Just because it’s Monday ~ Roasted Pork Tenderloin with Honey Mustard Sauce

Tonight, we had a special dinner for no particular reason other than it is Monday. That’s a reason to celebrate, right? Why not? 🙂 There is a little snow on the ground, it’s a cozy day to stay inside, and I saw an eagle flying over Lake Washington from my window. There are always reasons to celebrate, I think :).

I found a nice bottle of Greystone Cellars Chardonnay for half price at one of my favorite grocery stores called Grocery Outlet. They have many high quality and organic foods and wines for a fraction of the price. It’s always an adventure to see what they have in stock. My latest find was this wine from Napa Valley’s Culinary Institute of America, which I was very excited to discover. I stocked up since their inventory turns over quickly.

That wine inspired me to find a recipe from the Culinary Institute of America to pair with it. I decided it would go well with a pork tenderloin dish from Gourmet Meals in Minutes. I used less salt than the recipe called for, and I added a tad more honey for a slightly sweeter sauce. Just taste as you go to make it to your liking. I also cut the recipe in half since it was just my hubby and me tonight, but the recipe below serves 8. It was easy to put together, but it felt special. Perfect for a Monday!

Roasted Pork Tenderloin with Honey Mustard Sauce

Adapted from Gourmet Meals in Minutes

3 pounds pork tenderloin

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 tablespoons shallots, minced

1 tablespoon tomato paste

2 tablespoons whole-grain mustard

2 tablespoons honey

2 1/2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

1 1/2 teaspoons thyme, chopped

Salt and pepper to taste

1 1/3 cups vegetable or chicken broth

Preheat the oven to 425 F. Place a rack in a roasting pan, spray with nonstick spray, and place in oven. Remove any excess fat or silver skin from the tenderloin. Season with salt and pepper on all sides.

Heat the vegetable oil in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat. Sear the tenderloin until it is golden brown on all sides, approximately 5 minutes. Remove the tenderloin and place it on the rack in the roasting pan. Roast until it reaches an internal temperature of 160 F. This will take approximately 15-20 minutes. (I use an oven safe kitchen thermometer with an alarm that tells me when the pork is up to temperature. It ensures I have perfectly cooked pork every time. Before I invested in this kind of thermometer, I must admit we had many dried out pork tenderloins! ;)).

While the tenderloin is roasting, return the sauté pan to medium heat. Add the garlic and shallots. Cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the tomato paste and cook until warmed through. Add the mustard, honey, vinegar, thyme, chicken/vegetable broth and salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a boil, and then simmer until the mixture reduces to a sauce consistency. Keep warm.

Remove the tenderloins from the oven and let stand 5 minutes before slicing. Slice the roast and serve with the warm honey-mustard sauce.

PS. The lovely organic greens and carrots were also from Grocery Outlet 🙂