It’s a new year—time to learn some new cooking skills!
At Irish 31 Pub House & Eatery in Tampa, we learned all about deglazing a pan.
The dish du jour is the French Pork Tenderloin Medallions Au Poivre.
Serves 1
Pork Au Poivre
Ingredients
2 tablespoons butter
8 ounces pork tenderloin (cut into four 2oz medallions per serving)
2 teaspoons green peppercorns
¼ teaspoon cracked black pepper
2 ounces brandy
2 ounces water
2 tablespoons butter
¼ cup onion gravy (see recipe below)
5 ounces (3-4) fingerling potatoes (see recipe below)
5 ounces mixed vegetables (see recipe below)
Directions
In a small bowl, season pork with cracked black pepper
Heat 1 ½ tablespoons of butter in a medium skillet over medium-high heat.
Sear pork medallions until light brown on one side.
Flip and brown other side until medium rare (about 1-2 minutes).
Heat 1/2 tablespoon of butter with water in a medium skillet over medium heat.
Add mixed vegetables and sauté until al dente.
Deglaze (pour brandy into pan) pork with Brandy.
Do this off the flame.
Place pan back over flame.
Once flame from brandy is out, add green peppercorns and onion gravy.
Carefully remove pork from pan, and drizzle remaining gravy on top.
Place vegetables and potatoes on plate and enjoy.
Chef Notes
To deglaze a pan means adding liquid, such as stock or wine, to a pan to loosen and dissolve food particles that are stuck to the bottom.
The flavorful mixture produced by deglazing can then be used to make a sauce.
Onion Gravy
Ingredients
¼ teaspoons butter
1 cup yellow onion
2 ounces cabernet sauvignon
½ teaspoon beef base
½ teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
Fortified Demi
1 ½ cups demi glaze
½ carrot (peeled and rough chopped)
½ celery stalk (rough chopped)
½ cup water
Directions
Sauté carrot and celery together.
Add demi glaze and water, and simmer for 30 minutes.
Strain demi leaving only liquid.
In a separate pot, sauté the onion in butter.
Deglaze with wine and reduce the wine to au sec (reduced to nearly-dry).
Add fortified demi from first pot and beef base.
Stir and simmer for another 30 minutes.
Season with salt and pepper and serve.
Chef Notes
In the culinary arts, the term au sec (pronounced "oh-SECK") refers to a liquid that has been reduced until it is nearly dry.
Indeed, au sec means "nearly dry" in French.
Fingerling Potatoes
Ingredients
5 ounces fingerling potatoes
1 ounce olive oil
1 teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
Directions
In a small bowl, toss potatoes and rest of ingredients together.
Bake at 425° for 27 minutes or until potatoes are tender, turning after 15 minutes.
Remove from oven and allow to cool slightly.
Once cooled, cut potatoes in half long ways and serve.
Mixed Vegetables
Ingredients
5 ounces farm fresh vegetables
1 teaspoon butter/margarine
Dash salt
Dash pepper
Directions
Melt small pat of butter/margarine in sauté pan, and add vegetables.
Add a dash of salt and pepper, and sauté for 3-5 min, or until crisp tender.
Serve alongside pork medallions and fingerling potatoes.