Joy Challenge: Pork Tenderloin Scallopini with Citrus Balsamic Sauce

[TamiKnight]

YUM! This dish was great. The flavor was very complex and intriguing. It would be difficult to identify the individual elements in the dish, but they unified to a very pleasing whole. DH would have liked about twice as much sauce. When I make this again (and I will) I'll double it. A bonus is how easy it was to prepare. This could easily come together on a weeknight (assuming you aren't making 4 complex dishes at a time, like I was).

I served this with Basmati Almond Pilaf (CL Jan/Feb 01), Baked Stuffed Zucchini, Braised Turnips with Pancetta and Leeks, and a Lemon Tart with Shortbread Crust.

[jpap]

Could you please post the pork recipe? Thanks, Janet

[TamiKnight]

I'll be happy to, Janet. I'll try to do it when I go home for lunch, but it might be tonight. Check back! If I forget, e-mail me and remind me. (I really need a mommy to follow me around and take care of me lately.) :D

[TamiKnight]

Here's the recipe:


* Exported from MasterCook *

Pork Tenderloin Scaloppine with Citrus Balsamic Sauce

Recipe By :
Serving Size : 4 Preparation Time :0:00
Categories : Pork Weeknight


Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
1 pound pork tenderloin -- cut crosswise into 1/2-inch-thick slices
Salt and pepper -- to taste
1 1/2 teaspoons butter
1 1/2 teaspoons olive oil
4 tablespoons shallots -- finely minced (or scallions)
1 tablespoon honey
1 pinch ground allspice
1 cup chicken stock
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

Pat tenderloin slices dry, then opund them to a little less than 1/4 inch thick. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Heat the butter and olive oil in a large skillet over high heat. Cook the scaloppine in batches for 30-60 seconds on each side. They will be well browned on the outside and moist and slightly pink in the center. They cook very quickly, so do not walk away after you put them in the pan. Remove the scaloppine to a warmed platter.

Place the skillet over medium-high heat and add the scallions, honey and allspice. Cook, stirring, until the scallions or shallots are soft, 1 to 2 minutes. Increase the heat to high and add chicken stock and lemon juice. Boil, scraping up the browned bits from the bottom of the skillet with a wooden spoon, until reduced by half. Add the cream and boil until the sauce thickens slightly, about 1 miinute.

Add balsamic vinegar, and additional salt and pepper to taste. Return the sauce to a boil, then spoon over pork and serve immediately.

Source:
"Joy of Cooking"

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Per Serving (excluding unknown items): 246 Calories; 13g Fat (47.0% calories from fat); 25g Protein; 7g Carbohydrate; trace Dietary Fiber; 98mg Cholesterol; 615mg Sodium. Exchanges: 0 Grain(Starch); 3 1/2 Lean Meat; 1/2 Vegetable; 0 Fruit; 0 Non-Fat Milk; 1 1/2 Fat; 1/2 Other Carbohydrates.

[jpap]

Thank you Tamiknight, I love pork tenderloin and am always looking for new recipes. I'll let you know what we all think.

And not to worry, you're not the only one that needs reminding. I can go to the store with a LIST and still hve to go back. :o Janet

[RebeccaT]

Just want to add my thumbs up for this recipe! I made it for a family dinner party about 18 months ago, and it was delicious!

Glad it was a hit for you, too, Tami! :)

[cminmd]

I think I will go with the citrus balsamic- what a yummy looking recipe and most ingredients I keep on hand. I think that would work with chicken or pork. I cant wait for dinner!
A question on the sherry sauce. I have never been in the habit of cooking with sherry- do you just pick it up at the grocery store or go to a liquor store. What brands do you look for when you buy it? How long would a bottle keep for? Is it like wine that turns bad within a few days of being open?
Thanks for all the ideas!

[TamiKnight]

I buy sherry at the grocery store. Make sure you buy dry sherry, and not cream sherry. Other than that, I don't think it matters, but I don't know for sure 'cuz I don't drink it. I keep mine for quite awhile and have never noticed a problem. However, there are people much more alcohol-proficient than I :D on this board who may chime in with better info.

[Linda in MO]

Quick question...do you all think I can use fat-free 1/2 and 1/2 in place of the heavy cream? I was thinking of making it tonight but I don't have cream on hand. Thanks!

[RebeccaT]

Linda, I am sure you could! Let us know how it goes, because I would probably make the same substitution if I were to make it any time soon.

[Linda in MO]

Originally posted by RebeccaT
Linda, I am sure you could! Let us know how it goes, because I would probably make the same substitution if I were to make it any time soon.
Thanks Rebecca. I'll post a review tonight if I make it. I was just afraid the 1/2 and 1/2 might make the sauce look curdled. Anyone else have an opinion?

[yorkshirepud]

Linda,

I use half and half (10%MF not fat free) in cream sauces all the time and it never curdles. I would perhaps not allow it to really boil so that it doesn't curdle. Although I've managed to boil non fat sour cream and not have it curdle, but then again, I had the half and half with it so perhaps this 'cushioned' it a little.

[yorkshirepud]

Just stopping back in to thank TamiKnight for sharing this recipe. I think I'm going to put it on the menu next week! Sounds delicious.

[Linda in MO]

Delicious! The fat-free 1/2 and 1/2 worked fine. Thanks guys! Heavy cream is probably better but my family didn't have any complaints. This was my first time cooking with shallots. I liked them. I followed the recipe fairly close but I used a bit more honey and I didn't measure my lemon juice. Also, I used cinnamon instead of allspice. The balsamic really adds to the taste of the sauce so I wouldn't recommend omitting it. And the lemon tasted isn't very strong at all. My husband said it's the best pork tenderloin recipe I've made so far (I haven't always had good luck cooking it before :o ). I served it with Texmati rice and a frozen veggie blend (broccoli, green beans, carrots, and red peppers). My 3 yr. old ate a ton of the rice with the sauce on it. A definite repeater!

Oh, and I used my Calphalon hard-anodized everyday pan and it worked great. I didn't use quite as high a heat that the recipe recommended though.

[yorkshirepud]

Yah, I put this on the menu for next week so I'm glad it's getting more good reviews.

Linda, did you find there was enough sauce? TamiKnight mentioned she would double it next time.

[juliew]

Hmmm... I have some pork I need to use up, and I usually have all the other ingredients. Definitely on the "to try" list.

Thanks!

[Linda in MO]

Originally posted by yorkshirepud
Yah, I put this on the menu for next week so I'm glad it's getting more good reviews.

Linda, did you find there was enough sauce? TamiKnight mentioned she would double it next time.
There was enough sauce for my family but I'm the only big sauce eater around here. Although, maybe my 3 yr. old will also be a big sauce eater because he couldn't get enough of it with his rice. :) Also, I'm not sure I reduced it by half because I was getting impatient. You might want to do 1 1/2 the sauce if you and your DH are big on sauces.

[yorkshirepud]

Thanks Linda. I think I'll make it as is and see what I think. Now to decide what to plan for the sides. Mmmm ...

[AdGirl]

ok i made this last night. it was wonderful! incredibly quick and oh so easy. i made a few changes, as follows:

- Used half and half instead of heavy cream
- Used lime juice instead of lemon (it's what I had on hand!)
- Used closer to 1 1/2 tbsps of balsamic

my only complaint is that the sauce was a bit thin/watery. but i can fix that by just cooking it down next time. also, it's only a 1/4 cup, i might as well use heavy cream for the texture, my half and half curdled ever so slightly (i guess because of the citrus?) and it probably contributed to the thinness.

but the pork was incredibly moist, i think i may even use this type of preparation (scalloppine sauteed in oil/butter) rather than roasting a whole tenderloin and then slicing. it cooked faster and was much more juicy and flavorful.

my husband loved this, not bad for only 20 minutes of prep and not even 10 mins of cooking time! :)

[AnnaSue]

Yum! I made this a couple nights ago, and it was soooo good! The sauce was so flavorful, and it was also very easy to make. DH and I both thought it was excellent, and something that would be good to serve to guests too. This one will definitely be in the repeater file.

[sfarler]

Thanks Tami Knight!

I just got around to this recipe last night. It's been on my "to try" list for quite a while. I should have made it a long time ago. It is soooo good. DH and I were still talking about it this morning. Like AdGirl I used FF half & half and I used lime juice because I didn't have a lemon. It's a definite repeater for us.

[kabs]

YUM! I made this for dinner tonight. It was delicious! DH and I give it an 8.5 out of 10. Easy enough for a weeknight and delicious!

The only deviations I made from the recipe were:
*didn't have allspice so I used nutmeg
*probably more than 4 TB of shallot
*half and half
*I had to cook the pork longer than they specified- I don't think I pounded it thin enough.

I served it with brown rice and corn and peas with herb sauce.
Thanks for posting!

Kim

[Pony]

Wish I would have searched before I typed this recipe! I was about to post a thread about how wonderful and easy this recipe was for a weeknight meal. I thought, hmmm, maybe I should search the boards just in case it has been mentioned before. And here it was!

We absolutely loved this recipe. I can't get over how simple it was for such a rich, tasty recipe. I had HUGE pork loin chops that needed using up, so I cut them in half and then pounded them even thinner. They were so moist. The butter really added a rich flavor to the meat, even though the recipe only called for 1 1/2 tsp. I couldn't believe how much I tasted it YUM! I used half and half instead of the cream, b/c I had it on hand.

I served this w/ roasted potatoes, mushrooms, zucchini, green beans, red peppers, hmmm what else was in there? oh, carrots and onions.

Excellent meal!

Michelle