Jacques Pepin’s Rice with Mushrooms and Steamed Asparagus is a most simple and tasty meal. It’s perfectly suited for cooking in an RV or a small farmhouse kitchen. In this post, the formidable Serendipity Farmhouse Mobile Test Kitchen chefs will show you how it’s done. And I, Pierre LeChat, will provide invaluable tips on technique and creative cooking.

In his post Mobile Test Kitchen on the Shenandoah, Mr. Monte described the deployment of the Mobile Test Kitchen (MTK) to a perfect site along the Shenandoah River. That clever cat documented every move made by the MTK chefs. Now, after four days of painstaking review, I have organized and evaluated all of his most excellent notes, images, and videos. Once again, Mr. Monte has been awarded Persnickety Pierre’s Paw of Excellence.

Here’s the story behind this recipe test.

In his cookbook Quick & Simple, Jacques Pépin endeavors “to make your life easier.” And, while Jacques emphasizes times savings for people on the go, I find that his recipes are easily adapted to smaller kitchens such as one might find in an old farmhouse or recreational vehicle (RV). To prove this point, the amazingly skillful Chef Blondie took on the challenge of preparing this recipe in the tiny kitchen of the 24-foot RV she calls the SFH Mobile Test Kitchen.

Level of the challenge

Chef Blondie purposely chose this recipe because of its simplicity and readily available ingredients. She knew that she would have to make adaptations in ingredients and preparations. – In her view, any amateur chef can make this at home or on an RV trip.

Selection of good-quality ingredients

“Adapt and create!” That is a foundational principle for cooking in the MTK. Chef Blondie strives to use the best ingredients. But she knows quite well that sometimes the best ingredients just aren’t available. Likewise, there might not be sufficient time for shopping for a specific ingredient. That’s when you have to substitute.

For this MTK test, Chef Blondie deftly handled three such problems:

• Rice: Jacques specifies the use of Carolina rice. Since Chef Blondie did her shopping at Aldi, there was no Carolina rice to be found. Because Carolina rice is a long grain variety, Chef Blondie substituted Jasmati rice she had in the SFH pantry.
• Stock: Jacques specifies chicken stock. Two days a week the MTK staff abstains from meat. Therefore, Chef Blondie used vegetable stock.
• Asparagus: Aldi’s is not the best place to buy quality asparagus. Because time was limited, however, Chef Blondie used the Aldi product. She had to discard quite a bit of the asparagus, but there was enough remaining that she was able to prepare the meal.

Despite the need for substitution and one low-quality ingredient, Chef Blondie’s adaptations and substitutions worked perfectly.

Use of cooking techniques

Jacques’s recipe requires that a cook possess but a bare minimum of skills. That is quite fortunate, because Chef Blondie needed Ol’ Fuzz Face to do some of the food prep. – He did moderately well and did not hurt himself.

Although technically not a technique, planning for a series of RV meals is an art form. When you are out in the wilderness, if you don’t have a key ingredient, you won’t have a meal. Chef Blondie and Chef Fuzzy have developed a very satisfactory method for making menus and ingredient checkoff sheets. – It’s really worth the time and effort.

Development of superior taste and flavor

Now, you might wonder how I can speak to taste and flavor of this dish in this evaluation. I wasn’t there when this test was conducted. It’s actually quite simple. The recipe yields six servings. Consequently, I was able to share a meal of leftovers with the MTK staff when they returned from their riverside adventure.

Because of that, I can attest to a very important point. This meal is tasty and satisfying even when served as leftovers. – Yes, the mushrooms held on to all of the original flavors. Wonderful notes of herbes de Provence continued to ring with clarity. – I can only imagine how delightful this dish was when first prepared by the able hands of Chef Blondie.

Presentation of Rice with Mushrooms and Steamed Asparagus

Keep in mind, dear Reader, a 24-foot RV is not the Inn at Little Washington. But for the staff of the Mobile Test Kitchen, every good meal deserves a proper setting.

In this case, a glass of wine bathed in the warm glow of candlelight brings joy to the heart. Likewise, a well-executed dish conceived by a master like Jacques Pepin brings happiness to the palate. – This table presentation brings both.

Happy cooking!

Rice with Mushrooms and Steamed Asparagus

Jacques Pepin's Rice with Mushrooms and Steamed Asparagus is a most simple and tasty meal. It's perfectly suited for cooking in an RV or a small farmhouse kitchen.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 30 minutes mins

Course Main Course

Cuisine French

Servings 6 people

Equipment

• 1 large saucepan with lid

Ingredients

  

• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 1¼ cups coarsely chopped onion (about 6 ounces)
• 2 cups coarsely chopped cremini or portobello mushrooms
• 1 teaspoon herbes de Provence
• 2 cups any long grain rice
• 4 cups light chicken stock vegetable stock also works
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 18 stalks asparagus with firm tips

Instructions

 

• Heat the oil and butter in a large saucepan and sauté the onion for about 2 minutes, until it is almost transparent.
  
• Add the mushrooms and herbes de Provence and cook for another 2 minutes.
  
• Stir in the rice, stock, salt, and pepper and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally.
  
• Cover tightly, reduce the heat to very low, and cook for about 15 minutes, until most of the liquid has been absorbed.
  
• While the rice is cooking, using a vegetable peeler, peel the lower third of the stalks or cut them off and discard.
• After the rice has cooked for 15 minutes, lay the asparagus on top of it and continue cooking for another 10 minutes, or until the asparagus is cooked but still firm.
  
• Serve the asparagus with the rice on individual plates.
  

Keyword rice mushrooms asparagus

The menu for the week was blank. Blondie and Ol’ Fuzz Face were in torrid disagreement on what to do. All they could find in the freezer were two pork tenderloin steaks. There was great unhappiness in the air. In a desperate move, I, the one and only Pierre LeChat, made the decision. We will learn how to cook pork tenderloin Jacques’s way.

No, the freezer wasn’t bare. However, over the last week, Blondie and Fuzzy had prepared beef, lamb, and chicken. They would not speak of vegetables, pasta, or fish because they had just finished a Lenten season in which they voluntarily abstained from meat three days per week.

So, they had to shop their pantry for something different, and pork tenderloin was all there was. Unfortunately, the soon-to-be-world-famous Serendipity Farmhouse Test Kitchen had no recipes for that particular cut of pork.

The Quest for a Jacques Pépin Pork Tenderloin Recipe

Taking my decision to heart, my amazing friends searched high and low for how Jacques Pépin would prepare pork tenderloin with the ingredients they had on hand. None of their standard reference cookbooks contained such a recipe.

Ever onward, they searched through the Internet. Alas! There were no recipes that fit the bill. Blondie and Fuzzy were, to say the least, most frustrated. They needed help.

As we have come to expect, it was Mr. Monte who stumbled across a KQED episode of Jacques Pépin Cooking At Home. The dish Jacques prepared was called Pork Tenderloin Steak with Mushrooms and Corn. But, this was just a video, there was no written recipe. True, the footnotes to the video listed the primary ingredients. It was up to the viewer to interpret and remember what Jacques did and what order he did it.

That is where I stepped in and transcribed the entire episode. The recipe in this post is taken from my copious notes.

Persnickety Pierre’s Criteria of Excellence

Although this SFH Test Kitchen adventure was not planned, Chef Blondie decided to record the proceedings and make the results available to you, our esteemed and faithful viewers. Of course, the test would be conducted in accord with my personally developed – Persnickety Pierre’s Criteria of Excellence:

1. Level of the challenge
2. Selection of good-quality ingredients
3. Use of cooking techniques
4. Development of superior taste and flavor
5. Presentation

In the SFH Test Kitchen, we take our work seriously. We test recipes under the same conditions and with the same challenges that confront any amateur home chef. The only difference is the SFH-TK staff is scientific and methodical. We record each step of the recipe process and analyze the results. Our end goal is to have a fail-proof, go-to recipe that can be listed on your weekly menu with the highest degree of confidence.

It works for the SFH-TK and it will work for you. 

Test Results & Commentary

As this was not a scheduled recipe test, the Test Kitchen staff had to make a lot of preparations on the fly. This, of course, can lead to some missteps and consume valuable time. Nevertheless, under firm guidance from Chef Blondie, every staff member performed admirably.

It goes without saying, but I shall say it anyway, Jacques Pépin has a range and depth of culinary skill that cannot be matched. This particular recipe presents both the essence of simplicity and an unusual element of surprise. The inclusion of frozen corn caught us off guard, but it contributed greatly to enjoyment of this dish.

1. Level of the Challenge

This is meant to be a simple, low-cost meal. It’s perfect for preparation in an old farmhouse or average home kitchen. Although our recipe allows 20 minutes for preparation and 40 minutes for cooking, the meal could easily be made in half that time. This is a meal that could be used by an entry-level home chef as a means to learn and perfect simple cooking techniques.

2. Selection of Good-quality Ingredients

Sometimes the recipe dictates the ingredients. In this case, however, the ingredients dictated the recipe. This is what the SFH-TK had on hand. The quality of the pork was excellent. The onion and corn were waiting for someone to use them. The mushrooms were fresh and ready take on subtle shades of flavor from the other ingredients. Unfortunately, we had no chives or suitable substitute, to use for a garnish.

3. Use of Cooking Techniques

This is meant to be a simple, low-cost meal. The SFH-TK staff encountered little difficulty in preparation of this recipe. The techniques used are simple and straightforward.

4. Development of Superior Taste and Flavor

Here is where the Test Kitchen staff deviated from Jacques’s video presentation. He chose to use V8 juice to develop a certain degree of acidity. Prior to adding the juice, he mentioned that you could use wine instead, but he did not specify white or red. The SFH-TK pantry had no V8 juice, so we opted to use red wine. We found the results to be quite satisfying. During our tasting session, we found the flavor to be well developed and we did not sense any deficiency in the level of acidity.

5. Presentation

The use of red wine changed the appearance of the dish. It made the meal components take on a reddish hue that tends to detract from the more natural colors of the pork and mushrooms. V8 juice produces the same effect, but to a lesser extent. Perhaps a good choice for us in the future would be to use a white wine.

Obviously, Ol’ Fuzz Face did not read my review Jacques’ Lentil Salad – SFH TK Test. Once again, he trotted out the Willow Pattern China for presenting this dish. Badly done, Fuzzy! That pattern is a distraction. Next time, be more careful in plating.

Remember, I’m watching. And they don’t call me Persnickety Pierre without good reason.

How to Cook Pork Tenderloin Jacques’s Way

So, without further ado, here is Jacques’s recipe. We’ve included pictures showing how the Test Kitchen employed his techniques. – If you desire to learn more about Jacques’s approach to cooking, check out his book Jacques Pépin New Complete Techniques.

Pork Tenderloin Steak with Mushrooms and Corn

This is meant to be a simple, low-cost meal. It's perfect for preparation in an old farmhouse or average home kitchen. Although our recipe allows for 20 minutes of preparation and 40 minutes of cooking, the meal could easily be made in half that time.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 40 minutes mins

Course Main Course

Cuisine French

Servings 4

Equipment

• 1 Frying pan

Ingredients

  

• 1 lb. pork tenderloin
• 2 tbsp butter
• 4 tbsp olive oil
• salt and pepper
• ¼ cup sliced onion
• ¼ cup red wine or V8 vegetable juice
• 8 oz. coarsely chopped mushrooms
• 1 tbsp water
• ½ cup frozen corn
• chives

Instructions

 

• Remove thick skin on top of the steaks using sharp knife.
  
• Makes four 4-oz. steaks.
• Add butter and oil to skillet
• Place steaks in pan. Cook about 3-4 minutes on each side. The pan doesn't need to be covered, but Jacques partially covers it to prevent splattering.
  
• Add sliced onions to pan.
  
• Remove steaks, they should be slightly pink in the center
  
• Continue to sauté onions and add wine or V8 juice; reduce, then pour over steaks.
  
• Add butter and oil to pan
• Sauté coarsely chopped mushrooms; add a bit of water if necessary
  
• Add 1/2 cup corn; salt & pepper to taste
  
• Add chives as garnish; sauté slightly
• Add mushroom & corn as side for loin steaks
  

Video

Keyword Pork tenderloin steak