Tender and juicy pork tenderloin, with a decadent and well-balanced mustard sauce. I often serve this at a holiday buffet dinner with small rolls - double the sauce and serve it as a condiment for sandwiches.
Ingredients
- yellow onion: 0.5 cup (finely chopped)
- dry white wine: 0.33333 cup
- unsalted butter: 0.25 cup
- Dijon mustard: 0.25 cup
- white balsamic vinegar: 3 Tbsp
- lemon juice: 2 Tbsp
- whole grain mustard: 1 Tbsp
- turbinado sugar: 1 Tbsp
- lemon zest: 1 tsp
- kosher salt: 1 tsp
- tarragon: 1 tsp (divided, dried)
- pork tenderloins: 2 piece (1 pound)
- olive oil: 2 Tbsp
- ground black pepper: 1 tsp
- heavy cream: 1 cup
Metric Conversion
Stages of cooking
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Prepare a thermocirculator and water bath according to manufacturer's directions. Set thermocirculator to 135 degrees F (58 degrees C); if you want pork cooked medium instead of medium-rare, set to 145 degrees F (63 degrees C), and allow water bath to come up to temperature.
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Combine onion, wine, butter, Dijon mustard, vinegar, lemon juice, whole grain mustard, turbinado sugar, lemon zest, salt, and 1/2 teaspoon tarragon in a medium microwave-safe bowl. Place in microwave and cook on high power until butter melts and sugar dissolves, stirring halfway through, about 1 minute. (This yields 1 1/2 cups sauce).
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Place tenderloins in a vacuum-sealable bag with 3/4 cup of the mustard mixture and massage contents of bag to ensure meat is coated evenly in sauce, spacing tenderloins in a single layer in the bag. Seal bag with a vacuum sealer according to manufacturer's directions.
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Transfer vacuum-sealed tenderloins to warm water bath with thermocirculator; cover vessel with aluminum foil to reduce evaporation. Cook to desired doneness, 45 to 50 minutes; meat will be 135 or 145 degrees F (58 to 63 degrees C) when done depending on desired doneness.
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Remove bag from water bath, transfer meat to a plate and pat dry with a paper towel. Rub with olive oil and sprinkle with pepper.
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Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Sear tenderloins in skillet until deeply browned on all sides, 3 to 4 minutes on each side. Transfer to a cutting board to rest for 5 minutes. Wipe skillet clean with a paper towel if any drippings are too dark.
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Reduce heat to medium. Add remaining 3/4 cup mustard sauce to skillet and allow to come to a simmer, reducing until slightly thickened, 1 to 2 minutes. Add cream and remaining 1/2 teaspoon tarragon to skillet, and cook, stirring occasionally, until sauce has thickened enough to coat the back of a spatula, about 1 minute. Slice tenderloins and serve with sauce.
