I was home alone. With Z out of town for work, I had no one to impress for dinner but myself. However I was determined to sit down to a plate with a sense of beauty. I wanted to gaze upon something refined and elegant, for the food to act as both my dinner and my date.
Of course, flavor and taste couldn’t be sacrificed in my attempt to satisfy this superficial urge. Thankfully, by bathing pork tenderloin in a luscious blend of stone-ground mustard and fresh herbs and then embracing it with thinly sliced prosciutto, I was gifted with a highly satisfying meal, both for the palate and the eyes. I’ve been playing with pork for a while now and have been highly pleased with the results from both my spicy pork tenderloin and my pork chop with camembert sauce.
Mustard-rubbed and prosciutto-wrapped pork tenderloin is yet another way to take this relatively inexpensive, generally lean and healthy meat to worthy heights. Dinner-party dressed but casual enough for a night-in on your own.
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. In a small bowl, blend the following until smooth: two tbs stone-ground dijon mustard, one tbs prepared horseradish, one tsp minced fresh rosemary, one half tsp minced fresh thyme, one tsp worcestershire sauce, two tsp soy sauce, one tbs olive oil and four dashes hot sauce.
Rinse the pork tenderloin and pat dry. Rub the marinade over the entire surface of the pork and set aside.
Lay six slices (approximately three ounces) of prosciutto on a cutting board, side-by-side, overlapping slightly. Lay the pork tenderloin on top of the prosciutto horizontally, toward the bottom of the ham, leaving a one inch boarder.
Carefully pull the bottom of the prosciutto over the pork, pressing it in so it adheres to the marinade. Gently roll the pork away from you, encasing it in the prosciutto and pressing lightly to ensure it is tightly wrapped.
With the wet marinade, I find that the prosciutto sticks nicely, however as soon as we place this in a hot pan the ham will begin to crisp and fry, tempting the edges to curl up and to come undone. Kitchen twine offers an easy fix. Simply slide the twine under the tenderloin and tie it snuggly at the top, spacing the ties out across the length of the pork.
Heat a large, oven-safe saute pan over medium-high heat, adding one tbs olive oil (for the high burning temp) and one tbs butter (for great flavor). Sear the tenderloin on each side for two minutes, rotating carefully to ensure this perfect little bundle stays together. Once seared on all sides, transfer the pan to the oven and roast on 425 for 12 minutes. Remove and tent with foil on a clean plate, allowing the meat to rest for 10 minutes. Remove the twine and carve into one-inch thick slices. Serve warm. This cooking process is the same I use for my spicy pork tenderloin and it presents perfectly cooked pork for me every time. No-fail, delicious and beautiful. My kind of recipe!
Serves Two-Three
- two tbs stone-ground dijon mustard
- one tbs prepared horseradish
- one tsp minced fresh rosemary
- one half tsp minced fresh thyme
- one tsp worcestershire sauce
- two tsp soy sauce
- one tbs olive oil
- four dashes hot sauce
- six slices/three ounces prosciutto
- one pound pork tenderloin
- one tbs olive oil
- one tbs unsalted butter
- kitchen twine
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. In a small bowl, blend the first eight ingredients until smooth.
Rinse the pork tenderloin and pat dry. Rub the marinade over the entire surface of the pork and set aside.
Lay six slices (approximately three ounces) of prosciutto on a cutting board, side-by-side and slightly overlapping. Lay the pork tenderloin on top of the prosciutto horizontally, toward the bottom of the ham, leaving a one inch boarder. Carefully pull the bottom of the prosciutto over the pork, pressing it in so it adheres to the marinade. Gently roll the pork away from you, encasing it in the prosciutto and pressing lightly to ensure it is tightly wrapped.
With the wet marinade, I find that the prosciutto sticks nicely, however as soon as we place this in a hot pan the ham will begin to crisp and fry, highly tempted to let the edges curl up and to come undone. Kitchen twine offers an easy fix. Simply slide the twine under the tenderloin and tie it snuggly at the top, spacing the ties out across the length of the pork.
Heat a large, oven-safe saute pan over medium-high heat, adding one tbs olive oil (for the high burning temp) and one tbs butter (for great flavor). Sear the tenderloin on each side for two minutes, rotating carefully to ensure this perfect little bundle stays together. Once seared on all sides, transfer the pan to the oven and roast on 425 for 12 minutes. Remove and tent with foil on a clean plate, allowing the meat to rest for 10 minutes. Remove the twine and carve into one-inch thick slices. Serve warm.
Lindsey McClave has a deep love for food, wine and travel. While she has no intentions of becoming a chef or a sommelier and doesn’t consider herself an expert in any culinary area, she is obsessed with learning.
She says, “the one thing I’ve taken away from my wine travels is that wine is meant for everyone – rich, poor, and everywhere in-between.” Whatever cooking becomes to you, she encourages you to find that foodie place, embrace it and run with it.
