The Classic Ingredient Jacques Pépin Adds To Pork Tenderloin
Jacques Pépin is a French-born chef, television host, author of 29 books, instructor, and artist. According to his website, Pépin grew up helping in his parent's restaurant and began an apprenticeship at age 13 at the Grand Hôtel de L'Europe. Pépin has worked at many prestigious French restaurants, served as director of research and development for Howard Johnson and created recipes for the chain. The famous chef has also received 16 James Beard Foundation Awards including the Lifetime Achievement Award.
With a name like Jacques Pépin, there's not much you cannot do. According to Book Depository, his cookbooks range in topics from French cooking, simple and healthy cooking, to fast food made in the Jacques Pépin way. In his book, "Jacques Pépin: More Fast Food My Way," the famous chef teaches how to cook Pork Medallions with Grapes in Pomegranate Sauce. The recipe includes a classic ingredient that makes the flavors in the dish blossom.
Cut, season, and cook the pork
Jacques Pépin said, "Pork tenderloin is succulent, flavorful, and lean, delicious roasted whole or cut crosswise into medallions and sautéed," according to KQED, adding, "I accompany it with a sweet-sour sauce similar to what I would serve with venison, with pomegranate juice and chicken stock thickened with a little ketchup." No, that wasn't a typo. Pépin says that he uses ketchup in his pork tenderloin recipe.
Before getting started, the chef recommends trimming most of the fat from the pork, silver skinning the pork, and cutting it crosswise into one-inch-thick medallions. To make the sauce, Pépin simply combines the ingredients and cooks it down until it has reached a luxurious, smooth consistency.
While using ketchup to make a fancy sauce may surprise you, it isn't the only time Pépin does so. According to Food & Wine, the chef also uses the condiment to make a quick and easy glaze for seared chicken liver. The outlet explains ketchup is a simple way to add a pleasant zip to a variety of saucy dishes: from bbq to coleslaw to glazed meatballs.