This glazed pork dish was copied directly from a dish made by Darnell Ferguson on Food Network's Tournament of Champions. It is very tasty! I'll definitely be trying it again!
Alex Guarnaschelli, My Idol
If you read my story, you'll see that I am a huge Food Network fan. I really enjoyed the programming before my bout with cancer, but while I was in the hospital, I took in every bit of the programming I could get. My excuse was that Food Network was always new programming instead of re-runs, but honestly, it was about the food. I was enthralled with how these amazing chefs could coax the depths of flavor and beautiful presentations out of these dishes. The show personalities became my "rock stars" and idols, and I made plans to visit as many of the places as I could, and become just like them.
Alex Guarnaschelli quickly became my biggest celebrity chef idol. Not only is she an Iron Chef, a title that is highly coveted in the culinary world, but she's a respected judge and competitor on shows like Chopped, Beat Bobby Flay, and more. She's the owner/Executive Chef of Butter in New York City, and is overall incredibly successful in the culinary world. What's more, Alex displays a somewhat maternal compassion for competitors on these shows. She offers advice and helps chefs bring out the best in their food. She truly is an inspiration.
The Tournament of Champions
So, it's no wonder when Food Network and Guy Fieri came up with the concept of Tournament of Champions, Alex was one of the first chefs to be called to compete. Of course, she accepted and was quick to be named a Number 1 Seed. If you get the opportunity to tune into the Tournament of Champions on Food Network, I highly recommend it! It's a bracket-style tournament that allows some of the best chefs in the world to compete against each other in a contest that will rival March Madness. Each match is made equal by a device they call "The Randomizer," which gives the contestants in each round a Protein, a Produce, a piece of Equipment used, a Style of cooking, and an amount of Time to cook the dish.
The best part of the show is that judging is done completely blind. The contestants don't know who the judges will be, and the judges don't know the chefs that completed the dishes. This allows the contestants to be judged simply on the food, how it looks, how it tastes, and how well the dish was executed. Chef Alex was the favorite to win the whole competition.
Not just by me, though you can see on my bracket she was set to go all the way, but most of the viewers picked her, and even most of the competitors.
Enter Darnell Ferguson. The 8th seed in the East. He hails from Louisville, KY (close to home for me), and he quickly making his rounds as the next big thing in the celebrity chef world. He's a major competitor, winning shows such as Guy's Grocery Games and Ultimate Thanksgiving Championship. He's also a pretty fantastic guy. He's the owner of 4 restaurants, is writing a comic book based on his personality as a "Super Chef!"
Enter Darnell Ferguson
Alex and Darnell entered the competition floor and faced "The Randomizer." They were blessed with "Pork Tenderloin, Peas, Waffle Iron, Glazed, and 35 minutes too cook." Both chefs immediately got to work. Chef Alex decided to make a French inspired Pork Tenderloin, a Pea Salad, and a Waffled Two Cheese Quesadilla using corn tortillas. Chef Darnell called on his experience with being a chef at the Beijing Olympic games and did a Asian Dry Rubbed Pork Tenderloin, with a Mustard Sweet and Sour Glaze, Spicy Glazed Snap Peas, and Waffled Shiitake Mushrooms. He made the Pork glaze out of Red Bell Peppers, Apple Cider Vinegar, Sugar, and Dijon Mustard. He also made a spicy relish that glazed the snap peas with Fresno Chilies, Green Onions, Garlic, and Olive Oil that he crushed together in a mortar and pestle. He threw the caps of the mushrooms in the waffle iron with some salt and pepper and cooked it through.
When the judges rendered their verdict, Chef Darnell had beaten Chef Alex by one point. This is UMBC beating Virginia in 2018. It's unheard of! As Guy Fieri stated, Darnell "just pulled off the biggest upset, maybe, in culinary history." So, since Chef Alex Guarnaschelli is one of my idols, I need to know what dish beat her. That inspired me to go after Chef Darnell's dish.
My version of that dish
To cook this dish, I started by roasting the red peppers and adding the apple cider vinegar, sugar, and mustard. I used Spicy Brown Mustard, but later learned that Chef Darnell used Dijon. Either way, the glaze was pureed in the blender and tasted AMAZING. I cut the Pork Tenderloin into more manageable pieces, rubbed them with Chinese 5 Spice, Ground Ginger, and Garlic Powder, and seared them in the cast iron pan, basting them in butter with garlic and fresh thyme. Allowed them to rest while I blanched the snap peas, then cooked them in the pan with the spicy relish to give them a glaze. Also, I seasoned the mushrooms and added them to the waffle iron. I plated the dish and added the sweet and sour glaze to the pork. Overall, this dish was FANTASTIC. I learned a lot by both watching and making this dish. Never did I think about adding bell peppers to make a sweet and sour sauce, but that added flavor really was delicious. The Waffled Shiitakes were a bit of a novelty, but still tasted really good. The peas had a bit of a bite with the Fresno peppers, but that garlic and green onion flavor was a wonderful combination. I'm sad to see Chef Guarnaschelli go, but I think I've found a new amazing chef to root for, and I'm already making plans to visit his restaurant in Louisville, KY! Congrats to Chef Darnell Ferguson!
Asian Glazed Pork Tenderloin with Spicy Peas and Waffled Shiitake Mushrooms
Equipment
- Waffle Iron
- Mortar and Pestle
Ingredients
- 1 Lb. Pork Tenderloin – Cut into Steaks
- 8 oz. Sugar Snap Peas
- 4 Shiitake Mushrooms stems trimmed off
- 1 Red Bell Pepper – Roughly chopped
- 1 bunch green onions – diced
- 5 cloves of garlic – divided
- 3 Fresno Chilies – roughly chopped
- 3 sprigs Fresh Thyme
- 1 cup Apple Cider Vinegar
- ½ cup Granulated Sugar
- ¼ Cup Dijon or Spicy Brown Mustard
- 5 Tbsp. Unsalted Butter - Divided
- ½ Tbsp. Chinese 5 Spice
- ½ Tbsp. Ground Ginger
- ½ Tbsp. Garlic Powder
- 1 Tbsp. Olive Oil
- 1 tsp. Neutral Oil I used canola
- Salt to taste + More for relish
- Pepper to taste
Instructions
- Whisk together 5 Spice, Ginger, and Garlic in a small mixing bowl
- Rub Pork Tenderloin Steaks with Dry rub and Salt to taste
- Melt 1Tbsp. of butter in a pan over Medium High heat
- Add Red Bell Pepper and roast until soft, salting to taste
- Add Bell Pepper to blender along with Apple Cider Vinegar, Mustard, and Sugar. Puree until it creates a thick glaze
- Heat Neutral Oil in Cast Iron Skillet* over Medium High heat until wisps of smoke are coming from the pan
- Sear Steaks on both sides
- Add in 3 tbsp. butter, 2 cloves of garlic, and fresh thyme, and baste steaks until cooked fully. Tenderloin can be served at Medium doneness, so it will still be slightly pink in the middle.
- Allow steaks to rest while blanching Snap Peas
- Once Snap Peas are blanched, add them to a pan over Medium High Heat with 1 Tbsp. butter and cook until slightly soft
- In a mortar and pestle** crush Fresno Peppers, 3 cloves of garlic, Green Onion, Olive Oil, and Salt together until it makes a relish like consistency
- Add relish to peas and cook until fully coated
- While peas are cooking, season Mushroom Caps with salt and pepper to taste
- Add Mushrooms to waffle iron*** and cook until soft and juicy
- Plate all food to dish then brush glaze on pork to taste
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