Pork Tenderloin Diane

This recipe may sound fancy, and you can find it on many restaurant menus, but I assure you it is very doable. The pork tenderloin was a great piece of meat; very lean, moist and tender. This particular recipe is from the magazine, Cuisine at Home.

Ingredients:
3/4 cup chicken broth
1/4 cup onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves
2 Tbsp. brandy (optional; I didn't use it because I didn't have any and didn't feel like buying any)
1 Tbsp. dijon mustard
1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 Tbsp. tomato paste
1 lb. pork tenderloin, trimmed and cut at an angle into 1 and 1/2 thick pieces, roughly 8 pieces) salt and pepper
1 Tbsp. vegetable oil

In a food processor or blender, blend the broth, onion, garlic, brandy (if using), dijon mustard, Worcestershire and tomato paste until onion is minced. Set aside.

Trim the pork tenderloin of any excess fat. This is very easy to do and the fat comes off very easily. Just slide a knife under it and gently pull it off. Once it is trimmed, cut it an angle into 1 and 1/2 thick slices. You should get 8 pieces, enough for four servings. See the picture below.


See how lean the pork tenderloin is? It almost looks like beef. Hey, check out my fat fingers!

Now, season the pork with salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a large saute pan over medium-high to high heat. Add the cutlets and sear for 3 minutes on each side or until a nice brown crust forms, see below. If using a stainless steel pan, make sure there is enough oil in the pan. You may need to add more once you flip the pork over to brown the second side. (I pretty much smoked out my house. I am surprised the smoke alarm didn't go off, which might be a sign that I need to change the batteries.)

See the smoke? Lovely. Learn from my experience, add more oil to the pan. Do you see how dry mine is? But hey, this is my first time with the recipe, so it sometimes take a couple of tries to perfect the process. Has a nice crust to it though, and searing the meat locks in all the juices.

Once browned, remove the tenderloin pieces from the pan and keep warm. Add the broth mixture to the pan, scraping up any brown bits. Bring to a boil and simmer for 3 minutes, or until slightly thickened. Retun pork to the pan along with any drippings; simmer to warm through. Season to taste, spooning sauce over cutlets.

Sorry I don't have a picture of the finished product. By the time I de-smoked the house and finished the dish I just wanted to eat it. Even though I had a little mishap, the dish still came out very good. The pork was juicy and tender. The sauce was delicious. I definitely will add it to the rotation.

I served this with smashed potatoes and steamed green beans.