Up for the challenge

A few weeks ago, a colleague at the newspaper told me he and his girlfriend had subscribed to Cook's Illustrated magazine. I congratulated him on the excellent choice and asked him how he liked the recipes so far. He told me they hadn't made any but would keep me up to date.

About a week or so later, he told me his girlfriend wanted him to make her something from the first issue, and he wanted my opinion. I went home, got mine out and quickly made a recommendation: Maple-glazed pork tenderloin. Not only did the recipe sound delicious, but it appeared very easy. I gave him my suggestion, and he told me his girlfriend had picked the same one. He, however, favored the grilled salmon. I then asked him to let me know how his dinner turned out.

After another week or so, I inquired about the tenderloin. He told me that dinner was not going to happen. Curiosity got the best of me, so I continued my questioning.

"Who has maple syrup and molasses in their pantry?" he asked.

"I do!" I asserted.

"And who has cornstarch at home?" he further asked. "And what's with the rimmed baking sheet?"

I was starting to get annoyed with him. "I do!" I said. "And I'm sure you have a rimmed baking sheet."

Then came his big question to me: "Well, did you make it?" I 'fessed up. No, I hadn't made it. And actually, I was out of maple syrup and molasses -- but in my defense, I often have them on hand. So as I saw it, the ball was technically in my court.

So last weekend, I got out my Cook's Illustrated. And I was determined to make the pork tenderloin. So off we went to the grocery store to get the molasses, maple syrup and pork.

After a relatively easy hour or so of cooking, the pork tenderloin was on the table. I was right -- it was easy, and better yet, it was delicious. Even my picky 4-year-old ate two or three slices. She called it chicken, but it didn't matter to me as long as she enjoyed it.

This truly is an easy meal to make. A salad, or vegetable such as baked sweet potatoes or sauteed carrots, would be delicious. Add some French bread, and you've got an easy, delicious meal. So, to my colleague -- you owe it to your girlfriend and to yourself to hunt down some cornstarch, molasses and maple syrup. You won't regret it.

This recipe is from the May & June 2009 issue of Cook's Illustrated magazine.

Maple-glazed pork tenderloin

3/4 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup light or mild molasses
2 tbsp. bourbon or brandy
1/8 tsp. ground cinnamon
Pinch ground cloves
Pinch cayenne pepper
1/4 cup cornstarch
2 tbsp. sugar
1 tbsp. table salt
2 tsp. ground black pepper
2 pork tenderloins (1 1/4 to 1 1/2 lb. each)
2 tbsp. vegetable oil
1 tbsp. whole-grain mustard

Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 375 degrees. Stir 1/2 cup maple syrup, molasses, bourbon, cinnamon, cloves and cayenne pepper together in 2-cup liquid measure; set aside. Whisk cornstarch, sugar, salt and black pepper in small bowl until combined. Transfer cornstarch measure to rimmed baking sheet. Pat tenderloins dry with paper towels, then roll in cornstarch mixture until evenly coated on all sides. Thoroughly pat off excess cornstarch mixture.

Heat oil in 12-inch heavy-bottomed nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until just beginning to smoke. Reduce heat to medium and place both tenderloins in skillet, leaving at least 1-inch in between. Cook until well browned on all sides, 8 to 12 minutes. Transfer tenderloins to wire rack set in rimmed baking sheet.

Pour off excess fat from skillet and return to medium heat. Add syrup mixture to skillet, scraping up browned bits with wooden spoon, and cook until reduced to 1/2 cup, about 2 minutes. Transfer 2 tbsp. glaze to small bowl and set aside. Using remaining glaze, brush each tenderloin with about 1 tbsp. glaze. Roast until instant-read thermometer inserted into thickest part of tenderloins reaches about 130 degrees, 12 to 20 minutes. Brush each tenderloin with another tablespoon of glaze and continue to roast until instant-read thermometer inserted into thickest part registers 135 to 140 degrees, about 2 to 4 minutes longer. Remove tenderloins from oven and brush each with remaining glaze; let rest, uncovered, 10 minutes.

While tenderloins rest, stir remaining 1/4 cup maple syrup and mustard into reserved 2 tbsp. glaze. Brush each tenderloin with 1 tbsp. mustard glaze. Transfer meat to cutting board and slice into 1/4-inch-thick pieces. Serve, passing extra mustard glaze.

Cook's notes: Make sure to line your baking sheet (the one below the baking rack) with aluminum foil. The glaze is super-sticky, and it is tough to clean! Keep the glaze warm, as it gets thick and tough to spread when it cools. A few seconds in the microwave will do the trick.

Although I haven't tried them, Cook's has offered two alternate versions.

Maple-glazed pork tenderloin with smoked paprika and ginger: Follow above recipe, substituting dry sherry for bourbon and 1/4 tsp. smoked paprika and 1 tsp. grated fresh ginger for cinnamon, cloves and cayenne pepper. Omit mustard.

Maple-glazed pork tenderloin with orange and chipotle: Follow above recipe, substituting 2 tbsp. frozen orange juice concentrate for 2 tbsp. molasses. Omit cinnamon, cloves and cayenne pepper and add 2 small, finely minced chipotle chiles plus 2 tsp. adobo sauce to initial maple syrup mixture. Omit mustard.