Apples and pork are quite a pair. Add in some other classic fall flavors like pear, cranberries and figs and you have a great autumn meal. It's sweet, but not too sweet and at the same time it hits all the right savory notes because of the herbs and spices in the mix. If that's not enough, know that I am not a fan of pork (unless we are talking about bacon), but I loved this dish. So I really think you should try it.

The Recipe

Servings: 2-3 | Prep Time: 25-30 mins | Bake Time: 40 mins

1-1½ lb. pork tenderloin
1 glug of olive oil
½ red onion, sliced
1 t. molasses
1 T. brown sugar
1 pear, skin-on chopped
1 apple, skin-on chopped
¼ c. dried cranberries
¼ c. raisins
¼ c. dried figs, chopped
1 T. fresh rosemary
1 T. parsley
½ t. ground ginger
½ t. cardamom
¼ t. ground cloves
1 t. sage
½ t. thyme
salt + pepper

Preheat the oven to 450°F. I could be like the Great British Bakeoff and just say “Make the Filling,” but I won’t be that cruel. Though I think that if I gave the average food blog viewer that list of ingredients and said make a stuffed pork tenderloin, I think that we’d be left with a delicious result. That said, I have my own unique way of doing things…

To Make The Filling: Add some olive oil to a large sauté pan and start cooking the onions. Continue on a medium heat for another 10-15 minutes until the onions are softened. Add the brown sugar and molasses and cook for another few minutes until the onions take on the color, but not the texture of caramelized onions. Add the chopped apple and pear and cook for 4-5 minutes until they have softened slightly. Add the dried fruits and all of the herbs and spices. Cook the mixture for another couple of minutes before you splash in the apple cider to deglaze the pan. With that final addition and a few minutes of cooling time your stuffing is ready.

Trim the pork tenderloin and remove the silver-skin that makes it tough. To make flatten the tenderloin for stuffing, slice it lengthwise. Open it up like and place it between to sheets of cling-film. Using a flat meat tenderizer or rolling pin, pound the tenderloin to an even thickness of ¼ inch. Remove the top piece of cling-film and put the filling on the flattened meat in an even layer making sure to leave about ½ inch on of the long sides filling-free. Roll the tenderloin up securely, but not too tightly. The filling-free edge will be useful because that edge will form a seam that won’t be spilling out stuffing everywhere. Season the outside with salt and pepper and coat in flour. Conversely you can forgo stuffing the tenderloin and use filling as a bed on which to cook the tenderloin.

Place the tenderloin in an oiled roasting pan seam-side down. Roast at 450°F for 10 minutes to seal in the juices and brown the tenderloin. Reduce the heat to 350°F and continue to roast for another 20-30 minutes until done. This could be 145°F to 160°F depending on how done you like your pork. There doesn’t seem to be any consensus about the right temperature for the other white meat anymore, so do what seems right to you.

Good luck and good eating!