've gotten it "just right" to your taste. So, BAM. The thrill of the new is gone. And for people who like to cook, part of the "rush" is that sense of "what is new." If I remember correctly, I didn't see anything that was "wrong" with what Steve had cooked. But every single cook has very strong opinions. And if he thought it wasn't good enough, it wasn't good enough for him.

I recalled that bit of history when I was trying to think of what to do with some pork tenderloin I had taken out of our freezer. This is a cut of meat that I'm fairly new to. We certainly didn't have it when I grew up, and even after it became "the rage," I had avoided it. Too popular.
Its popularity is easy to see: it's very lean, it cuts into nice, small slices so it's fine for kids as well as adults who want "just a bit," and because it is not as strongly flavored as other cuts of pork, it takes to just about anything you give it (which is a gift and a curse).

I, too, was thinking of something that was "more than ok," but I wanted it to be quick, and easy.

I don't quite know what "lock and key" operate when I get ideas in the kitchen, especially when they work. But this one did.

Some years ago, the head chef at City Bakery in NY, published a recipe for pretzel encrusted chicken. For about four months, it was EVERYWHERE. The pretzel vendor at our Farmers' Market even had a sign up "these are the pretzels you need for Ilene's chicken." I went along with it. It is an excellent recipe: a simple food processor sauce is used to coat the chicken, and then it's coated with pretzel crumbs and baked. Then, the coating sauce is used as a dipping sauce as well.

Remember that old TV and magazine campaign: "PORK. The other white meat?" Well, there was the connection. The sauce for the chicken is made of balsamic vinegar, mustard and water.

Mustard is a natural with pork. The sharpness cuts right across any fat, and seems to compliment the mild flavor. The sweet/sour ("agrodolce" as we Italians call it) flavor of balsamic is also a common combination with pork. Finally, add the saltiness of pretzels, and CRUNCH, and how could it fail?

In fact, it didn't. I did have to modify the recipe a bit, but it wasn't too difficult. You will probably want to modify it too, as Steve will, and go right ahead. Remember, this is a guide, not a rule book.

To make the sauce, you will need equal amounts of mustard and balsamic vinegar. Let me take the vinegar first. Get a GOOD one, but not a GREAT one. In other words, leave the 99c a bottle stuff at Costco, but don't use that 25 year old stuff that pours like molasses and costs a hundred bucks. I used 2 year old vinegar that cost me six bucks a bottle. I used a cup of it, with a cup of mixed dijon and honey mustard (thinking, correctly, that honey is a good combo for pork). You combine this with half a cup of water. But let's not get ahead of ourselves. FIRST, you need to make the crumbs.

You need good pretzels. Not the thin ones you buy for snacking, but the thick, "tooth breakers." I use a brand that is locally made , "Martin's" They are really good, and while I can deal without the 'FREE BIBLE VERSE IN EVERY BAG' I do like the pretzels. And I use the regular salted ones, although you should feel free to use the "baldies" or rub some of the salt off. Put a half pound of them in the food processor and plug up your ears as they turn to crumbs. Don't go for fine, evenness. You want irregular crumbs: some big, some small. Then dump them out on a flat surface, like a baking sheet.

NOW you make the sauce. Don't even bother cleaning the food processor. Just put the three liquids in, and whirl. Pour that off to the side. You will want to use about half of it for dipping the pork, so pour that onto a second sheet pan.

Now, roll your pork tenderloin in the sauce and then the crumbs. When I do this with chicken, one dip is enough to get a good coating, but I had my doubts with the tenderloin, so I did a dip in sauce, then pretzels, then repeated it. That turned out to be a good idea. I only had one tenderloin, but there was enough stuff to do two of them if you wanted to. BUT KEEP HALF OF THE SAUCE RESERVED.

Put your tenderloins onto a baking sheet- maybe even the one you used for the crumbs, that has been coated with parchment paper if you like, and bake them at 375 for about 30 minutes.

I will admit that I'm unsure if this is proper time. When I did mine, 30 minutes brought the pork just past pinkish red and bloody, to pink/white, and still juicy. But if eating pink pork gives you the skeeves, keep cooking it. DO keep in mind that because tenderloin has an irregular shape, the thin pieces at the end will be cooked more, and crispier then the central slices.

After it's cooked as long as you like, slice it on the bias, and use that extra sauce to pour over the pork.

I can't imagine serving this without cabbage, which is not everyone's cup of tea, so use your favorite vegetable. And if you go t hrough this recipe, you'll see t hat there really isn't any fat in it, other than what's in the very lean pork. So do something rich for sauce. If I have time when I serve these, I'm making spaetzle (yes, I made it ahead of time).

You can play with the mustard you use: there are so many interesting ones around. I don't like all dijon, and I don't like all honey mustard in the sauce: they go from too acidic to too sweet for me. But it's your choice. And of course, play with the amount of salt in the pretzels, and the cooking time.

So , Ilene, your idea goes forward.

And Steve, if you make it, I hope you find it better than ok.