Want to dress up a weekday dinner or make a spectacularly easy Sunday meal? Puff pastry makes that job ridiculously easy. For a weekday meal you need only add a green salad to complete this; for a Sunday dinner you might add another vegetable dish and salad.
Pork Tenderloin en Croute
Ingredients:
1 – ¾ pound whole pork tenderloin
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 package frozen puff pastry
2 tablespoons honey mustard
1 egg
1 teaspoon of water
Preparation:
- Thaw the frozen puff pastry overnight in the refrigerator or for two hours on the counter. The dough must be soft enough to roll out easily.
- Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan.
- Lightly brown the tenderloin on all sides. Set aside to cool slightly.
- Preheat oven to 350’. (Note: this recipe does not convert well to be baked in a microwave oven.)
- While the tenderloin cools, lightly flour the counter surface and roll the puff pastry dough into a 12x6 inch rectangle.
- Brush the pastry with the honey mustard to within an inch of each edge.
- Centre the tenderloin on the pastry. Brush the tenderloin with honey mustard.
- Roll up pastry, tucking in the ends, to completely cover the tenderloin. Pinch seams and edges of dough to seal.
- Place rolled tenderloin onto flat ungreased cookie sheet, seam side down.
- With a fork, blend together egg and water. Brush tenderloin roll with the mixture.
- Bake for 1 hour.
Cook's Notes:
To serve: Cut into desired serving sizes and plate.
Suggested garnish: Parsley sprig.
Substitutions:
Try different types of gourmet mustards in place of the honey mustard. Mustard is a condiment that nearly always goes well with pork, so don't be afraid to experiment.
Fancy It Up:
Got company? This dish serves up beautifully to guests. Fancy it up a bit by taking a small amount of rolled out puff pastry dough and cutting it into different shapes. You can use a small cookie cutter, or style the shapes freehand. Put the cutouts on top of the unbaked tenderloin roll and brush with the egg/water mixture.
OR:
Swizzle a thin swirl of honey mustard onto the tenderloin roll after baking.
Serve it Up With:
Something colourful. A green salad is a perfect simple accompaniment, but if you want to go to a little more work serve it with Carolyn's Carrots, a household favourite that is so delicious it doubles as a dessert sometimes! The bright orange colour, coupled with a green salad turns this meal from good eats to good art.
Love Those Leftovers::
If there are leftovers, slice and serve as a cold lunch item - this makes a delightfully delicious departure from lunch bucket sandwiches.
