US Cooking Tour Stop 2: INDIANA

I've never spent a significant amount of time in the Hoosier State, but the time I did spend there sure was memorable. We were moving from Oklahoma to Pennsylvania and we were driving across the country. My parents came along for the ride to help us move, and we stopped for the night in a little town in Indiana - the name escapes me. The next morning we wanted a hearty breakfast before hitting the road again and stumbled upon the cutest little diner called Blueberry Hill. 

Everything about the place was exactly what you want in a small town diner - old men reliving life stories over coffee, locals grabbing "the usual", waitresses wiping their hands on their aprons tied around their waist while calling you "sugar bear" and "honey." Our breakfast was absolutely incredible - we all sat around raving about every bite and swapping plates to get a taste of everything. It was seven years ago and to this day I am still trying to find a breakfast skillet to rival the one I had. In other words, I found my thrill on Blueberry Hill.

Hands down the most requested suggestion for Indiana was a Fried Pork Tenderloin Sandwich and Sugar Cream Pie. Since these recommendations rolled in so fast on my Instagram, it made my research super simple. All I had to do was find a couple good recipes and get to cooking!

Too bad I didn't stick around that little town for supper or I know I would have been introduced to this sandwich with a thick, flavorful crushed saltine coating followed by a fresh, sweet sugar cream pie. 

Fried Pork Tenderloin Sandwiches AKA Hoosier Sandwiches

Pork Loin

Burger Buns

Marinade:

2  eggs

2 C buttermilk

2 cloves garlic

S&P
cayenne pepper

Pork:

80 saltine crackers, crushed 

2 C flour

peanut oil

Cut pork, butterfly each slice open and pound it until 1/4 in. thick. Marinate for 4 hours to overnight. 

Take pork out and dredge both sides in flour, back in the buttermilk, then cracker crumbs. Fry in peanut oil 1/4-1/2 in. full over med-high heat until done. 

Serve with whatever toppings you like, but tradition says mayo, mustard, lettuce, red onion, tomato and pickles.

Oh, and the bigger and more it hangs off the bun the better, according to the Hoosiers!

Sugar Cream Pie

1 deep dish pie crust

4 Tbsp cornstarch 

3/4 C white sugar 

4 Tbsp butter

2 1/4 C heavy cream

1 Tbsp vanilla

Topping:

4 Tbsp butter

1/4 to 1/2 C sugar with cinnamon

Bake pie crust 10-12 min.

In a saucepan melt butter and add cornstarch, sugar, heavy cream, and vanilla. Stir over med heat until it’s smooth and thick.

Pour in pie crust and top with melted butter and cinnamon/sugar. Bake another 25 minutes. Broil 1 minute. 

Cool 1 hour, then refrigerate. 

The sandwich and the pie were absolutely delicious! We couldn't have some Indiana sweet corn, but did the best we could with the Okie version. At this point in our journey we were 2/2 in our family adventure of cooking across the states and having so much fun!

{You can find my step-by-step video directions in the highlights from each state on my Instagram: whitney.at.home}