Roast Pork Tenderloin with Pepper Jelly Glaze

Frank Brigtsen, Brigtsen's. After learning Cajun cooking from Paul Prudhomme, Frank struck out on his own and opened a restaurant that has been a New Orleans favorite for more than 20 years. This dish combines sweet, savory, and spicy flavors for a delicious experience.

Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cook Time: 50 minutes
Chill: 1 hour
Yield: Makes 6 servings

Ingredients

• 1 1/4  teaspoons  salt, divided
• 1  cup  red wine (Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot)
• 1  tablespoon  freshly minced garlic
• 1  tablespoon  coarsely chopped fresh thyme
• 2  tablespoons  coarsely chopped fresh oregano
• 1/4  teaspoon  freshly ground pepper
• 1 1/4  cups  plus 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 2  whole pork tenderloins, trimmed of all silver skin (about 2 pounds total)
• 1  medium carrot, very finely diced (about 1/4 cup)
• 1/4  cup  each very finely diced red, yellow, and green bell peppers (3/4 cup total)
• 1/2  large yellow onion, very finely diced (about 1 cup)
• Pinch of ground cumin
• 1  cup  Pepper Jelly
• 1 1/4  cups  pork or chicken stock
• 1  tablespoon  unseasoned rice vinegar
• 1  tablespoon  cornstarch, dissolved in 1 tablespoon cold stock or water
• 3  tablespoons  Cajun meat seasoning blend (for testing purposes, we used Chef Paul's Meat Magic Seasoning)

Preparation

1. Whisk together 1/2 teaspoon salt, wine, and next 4 ingredients in a shallow dish. Slowly add 1 cup olive oil in a thin stream, whisking constantly. Add pork, cover, and chill at least 1 hour, or up to 1 day.

2. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a medium saucepan over high heat. Add carrot, bell peppers, and onion, and cook, stirring occasionally, until onion begins to brown, about 8 minutes. Add cumin and remaining 3/4 teaspoon salt; cook 1 minute. Add Pepper Jelly, stock, and rice vinegar. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, and simmer 10 minutes.

3. Raise heat to high, return mixture to a boil, and add dissolved cornstarch, whisking until well blended. Remove from heat, and set aside.

4. Preheat oven to 350º. Heat remaining 1/4 cup olive oil in a roasting pan on stovetop over high heat. Remove pork from marinade and season with Cajun meat seasoning. Sear pork in pan 3 minutes on each side, and place in oven. Bake until internal temperature reaches 150º, about 20 to 25 minutes. Remove from pan, and set aside 5 minutes before slicing.

5. Drain any excess oil from pan. Add reserved Pepper Jelly mixture to pan over high heat, stirring to loosen particles from bottom. Bring to a boil, and remove from heat.

6. Slice pork, and arrange on serving plates. Top each serving with 1/4 cup glaze from pan.