This is the dish I cooked for previous MasterChef contestants and arguably the one that won me a spot in the quarter finals. Since the show went out I’ve been inundated with requests for the recipe so I’ve written it up below. If anyone would like a printable step by step guide which includes timings and lots of detail just get in touch via the site and I will whizz one over to you! I’m a very methodical person (except when I’m in the MasterChef kitchen apparently) so I made myself detailed guides to help me stay on track with timings. If you’re making this at home, it’s probably not necessary unless your co-eaters intend to time you to exactly 60 minutes!
Ingredients:
Pork:
- 350g pork tenderloin (outdoor reared is best if you can)
- 3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoons wholegrain mustard
- 250ml crème fraiche
- 50ml whiskey
- Salt
- Olive oil for frying
- Black pepper
- Tablespoon dried sage
- Tablespoon dried parsley
- 25g parmesan
Vegetables:
- Chanteney carrots (allow a few per person)
- Teaspoon of sugar
- 60g butter
- 3 baby leeks
- 3 baby parsnips
- 1 tablespoon celery seeds
Apple sauce:
- 1 granny smith apple
- Juice of half a lemon
- 1 teaspoon honey
Method:
- Pre-heat the oven to 200 degrees.
- Scrape the skin off the carrots using a sharp knife and wash the parsnips.
- Half the parsnips lengthways and toss in oil, salt, black pepper and celery seeds. Tip on to a roasting tray and put them in the oven, they’ll take about 30 minutes.
- Combine 2 tablespoons of Dijon mustard, herbs and parmesan in a small bowl and mix well. Use a pastry brush to coat the meat all over then set aside.
- Peel and chop the apple in to 2cm chunks then heat in a small pan with the juice of half a lemon. Once the mixture is soft and the apples are cooked, pass through a fine sieve and set aside.
- Heat 4 tablespoons of oil in a large frying pan and fry the pork on all sides until well browned, then transfer to a roasting tin and cook for 12-15 minutes. Don’t wash the pan; you’ll need it for your sauce!
- Once the cooking time has finished, transfer the meat to a board and cover loosely with foil to rest. A general rule is to rest the meat for the same length of time you’ve cooked it for.
- Place the carrots in medium saucepan then add enough water to just cover them. Add a big pinch of salt, a big pinch of sugar and 30g of butter. Turn the heat up and cook for around 15 minutes until the carrots are cooked through.
- Slice the leeks lengthways and give them a really good rinse under cold water. Slice them up and add a big knob of butter to a frying pan, leave the heat low and sauté until soft.
- Take the pan you cooked your pork in and put on a high heat. When hot, add the whiskey and a knob of butter.
- Once you can see the liquid has reduced slightly add the rest of the Dijon and the wholegrain mustard to the pan and give it a stir.
- Add the crème fraiche, turn down the heat and allow to bubble. Taste and season if necessary (add more mustard if you like).
- Slice the pork thickly and arrange on the plate with the vegetables.
- Give each plate a couple of teaspoons of apple sauce then pour plenty of mustard sauce over the whole dish.