Pork Tenderloin with Apple
Right ho, as promised my adapted recipe for roast pork tenderloin with apple & onion marmalade. Turned out fucking gorgeously, I recommend it highly. Seriously, try this.
Partially plagiarised from cooking.com, altered by me in preparation:
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons plus 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1 white onion, thinly sliced
- 1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
- 1/2 cup water
- Salt and freshly ground pepper
- 2 pork tenderloins, about 3/4 lb each
- 2 fresh thyme sprigs
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 small green apple, peeled, cored and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
- 1 cup veal stock or chicken stock
Method
In a sauté pan over medium heat, warm the 3 tablespoons olive oil. Add the onion and sauté until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Add the balsamic vinegar, water and salt and pepper to taste and cook until the liquid has evaporated and the onions are very soft, about 25 minutes. Set aside.
Preheat oven to 450 degrees F/200 degrees C (Gas mark 6).
Rub salt and pepper to taste on all sides of the tenderloins. Place them in a roasting pan. Pour the 1/4 cup (2 fl oz/60 ml) olive oil over the top. Place 1 thyme sprig on each tenderloin.
Place the pan in the oven and roast the pork for 10 minutes. Turn the pork over and roast until firm and pale pink in the middle when cut with a knife, about 10 minutes longer.
While the pork is cooking, in a large sauté pan over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the apple and sauté until slightly soft and caramelized, 3-5 minutes. Add the onion marmalade mixture to the pan and continue to sauté until the flavours have blended, 2-3 minutes longer.
Add the stock to the pan and bring to a boil. Immediately remove from the heat and cover to keep warm.
When the pork is done, transfer it to a cutting board, cover with aluminium foil and let rest for 5 minutes. Then, using a sharp knife, cut the pork tenderloins into slices 1/2-inch (12 mm) thick. Arrange the pork slices on a warmed serving platter.
Spoon the warm marmalade mixture over the pork. Sprinkle with the parsley and serve immediately.
Notes
As stated, it was really very good. I will cook it again, but when I do I'll add less salt. I thought the Balsamic vinegar would make it overly sweet, so added extra salt to compensate - I should've left it alone. The smells as you're cooking it are amazing, be sure to drink them in.
I roasted the pork until it was white throughout, rather than pink in the middle (as per Mrs Tandino's request) but I think it was much nicer.
Also, I possess no sauté pan, so I did it in a fairly deep frying pan - although this could be the same thing... I used an oxo chicken cube for the stock.
Once again, if you can be arsed to cook this, do so. You won't be disappointed.
[Edit] to add that it might be worth splashing a few drops of red wine into the Onion stage of the marmalade, I think it might enhance it a wee bit.
