Questions about Pork Cassoulet

[rissole]

I just made the Pork Cassoulet from the September issue last night--it was really good. Actually, I don't think it needed that much meat--50 g of protein per serving is a bit much--but I'm definitely glad I made it. Anyway, although it may be a little late, I have a couple of questions pertaining to the recipe.

1) When a recipe calls for thyme (as the Pork Cassoulet did), are dried thyme leaves and rubbed thyme equally acceptable? I used a little of each.

2) When a recipe calls for pork loin, is that the same thing as pork tenderloin? That's what I bought for this recipe, and it worked fine.

Thanks for any info.

[SusanT]

Either type of thyme should work fine. Pork loin is a different cut of meat than tenderloin. Loin will hold up to along braise better than tenderloin which is so lean that it may turn out a little dry during a long braise. (Loin is also less expensive)

[rissole]

Thanks for the information. I guess I paid too much for the tenderloin, but I couldn't find anything that just said "loin." But in the future I'll know to look for that.

[SusanT]

Loin is ususally cylindrical like tenderloin but larger in diameter and usually has more surfact fat.