Pork Tenderloin with Vermouth Sauce

I cook a pork tenderloin for dinner at least once every two weeks. It’s a super cheap, filling and healthy dish to serve and you can spice it up a ton of different ways. Sometimes I cook the tenderloin with fresh herbs and butter, other times, like today, I served with a Vermouth-Mustard sauce that is tangy and delicious.

Ingredients:

• 1 pork tenderloin (about 1.25 pounds)

• Salt and Pepper for seasoning pork tenderloin

• 1 cup Dolin Blanc Vermouth

• 2 cloves garlic, minced (I love to grate garlic on a Microplane)

• 2 tablespoons stone ground mustard or dijon

• Juice from one half of a lemon

• Dollop of sour cream or creme fraiche

• 1 teaspoon dried parsley

• 1 teaspoon dried basil

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 1/2 teaspoon pepper

Directions:

1. Season all sides of the pork tenderloin with salt and pepper. With a little olive oil or butter in the pan, sear all sides of the tenderloin in a cast iron skillet or shallow braiser.

2. Once all sides are browned, move tenderloin to a foil lined baking sheet and bake in the oven for about 25-30 minutes on 375 degrees F. We just need the internal temperature to reach 145 degrees F.

3. While that bakes, heat the residual oil and pork juices back up in the pan you used earlier. When the pan is very hot, pour in the vermouth while scraping the pan with a wooden spoon. The purpose is to scrape up the “fond” which are the cooked bits stuck to the bottom of the pan. This will help develop a deeper flavor in our sauce.

4. Turn the heat down to a medium low. Add garlic and seasonings to the pan. Stir frequently and add the mustard and sour cream or creme fraiche. Continue stirring for another minute or two.

5. The sauce should be thickening. Make sure the temperature is low enough so that it doesn’t burn but high enough so that there’s a low simmer (Medium-low should be good). At this point, add the squeeze of a lemon halve. If the sauce gets too thick at any point, try to loosen it back up by adding some water or vermouth a few droplets at a time.

6. Once the pork reaches an internal temperature of 145 degrees F, set aside and let rest for at least 5 minutes. After resting, slice into medallions and pour the mustard sauce over the dollops.