I bought a 'Sweet Dumpling' squash at the grocery store this week out of excitement for fall coming on and in the spirit of trying something new. The sticker on the squash said the flesh was orangy and sweet. I was EXCITED to get my choppers on this veggie. I scored a recipe from my friend Ben for a mustard crusted pork tenderloin and thought the two would make a great combination. I can't confidently say that they were a great combination.First off, I think pork tenderloin hates me. Six years ago I offered to cater a work Christmas party and I cooked an herb stuffed pork tenderloin. Well, I TRIED to cook a pork tenderloin. The instructions I had for the pork tenderloin didn't have a long enough cook time and I ended up MICROWAVING the tenderloin because everyone was freaking out about it being pink inside...How embarrassing. Hmmm....funny that I should be plagued with the same issue this evening. So I started off under cooking and then over cooked it. There is nothing worse than a nice pork roast that has been over cooked. It doesn't matter how yummy the 'crust' is.
Here is the recipe as my friend Ben gave it to me:
Mustard Crusted Pork Tenderloin:
3 tablespoons of grainy mustard (I used the kind with the actual mustard seeds)
4 teaspoons minced garlic
3 tablespoons Jack Daniels or other bourbon or sourmash whisky.
2 tablespoons dried thyme
2 teaspoons cracked black pepper
1/2-1 teaspoon kosher salt.
Mix the wet stuff and the dry stuff separately. Coat the tenderloins with the wet stuff, then the dry stuff. Cook for about 30 min at 375. This is where I usually screw up the roasts. Since the tenderloin is shaped funny the long pointy end cooks first, so that time may vary depending on the thickness of the roast. - Ben...this is where I screw it up too! 
I didn't follow a recipe for the 'Sweet Dumpling' squash...I just cut it in half, salt and peppered with a little olive oil and cooked it for 30 minutes at 375 F. Hello, FLAVORLESS! How is that possible when you use salt and pepper? Who came up with this false name? This wasn't sweet. It wasn't miserable, but it wasn't hot damn yummy! It was so bland.
6 comments:
Never heard of that squash!
I have been known to overcook pork tenderloin a time or two! Looks yummy!
the name "Sweet Dumpling" would of sold me too. Thanks for the info, I wont fall into that "name" scam!
Bummer about the pork. I think we've all been there before.
Thanks for heads-up on the squash. The name sounds so cute and yummy. Maybe next time you should try it the conventional way I cook an acorn squash. I S & P it, then put 1-2 tablespoons of butter on it and 1 heaping tablespoon of brown sugar. ~ Robyn
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I'm so sorry about the roast! That sucks! My original time frame for the tenderloin was 20-25 minutes at 375. I upped it to 30 min because even with the roast sitting for 15 min under tented foil it wasn't done on the fat end.
Grr...I hope you don't mistrust everything I send you :)
I love it when you send me recipes! The mustard rub was GREAT! I am an impatient cook...which doesn't make for a good cook. :) I'm going to do this in my pressure cooker next time. :)
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