Herb-rubbed Pork Tenderloin w Dijon-Apricot Mop Sauce

Pork tenderloin is a quick-cooking cut of meat that has less fat than beef and more protein than chicken breasts.  I’m always on the look-out for pork tenderloin recipes and this is a really good one from the New American Heart Association Cookbook. 

As stated in the cookbook, “A dry herb rub flavors the pork and makes a nice crust.  You may want to stop right there, or you can go one step further and add the tangy mop.”  I’m telling you; do not stop at the rub!  It is a great blend of herbs and does make the tenderloin crusty but, the apricot and mustard duo in the mop is magnificent.  And, adding the vinegar, honey and remaining ingredients makes it only better.

The cookbook proclaims that chicken and beef roasts are delicious with both the rub and the mop sauce. Try the mop sauce alone on its own over vegetable kebobs, beef, poultry, firm fish fillets or shrimp.  I second that with the mop sauce ~ it’s great on chicken and vegetables also, and I will be trying it on seafood soon!

Here’s the good recipe:

Herb-rubbed Pork Tenderloin w Dijon-Apricot Mop Sauce

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon dried rosemary, crushed

1 tablespoon dried thyme, crumbled

2 teaspoons coarsely ground pepper

2 teaspoons paprika

2 teaspoons celery seeds

2 (1-pound) pork tenderloins, all visible fat removed

Vegetable oil spray

Dijon-Apricot Mop Sauce

Ingredients:

1 teaspoon canola oil

1 small onion, finely chopped

½ cup cider vinegar

¼ cup honey

¼ cup apricot preserves

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

1 teaspoon grated lemon zest

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

Method:

In a small bowl, stir together the rub ingredients.

Using your hands or a spoon, rub the mixture evenly over the pork and set aside.

For the mop sauce, heat a small pan over medium-high heat.

Pour oil into the pan and swirl to coat the bottom.

Cook onion for 2-3 minutes, or until soft, stirring occasionally.

Stir in the remaining sauce ingredients and bring to a boil.

Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

(You may wish to reserve ½ cup of the sauce to use as a dipping sauce for the pork.)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Lightly coat a baking sheet with vegetable oil spray.

Place tenderloins on the pan and into hot oven.

Using a brush, baste pork several times during baking time with the sauce.

Bake until 150 degrees on an instant-read thermometer, or to your liking.

Serves 6-8

ENJOY!

Another CSN Giveaway and Jam Kolaczki!

Winter is just beginning here in the Midwest with our share of snow, ice and very cold weather with horrific wind chill readings. 

So many people around here love snowmobiling, skiing and even ice fishing.  I remember when I met Bill and he told me about his father going ice fishing.  I thought he was pulling my leg and I was waiting for the punch line.  In fact, his father ice fished quite often.  He had a home-made sled in which he placed a sterno heater to sit on to keep warm; along with an auger, an ice pick plus the usual fishing equipment.  That was paradise to my father-in-law!

My father-in-law loading up his sled to go ice fishing ~ Feb. 1974

Paradise to me is sunning on a beach and swimming in the warm ocean water at the Riviera Maya or in a nearby pool.  If I can’t be there, then second best is parked in my recliner at home, eating these Christmas cookies and watching TV.

Iberostar Grand Hotel Paraiso ~ Riviera Maya, Mexico

Speaking of TV, if you will be purchasing a new flat screen TV or should be lucky enough to receive one as a Christmas gift, you will be in need of a new TV stand and CSN stores is the place for you to shop for it!  Sean at CSN has kindly given me another wonderful opportunity for a giveaway for you good people.  Look at these great TV stands:    

CSN Stores has about everything you could imagine in their over 200 specialty online stores ~ an amazing array of products for you to choose from.  They have everything from wall art to lighting to au gratin dishes, furniture, baby items and even beds for your favorite cat or dog. 

Or maybe you’d like:

A Chicago Cubs inflatable chair

 or...

A new bed for your favorite cat

So after you browse around CSN and see what you would like to purchase, take a break and enjoy one or two of these cookies with a cup of coffee or tea, if you favor.  The dough for these kolaczki is what makes them irresistible. 

The kolaczki are filled with jam or preserves, such as peach, apricot, strawberry or pineapple.   I made some with apricot preserves and the remainder with blackberry preserves.  They are a very popular item in this area of “Chicagoland” and after making them yourself, you will see why.  They are delicious!

 

JAM Kolaczki

Ingredients:

1 cup butter, at room temperature

3 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature

2 cups flour

Your favorite jam, I used apricot and blackberry

Confectioners sugar

Method:

Cream butter well.

Mix in cream cheese until smooth.

Gradually work in flour until a dough forms.

Gather in a ball and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Heat oven to 350 degrees

Roll out chilled dough on floured surface 1/8” thickness.

Cut out circles with a 2” round cutter.

Dot center of each circle with about ¼ teaspoon jam.  Don’t use too much.

Place on greased cookie sheets, or sheets with Silpat mats or parchment paper.

Bake until golden about 8-12 minutes.

Let cool for a minute or two.

Transfer to a wire rack.

Sprinkle lightly with confectioners sugar when cool.

Mmmm  Mmmmmm!!!!

Now, more about the great $35 gift certificate from CSN…

The $35 gift certificate does not include shipping costs but, you can use the gift certificate on ANY product from ANY one of the CSN sites.

Here are the rules for entering:

1. Leave a comment telling me you are a follower through Google Friend Connect (on the side bar of this blog) and tell me what you would like from CSN when you win the giveaway.

2. For an extra entry, follow this blog on the Facebook Networked Blogs (on the side bar of this blog) and leave a comment telling me you’ve done so.

3. This giveaway is open through midnight, CST, Monday, December 27^th.  The drawing will be by a random number generator on Tuesday, December 28^th and is open to US entrants only. 

Good luck and I hope you win!