Quick And Easy Pork Tenderloin Recipes: How To Cook Pork Tenderloin In Phyllo Dough

The culinary basics of working with phyllo dough (also spelled fillo dough and filo dough) are simple - most people use phyllo dough for its lovely presentation or they use it in place of another medium.

For instance, you can use phyllo dough to make a fantastic pizza or you can use phyllo dough to make an apple tart.

Phyllo dough is not just for Greek spinach pie or baklava!

Makes 4 servings – Serving size = 2 pork slices and 2 tablespoons chutney

FOOLPROOF RECIPE FOR PORK TENDERLOIN IN PHYLLO DOUGH

INGREDIENTS

• 1 (1-pound) pork tenderloin, trimmed of fat
• Salt
• Ground pepper
• Cooking spray
• 1 tablespoon stone-ground mustard or Dijon mustard
• 1-1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme – or 1-1/2 teaspoons dried thyme
• 8 sheets frozen phyllo dough thawed
• 1/2 cup warm mango chutney

PREPARATION

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Sprinkle pork with salt and pepper.
3. Place pork on jelly roll pan coated with cooking spray.
4. Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes – turn once after 7-1/2 minutes
5. Remove from oven – let stand 5 minutes.
6. Coat pork with mustard and sprinkle on thyme. Press thyme into mustard to stick.
7. Place 1 phyllo sheet on large cutting board or working surface. Cover remaining sheets to prevent them from drying out.
8. Coat phyllo sheet with cooking spray lightly or brush on a small amount of melted butter. Repeat layers x 7 and spray/butter each one lightly. Gently press phyllo layers together.
9. Lightly spray or brush with butter the top phyllo sheet.
10. Position pork along 1 short edge of the phyllo stack – leaving a 2-inch border. Starting at the short edge with the 2-inch border, roll up the pork tenderloin in a jelly-roll fashion – don’t roll tightly.
11. Place roll (pork inside phyllo dough layers) seam side down on jelly roll pan sprayed lightly with cooking spray.
12. Bake at 400 for 20 minutes or until roll is golden. Internal temperature of pork should register 155.
13. Let stand 10 minutes.
14. Place chutney in microwave-safe bowl and cook on high for 30 seconds or until warm, stirring once.
15. Cut the pork crosswise into 8 even slices using a serrated knife and serve with chutney.

    
    

Courtesy Cooking Light Magazine May 2004

Some very important points to remember when working with phyllo dough are these:

• Phyllo dough usually comes in a 2-pack in the supermarket in the frozen food section
• Thaw 1 package of phyllo in the refrigerator and leave the other in the freezer - allow 24 hours prior to making your recipe
• Never thaw phyllo dough any other way than in the fridge for 24 hours as it will become soggy or dry out
• You can make it yourself but you will need a gigantic table, an enormous roller, and a lot of patience!  It is very difficult to make.
• Unused thawed phyllo dough will keep in the fridge for weeks and can be used for making tarts, pie crusts, pizzas, appetizers and more
• Phyllo dough is generally used as a layered ingredient
• Phyllo dough sheets are extremely thin and dry out quickly so when working with the dough, use 1 sheet while keeping the others covered with plastic wrap covered with a damp dish towel - only work with 1 sheet at a time
• Because of its dryness, phyllo dough usually requires spraying with cooking spray (very lightly) or brushing with melted butter or margarine (again very lightly).  Too much spray or butter will make a soggy crust
• Phyllo dough when stacked and 'oiled' properly creates a light and delicate outer coating and phyllo dough tarts are delicious!
• Likewise when they are used to encase meat or fish, they lend a wonderful texture and presentation to the entree. 
• It's also okay if it crisps!  That is what it is supposed to do.

Recipes for phyllo dough tarts and pies are all over the Internet.  Likewise, there are hundreds of appetizer recipes. 

I use phyllo dough to make mini-quiches and they are delicious. 

Again, when working with phyllo dough, it is most important never to let the dough dry out.  For tarts and mini-quiches, things like that, you most often will cut the dough into squares and then layer them at different angles to the last sheet you used so that they have a multi-layered yet fanned appearance when completed. 

Follow the recipes for using phyllo dough carefully and I think you will be surprised what a wonderful addition to your culinary basics repertoire this baking ingredient is along the way towards creating delicious but healthy recipes.