Stuffed Pork Tenderloin

For something practical, here is a recipe I created that is a favorite when friends come over; Stuffed Pork Tenderloin. There are a few steps involved, but it's easier than it looks.

For the recipe:

Stuffing:

1/2 baguette crumbled in a food processor

1 tbs savory

1/2 a red pepper chopped into small cubes

1/2 an onion medium chopped

2 cloves of finely chopped garlic

1 tbs of olive oil

2 pats of melted butter

Sea salt and fresh pepper

Tenderloin:

1 pork tenderloin

2 pats of melted butter

Herbes de Provence

Freshly ground pepper

Butchers' string

Sauce:

The other half onion, finely chopped

6 shiitake mushrooms, cubed

1 heaping tbs Plain Dijon mustard

2 pats of butter

Splash of white wine

1/2 cup of chicken stock

1/2 cup of table cream

Procedure:

1) Start with the stuffing. Blend your baguette and place the crumbled pieces it in a bowl and mix in the savory. In a  pan, brown the onion and red pepper in the olive oil, adding the garlic for the last minute. Turn the heat off and add the butter, just long enough to melt. Mix that in with the crumbled bread, add salt and pepper to taste. Save the pan for the sauce.

2) Turn your oven on to 375º, then split the pork tenderloin lengthwise without cutting all the way through. It should be cut only enough to lay it flat. Lay it between two sheets of waxed paper and pound it flat, to about a 1/4" thickness, working your way out from the center. Melt two pats of butter in your still warm pan and brush it on the top surface of the flattened tenderloin. Cover the buttered side with the stuffing, keeping it at least a half inch away from the edges. Pre-cut about five pieces of butchers' string long enough to get around the tenderloin, leaving yourself enough to tie some knots. Slip the string under the tenderloin so that it is evenly spaced. Roll up the tenderloin and tie it neatly, trimming off the excess string. Sprinkle the herbs de Provence over the rolled up tenderloin and grind fresh pepper over the works. Place your creation into a shallow backing dish or pan and put it in the pre-heated oven for a half hour.

3) While it's cooking, use your pan to brown the mushrooms and onion in the remaining butter. When they are nearly done, sprinkle on the flour and brown slightly. Splash the hot pan with the white wine and mix quickly. As the wine begins to evaporate, mix in the Dijon mustard, then the stock. Bring it to a boil, mixing constantly, reduce the heat, add the cream and simmer for a couple of minutes.

4) Remove the tenderloin from the oven, cut away the string and make sure you hold it together while you cut it into slices with a very sharp knife. Pour the sauce onto the plates, lay the slices of stuffed pork in the sauce and serve it with your favorite vegetables.