Roast Pork Tenderloin with Caramlised Apples
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Based on an old Delia Smith recipe out of the newspaper from years ago, this recipe is outstandingly good, dead simple, can be prepared in advance and, once tried. I'm sure you'll want to eat it again and again!
Ingredients
- 1 thick out-door reared pork tenderloin, approximately 350g
- 1 rounded tbsp fresh rosemary leaves
- 2 Granny Smith apples, skins left on, cored and cut into 6 wedges each
- 1 clove garlic, peeled and out into thin slices
- 40g butter
- 1½ tbsp cider vinegar
- 1 small onion, peeled and finely chopped
- 1 tbsp demerara sugar
- 225ml strong dry cider
- 2 heaped tbsp half-fat creme fraiche
- Salt and freshly milled black pepper
Method
- Preheat the oven to 230°C
- First of all, using a small, sharp knife, make little slits all over the pork and push the slivers of garlic into them, turning the fillet over so the garlic is in on both sides.
- Next place the rosemary leaves in a mortar and bruise them with a pestle to release their fragrant oil, then chop them very finely.
- Now melt the butter and combine it with the cider vinegar, then brush the meat with some of this mixture, sprinkle with half the rosemary and season with salt and pepper.
- Scatter the onions over the buttered baking tray and place the pork on top.
- All this can be prepared in advance, then covered with clingfilm.
- When you want to cook the roast, prepare the apples by tossing them with the remaining cider vinegar and butter mixture, then arrange them all around the pork on the baking tray and sprinkle with the sugar and the the rosemary.
- Place the baking-tray oven on a high shelf and roast for 35-40 minutes (this will depend on the thickness of the pork), until the pork is cooked and there are no pink juices.
- After that remove the baking tray from the oven and transfer the pork and apples to a hot serving dish, cover with foil and keep warm.
- Meanwhile, pour a little of the cider on to the tray, over the heat, to loosen the onions and juices from it, then pour into a saucepan over a medium heat, add the rest of the cider and let it bubble and reduce by about a third this will take about 5 minutes. Then whisk in the creme fraiche, let it bubble a bit more and add some seasoning.
- After the pork has rested for about 10 minutes, transfer it to a board and carve it into thick slices, then return them to the serving plate to rejoin the apples. Pour the sauce over and serve as soon as possible.
- Roast potatoes and braised red cabbage are particularly good with this.