Balsamic Onion Glazed Pork Tenderloins

I thought it would be nice to include some recipes that would be good for holiday entertaining.  Here is one that uses pork tenderloins which are both tender and low in fat.

I didn't notice it until I thought about it but I actually eat quite a bit of pork.  I guess because pork is used in Asian cuisine more than chicken or beef.  However, I would never buy pork tenderloins to cook at home because I thought it would be hard to cook.  I just might be putting pork tenderloins on the menu more often now that I've created this recipe.  After all they were quick and healthy and not to mention tasty too.

It snowed in here in Vancouver the other day and the city looked so gorgeous blanketed in snow.  I was really tempted to stay home from work and cozy up to a blanket and hot chocolate.  Instead I braved the roads and thankfully got to work in one piece.  Yes, it's true that we Vancouverites do not know how to drive in the snow and I guess it doesn't help that people like me do not have snow tires.  Fortunately for everyone the the rain melted all but a few mounds of dirt covered snow within 24 hours.

That night I enjoyed staying warm by standing next to the hot oven as the pork was roasting in the oven.

Before I went ahead to roast the tenderloins I wanted to take a few steps to add more flavor and make sure that the glaze adhered to the meat.  After I dried the meat with paper towel I doused the it in a mixture of corn starch, sugar, salt, and fresh ground pepper.

In my cast iron skillet I seared the tenderloin until all sides were evenly browned.  The fumes from the pan were already making me salivate.  I didn't even add the glaze yet.

After I the meat browned I deglazed the pan and got all those good bits of flavor the pork left behind.  In the pan I added 1/2 a cup of chicken stock, 2 Tbsp of The B.O.M., and 2 tsp of grainy mustard.

If you ever want to do something dumb try to take a picture of a hot pan as it is being deglazed.  You will find that steam is actually hot.  You might also find that it can scorch your pinky finger.  Please keep some aloe handy.

 I brushed the tenderloin with a Tbsp of The B.O.M. and roasted it in the oven for about 12 minutes.  *If you try this and find the marmalade too thick to brush on you can heat it up in the microwave for about 10 seconds so will spread easier.

At this point the first layer of glaze had already caramalized and had dried.  I brushed again with a second layer of glaze for extra flavor.  Then returned the the tenderloin to the oven until it was ready to come out for good.

After the pork came out of the oven I gave it a final coating and let it rest for a few minutes before I sliced it.  Those minutes are always take longer to pass if you're waiting for something to be ready to eat!

Then I topped it with the glaze from the pan.

I hope you will try this recipe sometime.  It works great for entertaining because you can make it from start to finish in less than an hour.  I will continue to create great tasting recipes so stay tuned!

-Vicki

Balsamic Onion Glazed Tenderloins (The above post is half the recipe)

Serves 6

2 Pork Tenderloins (about 1 1/2 pounds each)

1/4 cup Corn Starch

2 Tbsp Sugar

1 Tbsp Salt

1 tsp Ground Black Pepper

2/3 cup Balsamic Onion Marmalade

2 tsp Grainy Mustard

1 cup Chicken Stock

2 Tbsp Oil

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees with the rack in the middle position.  As the oven preheats combine corn starch, sugar, salt, and pepper in a baking dish.  With clean paper towels pat dry the tenderloins and coat them in the corn starch mixture.  Shake off any excess.

Heat skillet with oil on medium-high until oil begins to smoke.  Brown all sides of tenderloins evenly.  Transfer tenderloins to a rimmed baking sheet lined with a wire rack.

While the skillet is still hot deglaze with chicken stock and whisk in 4 Tbsp Balsamic Onion Marmalade and the Mustard.  Remove from heat and set aside.

Brush each browned tenderloin with approximately 1 Tbsp of Marmalade.  Roast tenderloins in preheated oven for approximately 12 minutes and apply a second coat of marmalade.

Continue to roast until the tenderloins have reached an internal temperature of between 135-140 degrees.  At this point remove from the oven and apply the final coat of Marmalade and let the meat rest uncovered for 10 minutes.  Slice and serve with reserved mustard glaze.