Creole Pork Loin

I love Cajun and Creole cooking. Sometimes the main reason why it is so much fun is because if you are cooking in true Cajun/Creole style, anything goes. You cook with what you have on hand, which means every time you cook a particular dish, it will always be slightly different. The rebel in me LOVES this way of cooking. Everything is always going to be a little unexpected and unpredictable, just like me.

As I have mentioned many times, I have Cajun and Creole in my blood, so I go back to this way of rebellious, anything goes way of cooking quite often. My latest Cajun/Creole delicacy was some Creole pork loin with a Creole sauce that was made from little bits of this and little bits of that.

I started off by searing a pork loin that I covered in a dry Creole/Cajun rub. The trick to a perfect sear is to get the skillet VERY, VERY hot, then add the oil and butter. This method works for just about any kind of meat. The time of the sear depends on the thickness of the meat, but a good rule of thumb is to sear the meat for about 3 minutes per side in order to get a nice crust. Don’t be afraid to use the timer. Once the meat is seared to perfection, then finish cooking it either on the grill at a lower heat or in the oven until it reaches the desired internal temperature. For pork, you want the internal temperature to be about 165* F.

Once I put the pork loin on the grill, it was time to make the sauce. I just used the same skillet, with the remaining butter and oil already in the skillet, and then added everything else.

As I mentioned above, recipes like this are going to be different every time, and I LOVE IT!!!!!!

I had a little heavy whipping cream, a little Dijon mustard, just a smidge of my heirloom tomato vinaigrette left Heirloom Tomato, Garlic & Herb Vinaigrette with Steak Salad and a little tiny bit of some mystery sauce. I combined everything together, added a dash of cayenne pepper, and voila, my sauce was done.

When the pork loin was ready, I added it to a bed of cooked wild rice and then topped it with my special sauce. I added some corn on the cob on the side, and a delicious buttery chardonnay and we had a scrumptious Creole dinner in no time. This meal was created in true Cajun/Creole form; nothing fancy and little bits of this and that, and that is what makes it so fun and delicious.

Life is short. Make the most of it while you can. Laissez le bontemps roulez!

Stay cool, stay safe and stay well Everyone. ‘Til next time.