It's A Good Thing Apricot Glazed Pork Tenderloin

So here's a good little recipe from Martha Stewart's Everyday Food magazine. I was a subscriber from the beginning, in 2003, when, if you prepaid, you got a nifty apron as a gift. Sadly, the Reader's Digest-sized mag has ceased publication, but I still wear the apron with pride.It also had a PBS companion cooking show, that before Rachel Ray, encouraged home cooks that they actually could.  I used to just follow my BFF Anne's simple pork tenderloin recipe, which is marinating the meat in Italian dressing for a few hours and throwing it on the grill. I still like that, and during the summer months it is my go-to meal. But, the rest of the time, six simple ingredients: pork tenderloin, salt and pepper, olive oil, apricot jam and brown mustard do nicely.. The only dilemma is that the broiler always sets off (which is really on) the smoke alarm. You know what they say,  where's there's smoke, there's dinner.

Why is Martha Stewart a dirty word? I personally am pleased to be likened with a domestic goddess icon and wear the comparison as a badge of honor (but only if it was handcrafted by me while baking a cake from scratch). Business mogul, publisher, life style diva who has truly proven her ability to survive whatever is thrown her way, Even selling goods at JCPenney, K Mart and going to jail can't bring her down. What doesn't destroy her only makes her stronger. As a demonstration of her fortitude, when life gave her lemons (or in her case, an unjust prison sentence), she made lemonade (or, in her case, hand knit ponchos for her fellow inmates). That's class, that's style, and that is a good thing.

The Recipe:

2 pork tenderloins (about 12 ounces each), trimmed of fat

1 tablespoon olive oil

coarse salt and ground pepper

1 jar (10 to 12 ounces) apricot jam ( about 1 cup)

1/4 cup spicy brown mustard (I use Trader Joe's Dijon - it has just the right amount of kick)

Remove smoke alarm from wall/ceiling; remove battery. Heat broiler; set rack 4 inches from heat. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil. Rub pork with oil; season with salt and pepper. Broil 10 minutes. Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, whisk together jam and mustard. Cook over medium heat until jam melts, 3 to 4 minutes; remove from heat. Transfer half to a small bowl for brushing. Cover pan to keep remaining sauce warm. Remove pork from broiler; brush with reserved(yet, spicy) sauce. Continue broiling until pork is blackened in spots and registers 150 degrees on an instant-read thermometer; 5 to 10 minutes more. Cover pork loosely with foil; let rest 5 minutes before slicing. Serve drizzled with warm sauce. Serves 4.