Little Christmas Eve Pork Tenderloin

Pipps wanted to make this recently, and I thought I’d posted it earlier, but apparently I had not.

I think I originally found the recipe on foodtv.com but it’s been a few years, so I’m not entirely sure.

So, without further ado, here it is:

Little Xmas Eve Pork Tenderloin

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup golden raisins
• 1/2 cup dried cherries or cranberries
• 1 cup Tawny Port
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 cup minced shallots
• 2 teaspoons minced garlic
• 1/2 cup fine dry breadcrumbs
• 1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme leaves
• Pinch salt
• Pinch freshly ground black pepper
• 4 ounces goat cheese, crumbled
• 4 ounces prosciutto, thinly sliced
• 2 (3/4 pound to 1 pound each) pork tenderloins, butterflied and pounded slightly to an even thickness between sheets of plastic wrap
• 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
• Port Wine Sauce, recipe follows
• Fresh thyme sprigs, for garnish

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

2. In a small bowl, combine the raisins and cranberries.

3. In a small saucepan, bring the Port to a simmer. Pour over the dry fruit and let sit until plump, about 10 minutes. Drain well and let the fruit cool.

4. In a medium skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the shallots and garlic and cook, stirring, until soft, about 1 minute. Add the bread crumbs, thyme, salt, and pepper and stir until the bread crumbs are lightly toasted, about 1 minute. Remove from the heat and let cool.

5. In a medium bowl, combine the cooled fruit and bread crumb mixture. Add the cheese and stir to combine.

6. Lay the prosciutto slices over the butterflied pork to cover. Starting about 1/2-inch from the bottom and leaving 1/2-inch on either side, lay the bread crumb mixture in a uniform line across the meat. Pull the bottom edge of meat up and over the filling and roll up into a thick cylinder. Using butcher's twine, tie the meat to seal. Rub with vegetable oil on all sides and lightly season with salt and pepper.

7. In a large ovenproof skillet or roasting pan, sear the meat on all sides over medium-high heat, 3 to 5 minutes. Place in the oven and roast until cooked through and an instant-read thermometer registers an internal temperature of 155 degrees F to 160 degrees F, about 35 minutes.

8. Remove from the oven and let rest for 10 minutes before carving. To serve, remove the butcher's twine from the roast and carve into slices about 1/2-inch thick. Spoon the Pear and Parsnip Puree onto the sides of 4 plates. Arrange the slices next to the puree, drizzle with the Port Wine Sauce and garnish with thyme sprigs.

Port Wine Sauce:

1 (750ml) bottle Tawny Port (minus the 1 cup from the tenderloin)
1 cup veal stock
1 stick very cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces

1. In a medium saucepan, bring the Port to a boil.
2. Reduce the heat and cook at a low boil until reduced to a thick syrup, 1/4 to 1/3 cup in volume.
3. Add the stock and cook until thick and reduced by half. Reduce the heat to low, and whisking constantly, add the butter several pieces at a time, adding more butter once the previous pieces have nearly been incorporated, removing the pan from the heat occasionally to prevent the sauce from getting too hot and breaking.
4. Continue until the sauce is emulsified and all the butter has been added.

Yield: about 3/4 cup