Pork tenderloin medallions with grilled peaches and rice.
Entrées,  Recipes

Pork Tenderloin Medallions and Balsamic Reduction

This recipe sounded really tasty, and we love pork tenderloin, so I gave it a try. The only thing I changed was for the rice – I cooked some jasmine rice in my rice cooker and stirred in the extras at the end. I had dried cranberries on hand, so I used those instead of cherries. I also decided that I didn’t want to dirty a grill pan on top of everything else, so I seared the peaches in the same pan that I used for the pork – cooking them before the meat. It was really tasty, and the fresh, caramelized peaches were the perfect addition. It was also a great way to use some of the rosemary from my herb garden, which I haven’t used much of yet this year. I’d probably make this again, minus the rice.

Pork tenderloin medallions with grilled peaches and rice.

Pork Tenderloin Medallions and Balsamic Reduction

Cooking Light July 2011

Whip up a simple yet flavorful meal of pork tenderloin topped with a balsamic reduction infused with fresh rosemary, garlic, and shallots.

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 tablespoon minced shallots

1 garlic clove, minced

1 cup balsamic vinegar

1 1/2 teaspoons sugar

1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

Cooking spray

1 (1-pound) pork tenderloin, cut into 12 slices

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1. Heat oil in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Add shallots and garlic; sauté 2 minutes. Add vinegar and next 3 ingredients; cook until reduced to 1/2 cup.

2. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Sprinkle pork with salt and pepper. Place pork in pan; cook 2 minutes on each side. Add balsamic reduction; cook 1 minute, turning pork to coat.

Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 3 pork medallions and 2 tablespoons reduction)

Serve with Grilled Peaches: Heat a grill pan over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add 4 peach halves to pan; cook 2 minutes on each side. Cut each half into 3 wedges. Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 3 wedges).

Serve with Wild Rice Salad: Cook 1 cup fast-cooking white and wild rice per directions, omitting seasoning. Stir in 1/4 cup chopped green onions, 2 tablespoons chopped dried cherries, and 2 tablespoons chopped ­pecans. Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 1/2 cup)

Big Flavors Rating: 4 Stars

Ashley Covelli is a food photographer, recipe developer, and culinary instructor based in Ossining, New York. She loves helping people become enthusiastic and adventurous in the kitchen so that they can build skills and confidence to cook for themselves and their loved ones. She can almost always be found with at least 3 different beverages within arm's reach.

5 Comments

  • Culinary School: Three Semesters of Life, Learning, and Loss of Blood

    How beautifully plated that is. I learned about that at culinary school (I wrote all about it, here: “Culinary School: Three Semesters of Life, Learning, and Loss of Blood” – http://amzn.to/oqXw1R) and it has become a fascination for me.

  • Ashley

    Thanks, everyone! This was a really great way to use fresh peaches, and it definitely made the plate much more colorful 🙂

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