Pan Seared Pork Tenderloin with Dijon Cider Sauce

prep time:: 10 minutes
cook time:: 30 minutes
total time:: 1 hour

Makes 1/2 cup

I used to make this sauce for roasted chicken, but I’ve found the apple and mustard flavor work great with a pork tenderloin as well. The one real sop to complexity in this dish is that the sauce is much better with homemade chicken stock.

ingredients

1 Pork Tenderloin, 2-3 pounds
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cups fresh apple cider
1/4 cup heavy cream
8 tablespoons dijon mustard
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
salt and pepper

directions

Tenderloin

1
Season pork well on all sides with salt and pepper.
2
Heat olive oil in a large frying pan over medium heat until shimmery, 3-5 five minutes. Add pork and brown well on all sides, about 3 minutes per side.
3
Remove and place on a rack to cool for at least 15 minutes and up to 40 minutes.
4
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Return tenderloin to frying pan and cook in oven until slightly pink, 12-15 minutes. Remove from oven and let rest on cooling rack or plate for 5 to 10 minutes before serving. Return empty frying pan to stove over medium heat for deglazing.
5
Slice and season with salt and pepper and top with sauce.

Dijon Cider Sauce

1
Bring cider to a boil in a small sauce pan over high heat. Reduce to about 1 cup of liquid and slightly thickened, about 15 minutes. Add the heavy cream and reduce heat to medium, continuing to boil until sauce consistency, about 5 minutes. Keep warm over low heat until tenderloin is removed from the oven.
2
Once the tenderloin is removed from the oven deglaze the frying pan it was cooked in over medium heat using the reduced sauce. Add the mustard to the frying pan and incorporate it to the sauce. Remove the pan from heat and allow to cool for a minute before incorporating the butter. Season with salt to taste. Strain before serving.
3
Serve over pork.