This was one of those recipe that made me "mmmmmm" at my computer screen. For a period of time I forgot about pork tenderloin (yes, I know....), and it wasn't until recently that remembered how much I love it! This recipe comes from Caroline of The Barbee Housewife and, like I said, I might have drooled a little bit when she first posted it. I loved the idea of the peppery pork paired with the sweet soy sauce, and thought it would make a perfect weeknight dinner for my family. The pork is really easy to make and the sauce is even easier! The recipe made the perfect amount for my family of 2 adult and a small child but, like Caroline recommends, make a little more if you want leftovers for two lunches or have more people to feed. The winning element of this dish for me was the sauce. It is pretty sweet, but because of the pepper on the pork I found it really delicious. Ron also loved the dish, but kept his sauce on the side because he is not as big of a sweet fan as I am when it comes to certain sauces. Kellen loved the pork and loved dipping his little pieces into the sauce before popping them into his mouth. I kept close to the original recipe and only made a slight alteration with fresh thyme (had some on hand) and brown sugar (love it with soy sauce).
I woke up this morning and could not believe that it is Wednesday already! I feel like I have a lot to do before Friday….mainly due to Kellen’s Superhero/Valentine party at daycare. He gets to dress up as his favorite hero (aw!) and bring a treat for the party to share. Since there are only ten kids in the class I decided that I am going to make conversation heart cookies with royal icing…. Now that the deadline looms my goal has become a bit more intimidating, but I am hoping they turn out cute! I have made this type of cookie before and I remember that they are a bit putsy…. However, I know that the kids will think they are fun….and I will get to eat the test batch (if we are really being honest here that will be the best part). I will let you know on Friday how my project turned out, or if I ran to the store last minute.
Happy hump day everyone!
Ingredients
For the Pork:
1/2 Tbl Crushed Peppercorns
1 tsp finely chopped fresh thyme
1/4 teaspoon Salt
1 Pork Tenderloin (about 1 lb)
1 Tbl Olive Oil
For the Sauce:
1/2 cup Water
1/8 cup Granulated Sugar
1/8 cup Brown Sugar
2 Tbl Soy Sauce
1 Tbl Red Wine Vinegar
1 tsp Dijon Mustard
1/4 tsp Garlic Powder
1/4 tsp Onion Powder
1/8 tsp Ground Ginger
1 Tbl Butter
Instructions
Preheat the over to 350 degrees.
Mix the crushed peppercorns, thyme, and salt together in a small bowl. Rub the peppercorn blend into the pork tenderloin.
Heat the olive oil over medium-high heat in an oven safe skillet. Brown pork tenderloin on all sides.
Place the skillet in the oven and cook for 20-25 minutes or until the pork registers 155-160 degrees. Remove from the oven and let sit and let the pork rest for 5 minutes.
Shortly before the pork is removed from the oven, make the sauce (about 10 minutes). In a small saucepan, combine the sugars and water, bring to a boil and cook for about 5 minutes, whisking occasionally, until the liquid is about 1/4 cup. In a small bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, vinegar, dijon, and spices. When the liquid reduces to 1/4 cup, remove from heat and whisk in the soy sauce mixture. Next, whisk in the butter.
Slice the pork tenderloin and serve with the soy-caramel sauce drizzles on top, or on the side.