[Cooking] Pork tenderloin, potato and parsnip mash, spinach, cider cream sauce

[karohemd]

My butcher had these wonderful pork tenderloins so I bought one as I hadn't cooked with one in quite a while. It was vacuum sealed so I thought I'd try a rough approximation of sous vide cooking. I basically poached the loin, suspended from a wooden spoon in a stockpot full of hot water (don't know how hot it was, I chose a temperature I could still touch so probably around 60 degrees) for a bit more than half an hour, prodding it now and then to get an idea for how done it was.
I took it out, removed it from the bag, patted it dry and cut it in half (so it would fit into my frying pan). It was done just a little under pink so after I seasoned it with salt and pepper and seared it in a really hot pan in some olive oil on all sides and rested it for ten minutes, it was on the spot.
While the meat was resting, I made a sauce by deglazing the pan with cider, seasoning with salt, pepper and thyme and finishing with some double cream and the resting juices.
I served it on some potato and parsnip mash and wilted spinach. It was fantastic and I could have charged good money for that at a restaurant. I wish this happened more often. I like my cooking but only sometimes it's as good as this.
The photo is a bit rubbish because it was rushed.

Comments

[bateleur.livejournal.com]

That's a really clever improvised cooking technique!

[karohemd.livejournal.com]

I got the inspiration from a German cookery programme in which Kolja Kleeberg (http://www.vau-berlin.de/engl/index.html) poached a piece of meat in stock suspended from a spoon and Richard Corrigan did something similar with a duck breast in Cookery School (http://www.channel4.com/4food/recipes/tv-show-recipes/cookery-school-recipes/poached-duck-breast-with-beetroot-pur-e-and-mooli-recipe) last week (but witout searing the meat).
I'm going to try this with a steak at some point.

[bateleur.livejournal.com]

I want to try this now! :-)

[karohemd.livejournal.com]

My work here is done. :o)

[redshira.livejournal.com]

I don't like meat and I will usually only eat pork if it's literally my only option, but if you put that in front of me I'd eat it willingly. It looks and sounds delicious.

[karohemd.livejournal.com]

Thank you!
I'm really lucky that I have two fantastic butchers in the area who supply only good quality and "happy" (i.e. at least free-range) meat. I rather buy meat less often and spend a little more. The trade-off of the difference is definitely worth it. Add to it the excellent customer service and I don't see why I should ever buy pre-packed meat at a supermarket.
I'm also lucky in that I can eat everything and like almost everything so a balanced diet is no problem for me.

[redshira.livejournal.com]

Supermarket meat is really rather minging; the only problem with getting to a butcher is that they're only open when James is at work, and I'm housebound, so it's supermarket chicken for us, for the most part, and I spend literally hours cutting it into small pieces and cutting out what I see as the squicky bits - any veins, anything red or stringy. It's tiring work and also disgusting so I don't eat chicken often, or any other meat, though given that I'm severely insulin resistant and need a lot of protein and very little carbohydrate, it makes life very tricky.

[karohemd.livejournal.com]

:(
I only get to the butcher's on Saturdays because he closes at 5 so during the week it's mostly vegetarian cooking for me (I get an organic box delivered each week).

[redshira.livejournal.com]

Oh, vegetarian cooking, I love it. Again, not enough protein and too many carbs for me, but I was vegetarian for years and got very inventive with food.

[thedinster.livejournal.com]

Sweet Jesus on a pogo stick, this looks DELICIOUS!!! I am salivating copiously :D

[karohemd.livejournal.com]

:D