Cooking with Chrissy

Lemon Salted Pork Tenderloin with Honey Roasted Applesauce

This is one of my favorite Michael Chiarello recipes. It’s easy to prepare, easy to cook and even easier to eat.  

This recipe is a terrific meal for two, and a crowd pleaser for dinner parties. It’s bound to impress!

The recipe as follows below serves 4 to 6 servings. Check out the video for a cooking tutorial.

 

Ingredients for the pork

6 lemons

1 1/2 tablespoons salt

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Ground black pepper

2 pork tenderloins (about 1 1/2 pounds total)

 

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

Finely zest the lemons.

Using a mortar and pestle, work the salt and lemon zest together. Add a few turns of pepper and 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Stir to blend. Rub the lemon salt mixture all over the pork.

In a large saute pan, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil until hot but not smoking. Add the tenderloins to the pan and sear on all sides, about 5 minutes total.  (If you have a small pan, sear one tenderloin at a time.) Move the pan with the pork to the oven and cook until a meat thermometer reads 155 degrees, about 6 to 8 minutes.

Remove the pork from the pan and let rest on a cutting board for about 5 minutes. Slice the tenderloins against the grain on a diagonal bias, then fan out the slices on a plate. Serve with the Honey Roasted Applesauce.

 

Ingredients for the Honey Roasted Applesauce

6 apples, McIntosh (substitute Gala if you need to)

2 tablespoons sweet butter

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon finely ground sea salt

1/3 cup honey

 

Peel the apples with a peeler, remove the core and cut into 1-inch chunks.

Heat a medium saute pan on medium-high heat with the butter in it. When the the butter begins to brown, add the lemon juice and cook for 30 second. Stir in the apples and salt. Saute for 3 to 4 minutes until the edges just begin to color. Add the honey and put the pan in the oven for about 15 to 20 minutes until the apples are soft and lightly caramelized. 

You can put the apples in a food processor for a smoother sauce, if you prefer. Serve warm, room temperature or cold.

Enjoy!