Glazed Pork Tenderloin with Roasted Apples and Shallots

A while back in Chicago, I was spending a lazy afternoon watching cooking shows on PBS. When Ken got home from work later in the day, I described my hazy recollections of a few interesting dishes that I'd seen. There was a recipe for fish baked in a huge pile of salt, grilled artichoke hearts, and a recipe for pork served with roasted apples and shallots. Recently, we were planning a shopping list and thinking about some meals we wanted to try when we recalled the pork dish. Ken purchased ingredients and made up a recipe based on my descriptions of what I'd seen. The final product was fantastic and Ken commented that it might be the best pork tenderloin he'd ever eaten- let alone made. I thought the roasted apples and shallots were just a spectacular combination. Yum.

As I was preparing to write this post, I did some searching and managed to locate the show that I had seen and the original recipe that I was remembering. Ken's variation is a bit more complex, but I imagine their recipe would be quite tasty as well. I remember the show itself as being cute and inviting. I would certainly recommend watching it if you happen to run across it on television. After reading about the two chefs a little more, they seem like an interesting and knowledgeable pair.


Preparing the Apples
and Shallots:
2-3 nice apples
8 shallots
4 T melted butter
salt to taste

Preheat oven to 375.
Clean shallots and cut big bulbs so that the shallots are roughly the same size. Cut the apples into chunks that are a similar size as the apples. While cutting the apples make sure to toss them in the butter immediately to avoid browning. After the apples are coated in butter, place them on a baking sheet. Then coat the shallots with the remaining butter and pour all of the shallots and butter onto the baking sheet with the apples. Season lightly with salt. Toss the apples and shallots a little on the baking sheet to insure that the entire sheet is lightly coated with butter. Roast the shallots and apples until they are soft and starting to turn brown (1 1/2-2 hours).

Preparing and cooking
the Pork:
1 medium-sized pork tenderloin
1 T salt
1-2 tsp cracked black pepper
2 T olive oil
1/2 tsp fresh thyme
1/2 tsp fresh rosemary

Take pork out of fridge about 2 hours before you want to cook it to allow the meat to come up to room temperature. (Ken says the meat cooks more evenly, doesn't dry out, and allows for more control if its at room temp.) Season the meat about 15 minutes before cooking with an even coating of salt and cracked black pepper. While you wait for the meat, mix the olive oil with thyme and rosemary. When the meat is ready, take the herb soaked olive oil and rub it over the raw meat. Heat a regular saute pan over high heat with a tsp of olive oil. Coat the pan well and then sear the meat on all sides. Once the meat is browned put the meat on a rack in the oven next to the shallots and apples. Cook the meat until done (30-45 minutes).

To baste the meat:
3 T honey
3 T melted butter
2 T nice spicy mustard
1/2 tsp molasses

Whisk together honey, butter, mustard, and molasses. Use a brush to coat the pork every 10 minutes while it cooks in the oven.

Preparing the Sauce:
1 cup chicken sauce
4 T butter

While the meat is cooking, take the saute pan that has the left over browned pork bits. Use white wine (or water or chicken stock) to deglaze the pan over heat. Once the meat and shallots/apples are finished cooking, remove them from the oven. Add the remaining honey glaze and all of the juice and browned bits from the baking sheet with the pork drippings and apple shallot remnants. Add some chicken stock. Cook the sauce down until a little thicker and adjust to taste by adding salt, additional ingredients, etc. Remove the sauce from heat, add the butter and swirl it around until it melts.

To serve:

Plate everything and eat.
Bon Apetite!