Herbed Pork Tenderloin with Savory Apple Sauce

I had a pork tenderloin in the freezer for a few months and finally pulled it into the fridge to defrost. I had no idea what I wanted to make of it, until I came across this Simply Recipes Pork Tenderloin.

I had all the ingredients on hand:

1 pork tenderloin (about 1 lb)
1 clove garlic, peeled and cut into slivers
Salt and pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
2 Tbsp grapeseed oil or canola oil
1/2 cup of chicken or beef broth
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 medium sized apple, peeled, cored, and sliced

Of course I'm incapable of following a recipe exact, so I made edits along the way. For one, my pork tenderloin weighed in at two pounds, so I had to up the amount of other ingredients I used.

I seasoned the outside of the tenderloin liberally with salt, pepper, minced garlic and cumin.

Then I sealed in those flavors with whole wheat flour, the flour also helps add a nice crust to the pork when I seared it.

With a little bit of grapeseed oil in the bottom of my dutch oven, I seared the tenderloin on all sides. This may take a while, so be patient to let every side, top and bottom, brown evenly.

This is where I differ from the recipe on Simply Recipes. Instead of putting the meat in the oven and dirtying another pan to make the sauce, I do all the steps in one pan... which I also think will help all the flavors meld into one. Once seared, let's add some braising liquid to the pot. I added beef broth and white wine to the pan.

Next, I placed this in a 400 degree oven for 10 minutes.

After 10 minutes, I removed the pork to a platter, and covered with foil to keep it hot and let it rest a little before carving. It will continue to cook while it sits.

Mmm... this is where the magic happens. See the drippings, mixed with the beef broth and the white wine? We are about to make a lovely savory apple sauce to top the roasted pork tenderloin.

I sliced one granny smith apple very thin using a mandoline. I also didn't bother peeling or coring the apple, I simply sliced on one side until I hit the core, then sliced on the other side, avoiding the core on all sided. Easy!

When the sauce came to a boil, I added the sliced apple and stirred to combine, and scraped up any burnt pieces on the bottom of the dutch oven.

I sauteed the mixture for a few minutes, and wasn't pleased with how thin the sauce was, so I added some cornstarch a teaspoon at a time, whisking after each addition until the desired consistency was reached.

The apple slices are tender, the sauce is now the right consistency.

Cut the tenderloin into 1/4 inch slices.

Serve the herbed pork tenderloin with the savory apple sauce on top.

This was a great meal, that didn't take too long to prepare also. Very impressive week night meal, I loved the savory apple sauce. I served this for dinner along with a side of sauteed spinach.