Herb Roasted Pork Tenderloin with Peach Glaze sliced and ready to serve.

There is something about the way pork and fruity sweetness meld into a perfect taste sensation. Fruit glazes are nothing new, and combining them with pork is as old as the hills, so why do it again? Because it has stood the test of time and is just as great today as it was 25 years ago.

Pork recipes abound with various and sundry combinations and permutations including being prepared stuffed, or glazed with apples, peaches, apricots, raisins, oranges, pomegranate, sage, brandy, calvados, cornbread, root beer, and the alternatives are endless. In this recipe the pan seared and roasted pork tenderloin is finished with a peach preserve which is combined along with some Grand Marnier liquor deglaze and reduction for the finishing glaze.

The average pork tenderloin weighs just over one pound, give or take a few ounces here and there and when cooked will yield approximately four servings of four ounces each. To be sure how much you will need, it is a good rule of thumb to know the weight of the product in the raw state, and then factor your yield from the starting weight. The weight loss after cooking depends on several factors, including time and temperature, procedures, and resting periods. This particular preparation results in minimal weight loss, therefore a higher end yield of product. There will be some shrinkage during the cooking process, but the initial sauté pan searing and then resting after the roasting period aids in retaining most of the original juices and therefore more of the original weight of the pork tenderloin.

Yield Test – restaurant lingo
In the restaurant business there is what is known as the “Yield Test”, and in particular it is used in the butchering department to determine the actual useable raw meat after it has been broken down into its final preparation state. For example, many restaurants and large hotels make their own ground beef, and this requires purchasing large sides of beef or rounds of beef, for example top round or bottom round. The price per pound is much less for these larger cuts of beef, however, once they are trimmed of the  bones, fat, silver skin, sinew, and blood, the usable portion of beef is much smaller, therefore, the price per pound of usable product goes up. The usable portion of the end product is the final yield, and you want to ensure that your yield is as high as it can be because you want to capture every penny.

A difference of ten cents per pound in yield can seem like penny’s on the dollar, but when you factor in that you are going through thousands of pounds of beef a week, those dimes add up to a huge savings, or loss, depending on your final yield.

A video short….

The Step-By-Step

Step 1. Preheat oven to 350° F. Heat a sauté pan and add the olive oil, then cook the onions, celery, and carrots (mirepoix) until soft. Using a slotted spoon transfer the mirepoix into a roasting pan and spread into one layer, and then set aside. Save the sauté pan and remaining olive oil for later use.

Sauté the mirepoix (onions, celery, carrots) until soft.

Sautéd mirepoix in the roasting pan.

Step 2. Trim any excess fat and silver skin from the tenderloin. Tie and lash up the tenderloin with a long stretch of kitchen string to create a uniform sized piece of meat. Season the tenderloin with the garlic salt, black pepper, and Italian seasonings on all sides.

Pork tenderloin ready to trim off the fat and silver skin.

Pork tenderloin tied with kitchen string.

Step 3. Heat the sauté pan and brown the pork tenderloin on all sides. Once browned well, transfer the tenderloin to the roasting pan with the mirepoix, and then place into the preheated oven for 45 minutes or until an internal temperature of 160° F is measured with a meat thermometer placed into the thickest part of the meat.

Pork tenderloin herbed crust and pan seared.

Pork tenderloin ready to roast.

Step 4. While the tenderloin is in the oven, deglaze the sauté pan with the Grand Marnier, and using a wooden spoon scrape the debris from the pan. Once the liquor has reduced by ½ add the peach preserves, reduce heat to low and stir in the preserves until smooth. Turn off the heat and reserve the glaze.

Step 5. Once the tenderloin is done, remove from the oven and allow resting for 20 minutes. Using kitchen shears remove the kitchen string from the tenderloin and then evenly brush on the peach glaze. Slice into ¼-inch slices, or about 20 even slices per tenderloin.

Glazed and sliced pork tenderloin.

Pork tenderloin served.

What you will need…

To Serve: Portion 4-ounces of sliced pork tenderloin for each plate. Serve with your favorite side dishes.

Yield: four 4-ounce servings

Bon appetite!
CCR
=:~)
©2011 CCR