I found this recipe on the Eating Well webiste while I was looking for a way to use up some apples that had arrived in our CSA as well as a bottle of apple cider we had bought and I was worried would become apple cider vinegar if we didn't drink it! *smile*
Stuffed inside a flattened plank of pork tenderloin is a mixture of leek, softened in extra-virgin olive oil, and a chopped sweet organic apple with a bit of fresh thyme thrown in. The apple was added in with the leek to cook, but just for a brief two minutes - not long enough to make the apple mushy, but just enough to tame the crispness, leaving it barely tender.
If you've never had to butterfly a piece of tenderloin, there is no need for you to think it is at all complicated. All you'll need to do is halve the pork, lengthwise, yet hold back on slicing all the way though, which would split it in two pieces. You want one piece that you can open like a book, to which you'll cover with plastic wrap and whack the heck out of it to flatten the pork to an even thickness. Use a meat mallet if you have one, but a rolling pin, the bottom of a flat skillet or even a thick bottle will do the job.
Apple and Leek Stuffed Pork Tenderloin
2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil, divided
1 cup chopped leek
1 large sweet apple, chopped
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
3/4 teaspoon salt, divided
3/4 teaspoon fresh ground pepper, divided
1 1/2 pound trimmed pork tenderloin
1/2 cup applejack or apple brandy (we used Calvados)
1 whole thyme sprig
2 garlic cloves, crushed
2 cups apple cider
2 teaspoons cornstarch
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium. Add chopped leek - cook, stirring often, until leek just begins to soften, about 4 minutes. Stir apple, thyme, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the apple begins to soften, about 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and scoop mixture into a bowl to cool - wipe out the pan and set aside.
Place tenderloin on cutting board and butterfly by slicing lengthwise through the center of the meat, stopping just short of the opposite edge. Open the halves of the pork and lay a sheet of plastic wrap on top. Pound pork until it is evenly 1/4" thick.
Spread cooled apple mixture down the center of the pork, making sure to leave a clean 1" border around the edges. Fold in about 1" of the two short ends of the pork - then roll it up, jelly roll style, starting on one long side, to enclose the filling. Tie kitchen string firmly lengthwise around the roast to secure the two ends. Use the string to then tie it crosswise at 2" intervals.
Brush pork with 1 teaspoon oil, then season with remaining salt and pepper.
Heat remaining tablespoon oil in the same skillet used above over medium-high heat. Place tenderloin into the skillet - reduce temperature down to medium and brown pork roast on all sides, about 4 minutes total. Transfer pork to a rimmed baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Place into the oven and roast until an instant-read thermometer registers 145 degrees, about 12 to 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and place pork on a clean cutting board to rest for 5 to 10 minutes (reserve any juices on the baking sheet for the sauce).
Meanwhile, place skillet back over medium-high. Add applejack, whole thyme sprig and crushed garlic. Bring mixture to a boil and cook, stirring, for 1 minute.
In a small bowl, whisk together cider and cornstarch. Whisk mixture into the skillet - bring back to a boil and cook, stirring occasionally, until thickened and reduced by just over half, about 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from the heat - remove thyme sprig and garlic. Whisk in mustard and any juice from the baking sheet. Slice pork and serve with the sauce.
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