Pork Tenderloin was on sale this week so I picked up a 2 1/2 pound one with most of the fat trimmed off it. I’ve never cooked one before but I know that overcooking and undercooking are often problems. Ways to combat that is to marinade or brine the meat; I did a combination of the two. I recently acquired some lovely green tea from China and decided to use it as the liquid component.

To complement the pork, I made cherry mustard. As some of you know, I’ve been dying to find a reason to make a fruit mustard and this was the perfect opportunity. It was a very good choice. It has a very complex layering of flavors starting with the mustard and ending with cherry and spices. It pairs very well with pork and likely would go well with chicken, too.

Green Tea Pork Tenderloin

2 1/2lbs pork tenderloin
2 cups very hot water
1 cup cold water
3 Tbs good quality green tea
2 Tbs apple cider vinegar
2 Tbs honey
2 tsp sea salt
2 tsp black peppercorns
2 tsp thyme
1 tsp granulated garlic
1 tsp onion powder
2 bay leaves
2 Tbs olive oil
salt & pepper to taste

Steep 2 Tbs green tea leaves in 2 cups hot water for at least 5 minutes. Strain the tea leaves out and let the tea cool before using. Combine all the ingredients including the last tablespoon of tea leaves in a large bowl or a gallon zippered bag and seal tightly. Refrigerate for 6-12 hours, turning occasionally. Preheat oven to 350° F and remove pork from the marinade. Rinse the pork off and remove any of the herbs and seeds left on the meat. Place pork in a baking dish (my tenderloin fit perfectly in a glass bread pan) and drizzle olive oil evenly on the meat, season generously with salt and pepper on all sides. Bake for 45-60 minutes, until a thermometer inserted into the center of the loin reads between 140-150° F. Remove from the cooking vessel, cover with aluminum foil, and allow to rest for 15 minutes before slicing.

Cherry Mustard

2 cups fresh or frozen cherries, pitted
1/2 cup unsweetened cranberry juice
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
3 tsp mustard seeds
2 tsp mustard powder
2 tsp honey
1/2 tsp granulated garlic
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/8 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp cloves
1/8 tsp ginger

In a small sauce pot, combine ingredients until well blended and simmer on low until reduced by half, stirring often. Remove from heat and puree mustard in a food processor or blender. Return to sauce pot and simmer until the constancy of commercial mustard. Allow to cool and refrigerate until needed. Can be served hot or cold over pork or chicken.