Rosemary Roasted Pork Tenderloin with Peach Mustard & Grilled Peaches
Tomorrow, September 22, 2020 is the fall equinox. While I hate to see summer go, I’ve been pleasantly distracted with late-summer produce- enjoying the best of the season’s bounty and preserving some for eating later in the year.
My husband lets nothing get in the way of our annual trek to Kreuger Pepper Farm in Wapato, Washington to pick tomatoes, tomatillos, peppers and eggplants and visit the farm stand for melons, squash and more.
I’ve slow-roasted batch after batch of San Marzano tomatoes to freeze for winter, while my husband roasts eggplants, peppers and tomatillos. And then there are riches from our own garden – basil and other herbs to preserve in pesto-ish blends, beans, broccoli, Sicilian eggplant, butternut squash, beets.
And we’re received generous produce gifts. My new Italian-blooded neighbor hadn’t tried San Marzanos so I gifted her a few; she responded with a selection of apples, pears, and figs from Anacortes. Another friend dropped by with a box of huge Eastern Washington peaches – she left with some of our harvested tomatoes and eggplant. Sharing farm- and home-grown food has been a simple joy in these crazy times.
I wouldn’t trade my annual visit to the farm, or growing and harvesting the bounty from my own garden. But there are good alternatives. I drove eight minutes to my local Metropolitan Market, which makes an effort to bring the best from local farms, and found a gorgeous display of Kreuger Farms peppers.
Peaches won’t be with us for long. While evenings are still pleasant, try grilled peaches and peach mustard served with rosemary-wrapped grilled pork tenderloin.
Pork Nutrition (1): 3 ounces of cooked pork tenderloin (about 4 oz raw) has 22 gram of protein, only 122 calories, 1 gram of saturated fat and is an excellent source of B vitamins – thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, B6 and B 12 and the minerals selenium and zinc.
Fire up the grill. Savor the last bites of summer.
Rosemary Roasted Pork Tenderloin with Peach Mustard & Grilled Peaches
Tie branches of fresh rosemary around a pork tenderloin to flavor the meat as it cooks. Three key steps: 1. Trim off the silverskin with a sharp knife so seasonings can penetrate the meat. 2. Allow an hour and brine the pork which makes it especially juicy. 3. Don’t overcook it. Pork is done when it reaches an internal temperature of 145° F. (If you do leave it on the grill too long brining helps protect it from drying out too much.)
Serves 3-4
1-Hour Brine:
1 1/2 tablespoons kosher salt (3 tablespoons table salt)
1/4 cup granulated sugar, optional
1 cup hot water plus 1 cup ice water
Pork, Peach Mustard and Grilled Peaches:
3 ripe peaches or nectarines, halved and pitted
1/3 cup Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon honey
2 tablespoons thinly sliced chives
1 tablespoon finely chopped thyme, oregano or sage, optional
1 pork tenderloin, about 1 lb., trimmed of fat and silver skin
1 tablespoon olive oil, divided use
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
9 to 10 sprigs fresh rosemary
To top peaches (optional):
Aged balsamic vinegar
Crumbled blue cheese
1. Brine tenderloin: In a medium bowl, combine salt, sugar, and cold water. Stir to dissolve. Add ice water. Chill if made ahead. Add trimmed pork and chill for 1 hour. Drain and pat dry. Brined pork does not need to be seasoned with more salt, just pepper.
2. Make Peach Mustard: Chop one peach to measure 1 cup. Place in food processor. Add mustard and 1 tablespoon honey. Whirl until smooth. Stir in chives and thyme. Spoon into a bowl, cover and chill until serving time.
3. Preheat grill.
4. Place tenderloin on cutting board. Brush ½ tablespoon olive oil on all sides of tenderloin and sprinkle with salt and pepper; pepper only if pork was brined. Move pork to one side of board. Lay 4 (12-inch) lengths of kitchen twine horizontally on work surface. Place several sprigs rosemary vertically on the strings. Place tenderloin on sprigs. Cover tenderloin with remaining sprigs. Pull up each piece of twine, wrap around pork and rosemary, and tie to secure.
5. Place pork on clean, oiled grill. Grill over direct, medium-hot heat for 12 to 15 minutes, turning 3-4 times to brown all sides, until the tenderloin reaches an internal temperature of 145° F. During last 5 minutes of cooking, brush cut sides of 4 peach halves with remaining ½ tablespoon olive oil. Set peaches, cut side down, on grill. Cook 5 minutes or until hot. Remove pork and peaches to a warm platter or cutting board.
6.Let pork rest 10 minutes. Snip twine; discard twine and rosemary. Cut pork crosswise into ¾-inch slices. Serve warm with Peach Mustard and grilled peach halves. Drizzle peaches with balsamic vinegar and top with crumbled blue cheese if you like.
Reference
- ESHA Food Processor database 11.7.217.
© Lorelle Del Matto 2020
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