Pork Tenderloin with Sauteed Apples

For the first time in my life, I didn't spend Easter with some portion of my family. I was just so rundown from being sick that I couldn't bear to dress up or put a smile on my face. And while I typically do not cook at all while I am sick, I was so hyper-vigilant about using hand sanitizer that I decided to make a quick but elegant Easter supper.

Pork tenderloin is my favorite thing to eat and to prepare, so that was a no-brainer, but I tried something new for a marinade and a side. I'm very excited to say that I used locally made bourbon for my marinade, and while I am no bourbon expert, I think it was very good. The end result on this dish was great. It was salty, sweet, spicy, and tangy all at once. Most of it I just made up as I went along, but I tried to keep track of what I was doing so I can re-create it some day!


Apple Bourbon marinade:

• 1 cup fresh apple juice (I used two granny smith apples and my neato juicer)
• 1 cup of Iowa bourbon
• 2 tsp ground ginger
• a few whole cloves
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 1 tsp cumin
• 2 TBSP light brown sugar

I rubbed the marinade onto a pork tenderloin that was just over a pound. I poured over the excess and let it sit for about 2 hours. The pork was on the grill for about 40 minutes (on medium high heat), and I turned it twice. After taking it off, I let it sit for 5-10 minutes before slicing it. While the pork was cooking, I turned the marinade into a sauce. Most importantly, I brought it to a ROLLING BOIL for several minutes to kill any raw-pork germs. Then, I just let it reduce. I added a few shakes of all the original spices b/c I felt like I couldn't taste them, but that's it.

Sauteed Apples

• 3 TBSP butter (well, I used smart balance)
• 1 large yellow onion, thinly sliced
• 3 granny smith apples, pealed, cored, and thinly sliced. 
• ground ginger, ground cloves, cumin, and sea salt to taste
• 1 TBSP brown sugar

Basically, I melted the butter in a large skillet and then threw in the onions and apples to caramelize. I kept everything on Med-low heat and just let it do it's thing for probably 30 minutes. I stirred occasionally. Right at the end, I felt like things weren't as caramel-y as I wanted, so I added in the bit of sugar to quickly melt.

To serve, I put the apple onion mixture down on a tray, and laid the pork slices over the top, and then poured the sauce over the whole thing.

This was unique, but a winner!!

And for dessert? EASTER CANDY!