Maple Bacon Pork Tender

Pork tenders are something that I always have on hand in my freezer. I usually buy them when I see them on sale. I love them because they are so versatile, easy to cook, and are fancy enough to serve for company. I can take it out of the freezer in the morning and it's ready to go for dinner. Today I had some bacon on hand as well as mushrooms and apples. Hmmm.....

I decided  if I added a little onion, white wine and maple syrup I would have a winning combination. I was right! Here's what you'll need:

  • Pork tender (I used both tenders in the package so I could give one to a friend)
  • 1 onion
  • 1 apple
  • whole mushrooms
  • 1 C white wine (I used pinot grigio)
  • 1/4 C maple syrup (the real stuff, please!)
  • fresh rosemary

Start by preheating your oven to 375 degrees.

Remove the pork from the package and trim any excess silver skin and fat. 

Make horizontal cuts across the tender about 3/4 of the way through, down the length stopping a couple of inches from the end.. Be careful not to cut all the way through.

Core and cut the apple into wedges.

Cut the onions in half moon slices.

Place an apple wedge and an pinion slice into each cut in the tender.

Season with salt and pepper.

Remove the rosemary from the stems and sprinkle over the top.

Remove the bacon from the package and wrap the strips around the meat. You don't need to overlap any. I don't like using toothpicks because I'm always afraid I'll forget to take them out. I wrap the bacon by centering a piece over the top, then wrapping it under and bringing the ends back to the top and tucking them in.

The most important step of this recipe comes next. Heat a dutch oven or large skillet until it's smoking hot. Add a few tablespoons of canola oil then place one of the tenders in the pan and sear it on all sides. You want the bacon to start to brown and start to crisp a little. It doesn't need to be cooked because it will finish cooking in the oven, but browning it first gives it SO MUCH MORE flavor. Don't skip this step. If it starts to fall apart a little, don't worry, you can put it back together before it goes into the oven. Repeat with the second tender if you're doing two.

Transfer the seared meat to a baking pan.

If the apples and onions have fallen out, you can tuck them back in now, but don't worry about it too much. You can see that I just laid some of mine on top. Drizzle the maple syrup over the meat.

Pour the white wine into the pan, add the mushrooms, and place a few extra sprigs of rosemary on top,

Place in the preheated oven, uncovered, for 20-40 minutes until an instant read thermometer reads 145. I start checking mine at the 20 minute mark. The two I cooked today took about 35 minutes. Cooking time will vary depending on the thickness of the meat.

While the meat is cooking, you can begin to make the sauce from the pan drippings. Put any left over bacon and onion in the skillet that you seared the meat and cook it. I also added the fat that I trimmed off. Only do that if you are willing to pick through and take it out when it's cooked because you don't want it to be in the sauce. I do it because fat = flavor.

Once the meat is cooked, remove it from the oven and place it on a platter and tent it with foil. Pour all the juices and mushrooms, onions, and apples that are left in the pan into the sauce in the skillet. Bring the liquid to a boil and reduce it by about half.

Once the sauce has reduced to the desired consistence, add about 1 tablespoon of butter and stir in until combined. The butter give it a smooth finish.

When it's ready, remove the foil from the meat and spoon the sauce over the top. Be sure to use everything in the pot!

Enjoy!

Lynn

Maple Bacon Pork Tender

  • Pork tender (I used both tenders in the package so I could give one to a friend)
  • 1 onion
  • 1 apple
  • whole mushrooms
  • 1 C white wine (I used pinot grigio)
  • 1/4 C maple syrup (the real stuff, please!)
  • fresh rosemary

Start by preheating your oven to 375 degrees.

Remove the pork from the package and trim any excess silver skin and fat. 

Make horizontal cuts across the tender about 3/4 of the way through, down the length stopping a couple of inches from the end.. Be careful not to cut all the way through.

Core and cut the apple into wedges.

Cut the onions in half moon slices.

Place an apple wedge and an pinion slice into each cut in the tender.

Season with salt and pepper.

Remove the rosemary from the stems and sprinkle over the top.

Remove the bacon from the package and wrap the strips around the meat. You don't need to overlap any. I don't like using toothpicks because I'm always afraid I'll forget to take them out. I wrap the bacon by centering a piece over the top, then wrapping it under and bringing the ends back to the top and tucking them in.

The most important step of this recipe comes next. Heat a dutch oven or large skillet until it's smoking hot. Add a few tablespoons of canola oil then place one of the tenders in the pan and sear it on all sides. You want the bacon to start to brown and start to crisp a little. It doesn't need to be cooked because it will finish cooking in the oven, but browning it first gives it SO MUCH MORE flavor. Don't skip this step. If it starts to fall apart a little, don't worry, you can put it back together before it goes into the oven.

Transfer the seared meat to a baking pan.

Drizzle the maple syrup over the meat.

If the apples and onions have fallen out, you can tuck them back in now, but don't worry about it too much. You can see that I just laud some of mine on top. 

Place in the preheated oven, uncovered, for 20-40 minutes until an instant read thermometer reads 145. I start checking mine at the 20 minute mark. The 2 I cooked today took about 35 minutes. Cooking time will vary depending on the thickness of the meat.

While the meat is cooking, you can begin to make the sauce from the pan drippings. Put any left over bacon and onion in the skillet that you seared the meat and cook it. I also added the fat that I trimmed off. Only do that if you are willing to pick through and take it out when it's cooked because you don't want it to be in the sauce. I do it because fat = flavor.

Once the meat is cooked, remove it from the oven and place it on a platter and tent it with foil. Pour all the juices and mushrooms, onions, and apples that are left in the pan into the sauce. Bring the liquid to a boil and reduce it by about half.

Once the sauce has reduced to the desired consistence, add about 1 tablespoon of butter and stir in until combined. The butter give it a smooth finish.

When it's ready, remove the foil from the meat and spoon the sauce over the top. Be sure to use everything in the pot!

Ginger Cinnamon Apple Sauce

So maybe applesauce isn't the first thing you think of to make when it's 100 degrees outside, but this recipe might make you change your mind. I came home from the store today with a big bag of apples only to discover that I still had some in the refrigerator. I love apples to snack on, but even I can't eat 10 pounds of them... 

I've been out of town eating lots of good food for the last 10 days, so pie, while delicious, isn't on my "get healthier" menu. Neither are cake, cookies, or muffins. So what about all these apples? Applesauce!! Not just any ordinary applesauce though. I added 2 kinds of ginger, orange juice, and cinnamon to this to give it a nice zing. Here's what you'll need:

  • 6 apples (any variety, I mixed Gala and Honeycrisp)
  • 1 orange
  • 2 TBL fresh ginger, grated
  • 1/4 C crystallized ginger, chopped
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 tsp vanilla

Start by removing the core and chopping the apples into about 1" cubes.  I always leave the peel on my apples because I like the texture they add, but you can peel them if you prefer. 

Put the chopped apples into a saucepan. Then zest the orange and add it to the apples along with the juice of the whole orange.

Cut off a 2" piece of the ginger and mince it. I don't worry about the peel. I'm not a real kitchen gadget freak, but I do love my hand chopper for jobs like this, but if you don't have one, just chop it finely.

Add the minced ginger, cinnamon, and vanilla to the apples along with about 1/2 cup water. Cover the pan, bring it to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer. Give it a stir about every 15 minutes until the apples fall apart. I cooked mine for about 45 minutes.

Once the apples are cooked, it's time to blend them. I use my emersion blender directly in the pan, pulsing until it's the consistency that I like, which is a little chunky. Now it's time to give it a taste. This batch was sweet enough without adding anything, but sometimes you'll want to add some honey, agave, brown sugar, or whatever sweetener you choose. If it's too thick at this point, add a little water until it's the consistency you like. If it's too thin, just simmer it longer until it thickens.

When you're ready to eat some, sprinkle a tablespoon or so of the crystallized ginger on each serving and mix it in. I've added it all at once to the entire batch, but it gets too soft and you lose some of the distinct flavor if it sits in the sauce too long. This applesauce is good by itself, but it's also great mixed into plain Greek yogurt or on top of some ice cream. 

Here it is mixed with Greek yogurt and sprinkled with the crystallized ginger. It's what I had for breakfast this morning--delish! 

Enjoy!

Lynn