If a dish I’m cooking has Roquefort in it (or even near it as a garnish), my spouse, displaying a near-Palovian response, can’t wait to try it. Imagine then his excitement when I recently served roasted pork tenderloins topped with an unusual Roquefort sauce. I discovered the recipe in a small French community cookbook given to me by a Parisian friend.
Roquefort, definitely the star in this entrée, is combined with crème fraîche and Dijon mustard, then spread atop and along the sides of sautéed pork tenderloins. The tenderloins and some chopped shallots are enclosed in foil and roasted until tender. The delicious juices remaining in the foil packages after roasting are transferred to a pan, then turned into a “sauce au Roquefort.” I tweaked this recipe slightly, studding the pork with garlic slivers and adding roasted Bosc pear wedges as an autumn garnish.
Although my husband savors all blue cheeses, his favorite remains Roquefort, often referred to as the king of cheeses. Rich, tangy, and slightly moist, this sheep’s milk cheese has a unique taste. During the many years I wrote a nationally syndicated food column, whenever Roquefort was called for in a recipe, I always added “or other good quality blue cheese.” Without fail a few weeks later, a representative of Roquefort cheese in the States would send me a letter stating that “There is no substitute for Roquefort!” I still smile at that memory!
