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January 2008 Issue - Pork Tenderloin with
Apples and Mushrooms
The pork marinates in a tangy rub, gets a fast sear for extra flavor and
then roasts in the oven with apples, mushrooms and onion. I served mine with
roasted new potatoes and fresh snapped green beans. I'll roast some asparagus
with the potatoes the next time!
If you don't have
green peppercorns you can use black but it is pretty hot! (But that could have
been from me letting them marinade for 3 days! :-) If you can't find apple
smoked bacon use your favorite smoked flavor.
For the potatoes
- 2 lbs of small new potatoes
- 3 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil
- 1/2 - 1 tsp dried and crushed rosemary
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 1/2 tsp salt
For the rub
- 2 tablespoons green peppercorns
- 2 tablespoons Creole-style or your favorite grainy mustard
- 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons chopped rosemary
For the pork
- 1 1/2 pounds pork tenderloin
- Sea salt or kosher salt
- 4 strips thick-cut-apple-smoked bacon, cut into matchstick-size
pieces
- 1 medium sweet onion, sliced thick
- 2 medium apples, cored and cut into 8 wedges each
- 1/4 pound shiitake mushrooms, stemmed and sliced thick
- 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 1/2 cup applejack brandy
Directions: For the rub: Use a mortar and pestle or a coffee grinder
to crush the peppercorns, then mix them with the mustard, garlic and rosemary
to make a thick paste.
For the pork: Using a thin-bladed knife, trim the silvery sinew from the
thick end of the tenderloin and cut the meat into two equal pieces. Coat the
tenderloin pieces with the mustard mixture and place in a resealable food
storage bag. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours and up to 1 day.
Pre-heat your oven to 425º. Wash and dry the potatoes and cut them in half
and add them to a bowl. Coat them in olive oil and sprinkle with the
seasonings. Spread the potatoes cut side down in a heavy roasting pan ( I used
the V-rack roasting pan with the v-rack removed) and cook until the pork is
ready add to the oven. Once the pork was ready I dropped the oven temp, flipped
the potatoes and added the tenderloin and apple mixture to the roaster keeping
the potatoes to one end and cooked for the allotted time. When you remove the
pork and apples from the oven to rest, turn potatoes cut side down and crank
the heat to 450º to crisp them before serving.
When ready to cook, preheat or drop the oven temp to 325º. Season the
tenderloin with a few pinches of salt.
In an ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat, cook the bacon for until
the fat is rendered and the bacon is just beginning to brown. Tip the pan
slightly and use a slotted spoon to scrape the cooked bacon to the top of the
pan, allowing the fat to drain away from the bacon. Transfer the bacon to a
small bowl and set aside. For a healthier dish, discard bacon grease and
replace with the same amount of olive oil.
Return the skillet to the heat and add the pieces of seasoned tenderloin,
making sure the oil is hot enough to make them sizzle. Sear for about 3
minutes, until the meat has browned and releases easily from the hot pan. Use a
pair of kitchen tongs to turn the meat and sear for about 3 minutes on all
sides.
When each piece has evenly browned remove to a plate and scatter the onion
slices and toss with the drippings so the onion begins to caramelize evenly.
Add the apples, mushrooms and reserved bacon. Add the vinegar, scraping as you
do to loosen any bits from the bottom of the pan, then add the applejack brandy
and cook for about 30 seconds. Season the mushrooms and apples with a pinch of
salt and transfer to the roasting pan flipping the potatoes first, then add the
pork to the pan and finally spread the apple mixture around it keeping the
potatoes separated. Cook for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the center of the meat
is barely pink and a meat thermometer registers 150 degrees.
Transfer the meat to a cutting board and let it rest for 5 minutes. Cut
the meat into thick slices and serve hot with the apples, onions and mushrooms,
drizzled with any accumulated pan juices.
For leftovers: I put the apple
mixture in a hot skillet and stirred until hot. While that was heating I added
the pork slices to another pan to sear till hot. When the pork and apple
mixture were both hot I tossed the the apples with 1 Tbs of the vinegar and 1/4
cup of brandy right before serving and heated for 30 seconds. You can reheat
the potatoes in a microwave till warm and then crisp in a hot skillet and they
taste like fresh roasted!
Nutrition Facts Per serving (based on 6) Calories: 266 Total Fat: 6g
Cholesterol: 37mg Sodium: 132mg Total Carbohydrates: 28g Dietary Fiber: 2g 8
Protein: 18g
Recipe Source: Adapted from a recipe
by Russell Cronkhite, former chef at Blair House and author of "A Return
to Sunday Dinner" (Multnomah, 2003).