Pork Tenderloin Wrapped in Phyllo Dough : Another Perfect Day

It wasn't that long ago, I would blindly walk into the meat section of the grocery store and pick up whatever "looked good." If it was bright red with very little visible fat, it was in my shopping cart. As far as pork was concerned, I'm not sure I ever strayed far beyond the boneless chops- dare I admit even hiding Shake n' Bake well beneath the cereal boxes and freshly baked breads. Which leads me to another story involving my dear husband. A sort of intervention one day, he sat me down on our Ikea futon in our tiny New York City apartment and reviewed with me "the fundamentals of meat buying." Just shy of white boards and a laser pointer, there were books, diagrams and even a nail biting pop quiz.

A solid foundation and true desire to learn, I was quick to pick-up the terms...marbling, prime vs. choice vs. select "Politically-Correct-Snob", loin, tenderloin...and before I knew it, was a resident expert! I would walk into Gristede's Grocery Store on 86th and 1st Avenue... head held high, a new pep in my step! Straight back to the meat section, I'd hone in on exactly what I wanted, then sort of hang there for a few minutes secretly yearning for someone...anyone... to ask me a meat related question. I had opinions, I had knowledge and I wanted to share it with the world! It got so bad I would often make comments out loud in hopes someone was listening, "now that's a really nice cut... especially at that price..." or "oh look, pork tenderloin is on sale and a great option for whatever your mood...." No one ever was.

So fast forward 10 years. There's a blizzard outside my window, husband and 3yr old are out sledding, baby is napping, and it's 3:30PM the Saturday before Christmas. I head straight to the kitchen...Dora off, Christmas music on, hot chocolate blazing atop the stove, glass of red wine for yours truly, and a pork tenderloin in the fridge that's about to be snugly wrapped in phyllo dough and all dressed up in a sweet and sour cherry chutney. (Someone ought to get dressed up around here.) I love this recipe I found online because while it looks impressive as if I spent hours... (a few minor changes noted below) it was simple and delicious. I served it with piping hot homemade smashed potatoes and a basic mixed green salad with sage vinaigrette.
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Follow up to the day...Husband and daughter returned home donning bumps and bruises related to a "minor" sledding accident...hot chocolate turned cold as they stopped for a mug at the local coffee shop...baby awoke screaming because his molars thought it a good time to all come in at once, and my Christmas music (while still playing) was increasingly overshadowed by the deafening noise of college bowl games. Eighteen inches of snow atop our deck with no signs of stopping...I had my family, we were warm, a beautiful Pork Tenderloin wrapped in Phyllo and a nice Pinot Noir ...Another perfect day.

Pork Tenderloin Wrapped in Phyllo Dough, MyRecipes.com

*Some things to note:
-Instead of cooking spray, I used good old melted butter and pastry brush.
-I started this on pure convection and towards the end changed it to convection bake to stop it from browning too much.
-The phyllo has a tendency to flake when you slice it so it's important to use a serrated knife and let the knife do the work...don't force it.
-I added rosemary & thyme atop the wholegrain mustard and increased all amounts.

These simple, minor changes made for a delicious meal!

Ingredients
1 (1-pound) pork tenderloin, trimmed
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Cooking spray
1 tablespoon stone-ground mustard
1 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme
8 (18 x 14-inch) sheets frozen phyllo dough, thawed
1/2 cup hot mango chutney
Preparation
Preheat oven to 400°

Sprinkle pork with salt and pepper; place on a jelly roll pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 400° for 15 minutes, turning once. Remove from oven; let stand 5 minutes or until slightly cool. Coat pork with mustard; sprinkle evenly with thyme, pressing thyme into mustard to adhere.

Place 1 phyllo sheet on a large cutting board or work surface (cover the remaining dough to prevent drying); lightly coat with cooking spray. Repeat layers with remaining phyllo and cooking spray, ending with phyllo. Gently press phyllo layers together. Lightly coat top phyllo sheet with cooking spray.

Arrange pork along 1 short edge of phyllo, leaving a 2-inch border. Starting at short edge with 2-inch border, roll up jelly-roll fashion. (Do not roll tightly). Place roll, seam side down, on jelly roll pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 400° for 20 minutes or until the roll is golden brown and a thermometer registers 155°. Let stand 10 minutes.

Place chutney in a microwave-safe bowl; microwave at HIGH 30 seconds or until warm, stirring once. Cut the pork crosswise into 8 even slices using a serrated knife; serve with chutney. You obviously can use a store prepared chutney, but here is the recipe I loosely based mine off of. I used canned sour black cherries in place of fresh...

Cherry Chutney
By Jennifer Meier, About.com

Ingredients:
?1 tsp. minced onion
?1 tsp. minced fresh ginger root
?2 Tbsp. white wine vinegar
?¼ tsp. red pepper flakes
?1/8 tsp salt
?2 tsp. brown sugar
?1 cup pitted cherries
?2 sage leaves, minced

Preparation:
In a medium-sized saucepan, combine onion, ginger, vinegar, red pepper flakes, salt, and brown sugar. Bring to a boil and add cherries. If you are using frozen cherries, defrost the cherries and drain liquid before using.

After adding cherries, turn heat to a low simmer and put the lid on the saucepan. Continue to simmer on low for five minutes to soften the cherries. Remove the lid and bring heat up to medium. Stir occasionally to prevent the liquid from burning. Simmer five minutes more, until the liquid thickens and the chutney has a jam-like consistency.

Remove from heat. Add minced sage. Cool to room temperature before serving.