Monday, February 7, 2011

10-10-10 Pork Tenderloin

Does anyone else watch shows like Top Chef and The Next Food Network Star? Sometimes I feel sorry for the contestants. We all have recipes that we know by heart because we've made them so often, but under that kind of pressure, it would be so easy to forget something. Not to mention that the sneaky producers are always throwing weird ingredients at them. I wouldn't have the faintest notion how to cook a rattlesnake. A grocery store where I used to live kept a supply of them with the frozen meats, so someone must be cooking them.

Like my protagonist, Sophie Winston, I love to entertain and my friends gather in my kitchen. When I'm trying out new recipes, it can get a little bit hectic to join the conversation, pour drinks, and pay attention to everything on the stove. So I was thrilled to run across this basic recipe, which I will always think of as 10-10-10 pork tenderloin. You can vary the ingredients so that it's a different dish entirely, but no matter what kind of chaos is in progress around you, all you have to remember is 10-10-10. I made this dish with white wine recently (which would be a very nice Valentine's dinner, btw), but if you're not into wine, you can make it with chicken broth, or even a combination of broth and apple juice.


10-10-10 Pork Tenderloin

1 pork tenderloin
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons dried rosemary
salt
pepper
1 1/2 cups white wine and/or chicken broth
3 apples, peeled, cored, and sliced

Preheat oven to 400.

Mix the rosemary with salt and pepper on a plate, and roll the pork in it. Heat the olive oil in a frying pan (one large enough to accommodate the apples later). Brown the pork on all sides, about 10 minutes.

Place the pork in an ovenproof baking dish and add 1 cup of white wine and/or chicken broth. Roast uncovered for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, deglaze the pan with the remaining 1/2 cup white wine and/or chicken broth. Add the apples, cover and simmer until soft but not mushy.

Remove meat from oven, pour the apples and sauce over the meat and let stand for 10 minutes. Slice into one inch thick rounds and serve.

Enjoy!

20 comments:

  1. This looks like my kind of recipe! I LOVE pork tenderloin with apples. And as an addict of all the shows you mentioned plus Gordon Ramsey's master Chef, and next Iron Chef I always marvel over what they can put together. To date, my favourite challenge of all time was on Top Chef Season 1 when they had to create a dish from ingredients at a gas station. LOVRD!

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  2. Love the ingredients here...and the fact that this is a recipe that I can commit to memory (even my terrible memory!)

    I always feel so bad for the Iron Chef people! I'd be so stressed out...

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  3. How easy and love the 10-10-10. I find myself saying to a guest, "Shh," (gently of course) "I've got to think what I was just doing." It's hard to stay on task. Perhaps I could give myself a 10-10-10 work ethic. Set the timer...go! LOL

    ~Avery
    AveryAames.com

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  4. Love this recipe...I may even be able to make it...correctly!

    I particularly enjoy watching Chopped, also but feel badly for those who get chopped. I often wonder why I'm so drawn to the Food Channel but am so not into cooking.

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  5. Pork and apples is a fabulous combination!

    In all seriousness, rattlesnake cooks like chicken. Any recipe you use chicken for, rattlesnake will work just fine (thinner, so adjust the cooking time).

    I am just loving this recipe... perfect weeknight meal, with the illusion of lots of work!

    Those competition shows are OK, but honestly do not have much to do with my Cul de Sac cooking style. And a bit sad when it gets so close to the end.

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  6. Perfect post for today, Krista. I've been mulling my menu and I need to get out to the store. We thoroughly enjoy pork tenderloin and I'm eager to give this version a try. Love the 10-10-10 idea. Preparing a meal while entertaining is always such a challenge. Thanks for this great recipe!

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  7. Looks yummy. Pork and apples are like love and marriage. Good quality lean protein, too. Our supermarket has BOGOS (buy one get one) on pork tenderloin. I love it on the grill in the summer with a spicy sauce.

    Judy Copek

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  8. Lindsey, I can't imagine making a dish out of gas station ingredients! I like Gordon Ramsey too. Wonder if he's just a big softy and all that yelling is just for show.

    ~ Krista

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  9. Elizabeth, my memory stinks, too. Must be because we have entire plots in our heads. Yeah, I'm going with that excuse!

    ~ Krista

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  10. Avery, it's good to know I'm not the only who is easily distracted from cooking!

    Erika, I hear that a lot. Maybe it's wistful thinking about the food? : )

    ~ Krista

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  11. Dave, you said it perfectly -- the illusion of lots of work. It's also relatively lot fat, even the sauce is a combination of apple juices and wine or broth. The shows are a bit sad toward the end, but by then, I'm rooting for a favorite and the excitement overcomes the sadness.

    ~ Krista

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  12. Julie, I hope your family likes it. Remembering 10-10-10 just makes it so easy.

    Odette, how lucky for you. Wish my grocery store would do the same. Pork Tenderloin is just so versatile. I like it on the grill, too. Oh, now you have me longing for summer!

    ~ Krista

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  13. I love recipes for pork tenderloin. It's quick, and I buy them at Costco so they're not too pricey. I have a similar recipe with apples & onions, but you dredge the meat in cumin-seasoned flour before browning it.

    And I love the Food Network and Cooking Channel. You've described "Chopped" with those mystery baskets. I think they got veal brains once. Ugh. But I saw a preview for a Chopped All Stars where the contestants will be the tv show stars. Can't wait!

    Terry
    Terry's Place
    Romance with a Twist--of Mystery

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  14. Chopped All Stars sounds like fun, depending on who they pick! I'll have to watch for it.

    This recipe is so versatile. It would be great with cumin or oregano or thyme. But the 10-10-10 doesn't change, which is the beauty of it!

    ~ Krista

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  15. LOL on those cooking shows! They're so much fun, but, as you point out, harrowing for the contestants, no doubt. The 10-10-10 is genius. Love this. Any suggestions for favorite side dishes?

    ~ Cleo Coffeehouse Mystery.com
    Cleo Coyle on Twitter

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  16. Krista-loved the post. I love cooking shows too and I'm all over the -Worst Cooks- they have on now. Poor things. On another show they made chef's fix brains and I nearly hurled! Your pork and apples looks fantastic--must print off. Thanks for sharing!

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  17. Cleo, we had a nice savory rice with it, but mashed potatoes would be lovely, too. Maybe some of Julie's brussels sprouts or some green beans?

    Marian, brains (and tongues) aren't my favorites, either. Some of the seafood items are almost as weird. I imagine a lot of chefs have never cooked urchins. Hope you love the pork recipe!

    ~ Krista

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  18. Pork and apples, one of my favorite combos. I'll give the rattlesnake a miss!

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  19. This is right up my alley, as we love pork tenderloin. Thanks, Krista!

    Hell's Kitchen & Top Chef are my favorite food competition shows, and I also enjoy watching the snarky Tony Bourdain eating his way around the globe on No Reservations. Just have to make sure I watch these shows on a full stomach, as they can make one anxious to get in the kitchen immediately and experiment!

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  20. One of my favorites, too, MJ!

    Lynn, I love Hell's Kitchen and Top Chef. Those two along with The Next Food Network Star are my favorites.

    ~ Krista

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