Deep South Eats: Pork Tenderloin with Mushroom Sauce

Having a young child running around the house means that it is increasingly difficult to go out to eat. Add in the fact that I use my babysitters for when I go to work in the evenings, and that means very few date nights out for us. One thing that my husband, Mark and I, try to do is have "at home date nights". We will cook a fun meal after Belle goes to bed and rent a movie or play cards, but really just focus on having some time to ourselves.


I came across this recipe for Pork Tenderloin with Mushroom Sauce in the January/February Cooking Light and knew that it would be perfect for one of our date nights. It is a restaurant quality meal that is rich in flavor but comes without a restaurant price. I would say that this is not a beginner recipe but a great recipe for expanding your cooking skills. We enjoyed it over creamy risotto and fresh steamed green beans. I think it would also be wonderful over stone-ground grits.


Ingredients:

• 1 (1 pound) pork tenderloin, trimmed
• 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 Tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 1 (8 ounce) package button mushrooms, thinly sliced (most supermarkets these days have pre-sliced pre-washed mushrooms for purchase to cut down on time)
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 Tablespoons white wine vinegar
• 1 cup fat-free, lower-sodium chicken broth
• 1/4 cup sour cream (use low-fat if you have it)
• 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

Directions:

• Place an oven safe skillet or small roasting pan in the oven. Preheat oven to 425 degrees..
• Sprinkle pork evenly with 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 1/2 teaspoon of pepper. Add 1 Tablespoon of olive oil to preheated pan, swirl to coat. 
• Add prepared pork to prepared pan and roast at 425 degrees for 30 minutes or until a thermometer inserted into thickest portion registers 160 degrees. Remove pork from pan, and let stand for 10 minutes.
• Place the same skillet or roasting pan used for the pork over medium-high heat. Add the remaining 1 Tablespoon of olive oil to pan and swirl to coat.
• Add mushrooms to pan and saute for 4 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add garlic and saute for 1 minute, stirring occasionally. 
• Stir in vinegar and bring to a boil while scraping the pan to loosen browned bits. Cook for 1 minute or until liquid almost evaporates, stirring occasionally. Stir in remaining 1/4 teaspoon of salt and broth. Bring to a boil and cook until liquid is reduced to about 1/3 of a cup, around 7 minutes. 
• Remove from heat and stir in sour cream and Dijon mustard. 
• Cut pork crosswise into slices. And serve with mushroom sauce.

Original recipe from Cooking Light.

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