Pork Tenderloin With Riesling Cream Sauce
I came up with this basic idea one night, and after a little trial and error, got it nailed down to this. I think it's excellent! It makes an impressive entree for a dinner party or holiday meal. It is important that you use a good riesling with this sauce. If you are not familiar with riesling, it is a sweet white wine, the best of which come from Germany. Be aware that a "late harvest" riesling may be too sweet for your tastes in this sauce. You may be able to substitute a Gewürztraminer or viognier, but I've never tried it. If using bacon instead of pancetta, do not use a flavored bacon, like maple - just plain old bacon. If you use milk instead of cream, expect your sauce to break. This isn't a low-fat recipe, but it is delicious!
INGREDIENTS
Nutrition- 2(1 1/2 lb) pork tenderloin, trimmed, about 1-1 . 5 lb each
- 1
- 1
- 1⁄4cup riesling wine
- 1cup cream
- 2
- 1
- salt and pepper
DIRECTIONS
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- In a cast iron or other heavy bottomed skillet (NOT non-stick), cook the pancetta or bacon bits over medium-high heat until crispy. Remove with a slotted spoon and reserve, leaving the grease in the pan.
- Season the pork with salt and pepper. Place the tenderloins into the pan with the bacon grease and sear on all sides. You may have to do this one at a time. Remove from the pan and place into an oven-safe dish. Put the pork in the oven to continue cooking while you prepare the sauce, about 10-15 minutes, or until a thermometer registers 145 degrees F.
- Remove all but 1 tablespoon of grease from the pan where you cooked the bacon and tenderloins - should be just enough to thinly coat the bottom of the pan. Return the heat to medium and add the smashed garlic, stirring until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Remove the garlic.
- Add in the shallots and riesling, allowing to simmer until the shallots are soft and the wine is reduced by at least half.
- Add the cream all at once and reduce the heat to low. You want it to just barely simmer while it reduces.
- Allow the sauce to simmer until it is thickened. If you place the back of a spoon in the sauce, it should coat it well without dripping.
- Remove the pan from heat. Season the sauce with just a little salt and pepper, stirring in the fresh parsley and the butter right before serving.
- Slice the tenderloin and serve over mashed potatoes, topped with a generous spoonful of sauce!