Maple Mustard Glazed Roast Pork Tenderloin

My sister is better at being up on things – like she knows the 411. She sent me this cookbook because “everyone was talking about it” but she is more of a renegade cook, less of a recipe follower. I heart recipes. I struggle with pork tenderloin recipes, though we love it, because my favorite recipe up to this point called for roasting in a high heat oven. Well, with the oil on the pan, mine would smoke and my fire alarm would go off. Grilling made it dry out, and I know better than to slice it into medallions. What to do?

In comes my new cookbook! It’s called The Food Lab by Kenji Lopez-Alt. He suggested pan searing, making an easy pan sauce, then finishing in the oven (not at such a high heat), turning occasionally to glaze. I left out the cornstarch so Rich could eat it and I subbed the brandy because I didn’t have any and liquor stores are closed. Also, who has brandy around? I was on the phone with my cousin when I was prepping the dish and I asked her about brandy – between the two of us our knowledge was so laughably incomplete that I figure the chance of the majority of you having brandy on hand is unlikely.

Regardless, I loved this so much AND I always have these few ingredients on hand. This will be my new go-to. The kids said the “chicken tasted delicious” and everyone ate it up. Also, I always buy the two-pack of tenderloin at Costco but if you’re making this with just one, you could probably just cut all the ingredients in half. It will bake the same amount of time, though.

Maple Mustard Glazed Roast Pork Tenderloin

Serves 6-8

1. Heat oven to 400 degrees. Sprinkle tenderloins generously with salt and pepper and place next to stovetop. Add oil to 12 inch nonstick skillet but keep off heat.
2. Whisk maple syrup, dijon mustard, chicken broth/water in a small bowl and set next to stove top.
3. Heat pan over medium high heat until oil is shimmering. Add meat to pan and brown on all sides. Remove to large plate.
4. Add maple mixture to pan. Stir, scraping up any brown bits in pan. Add meat back to skillet and turn to coat.
5. Place pan in oven and cook for 15 minutes, turning the pork in the glaze every five minutes or so. When meat registers 135/140 degrees, remove from oven. Transfer meat to cutting board or plate and let rest 5 minutes.
6. Add butter to pan and whisk until combined. Slice meat, serve with sauce and parsley.

I tend to cook during nap time, even if I have time later in the day. I like to get the dishes done so I can put the kids to bed earlier and watch shows. I sliced the meat, put it in a glass baking dish, poured the sauce over top and sprinkled with parsley, then covered with plastic and refrigerated it until dinnertime. Either microwave individual portions or heat in a 300 degree oven until warmed through.