Sugar and Spice Makes Everything Nice

New Orleans chef, well-known personality and Imperial Sugar friend – Charles Pizzo – shares his thoughts about southern Louisiana food and details of his favorite recipe … Grilled Pork Tenderloin with Berry Sauce.

by Charles Pizzo

Chef Charles Pizzo's pork with berry sauce

Growing up in Louisiana spoiled me. People here take their food seriously, a legacy we attribute to the early French settlers. We care about freshness, flavor, and local ingredients. Blessed with an abundance of sunshine and water, the fertile delta of the Mississippi River produces a bounty of crops, wild life and seafood.

In this languid part of the world, the night air is often sticky. People pass the time cooking and stirring, laughing and sharing. It’s not uncommon to eat one meal while discussing the merits of the last – or plans for the next. Food is part of the culture.

Outsiders often make the mistake of thinking that everything we prepare is spicy and hot. That’s probably because most people only know about Cajun cookery. Our harvest includes sugar and rice in great quantities too. Dishes like calas – fried rice cakes dusted with powdered sugar – and pralines – a confection made of cooked sugar, butter and pecans – also figure prominently on the local palate.

Charles Pizzo

At Mardi Gras, a fanciful street celebration just before Lent, the kings of two of the most prominent Carnival krewes – Rex and Zulu – meet and pay homage to one another. And so it is on the plate, where flavors often meld like rifts of jazz music. “Sweet and hot, that’s the favorite local flavor,” the late Chef Warren LeRuth once told me. “It makes your taste buds dance because it’s more than one note.”

That’s probably why Imperial pure cane sugar is a staple in my kitchen. Just a little bit added to savory foods makes all the difference in the world. It’s a natural flavor enhancer that brings out the lagniappe – a little something extra – in many dishes.

Though I didn’t always know why, there is some science behind it. Meats brined in sugar and salt stay moist and flavorful. Dry spice rubs with sugar enhance the browning of meats and improve their taste. Tossed with vegetables, the legendary taste of Imperial pure cane sugar produces a light glaze that seals in flavor.

Sugar is wholesome – just a pinch will make you pinch yourself when you taste your cooking. That’s one of the secrets of Louisiana cooking: sugar and spice – it makes everything nice.

Recipe: Grilled Pork Tenderloin with Berry Sauce

BRINE FOR PORK

1 tbls Imperial pure cane sugar
1 tbls salt
1 cup cold water
1-2 medallions pork (tenderloin or loin, boneless)

1. In a bowl, combine sugar, salt and cold water; mix to dissolve.
2. Add medallions into brine.
3. Soak (marinate) for 15 – 60 minutes.
4. Remove from brine and pat dry; set aside.

DRIED BERRY SAUCE

¼ cup dried fruit, any (ex: blueberries, cranberries, etc.)
½ cup hot water
1 splash brandy (optional)
1 tsp Imperial pure cane sugar
¼ tsp salt
½ tbls white vinegar

1. In a bowl, combine the dried fruit, hot water and (optional) brandy.
2. Soak the fruit for at least 30 minutes. Drain; reserve the liquid.
3. In a small skillet, add the strained soaking liquid.
4. Bring to a boil; add sugar and salt.
5. Lower heat and reduce by half; remove from heat and swirl in the vinegar.
6. Add soaked fruit and toss lightly.

GRILLED PORK

1-2 medallions brined pork (tenderloin or loin, boneless)
1 tbls cooking oil (canola or vegetable)
1 dash salt
1 dash pepper

1. Brush the pork with oil on both sides.
2. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
3. Pre-heat a grill plan, grill or sauté pan to seal juices into the meat.
4. When water dances on the pan, add the pork.
5. Cook to the desired doneness (medium well works best; avoid overcooking)
6. Remove from heat.

SESAME SNOW PEAS

1 cup snow peas, fresh (approx. 2 – 4 oz.)
1 tbls oil (canola or vegetable)
1 drop sesame oil
¼ tsp Imperial pure cane sugar
1 dash salt
1 dash sesame seeds (optional)

1. Wash the snow peas; pat dry.
2. Pre-heat a wok or skillet on medium-high heat.
3. Add cooking oil to the pan plus one drop sesame oil.
4. Toss in snow peas, sugar and salt.
5. Stir or toss to coat snow peas and stir-fry for 4-6 minutes until al dente.
6. Add sesame seeds to toast (optional) and cook 30 seconds more.
7. Remove from heat.