Pork Tenderloin with Balsamic Mustard Sauce

Oh my goodness gracious today was FULL!! Whew!! I need a nap. Or a few extra hours of sleep tonight. It's funny how the older your family gets, and the more opportunities open up, the busier you become! I remember when I would go days and days with no errands to run. That rarely seems to be the case these days! Well, at least they are all good things. I can't imagine what it will be like when the boys are doing sports, music lessons, going to friend's houses, extracurricular activities... I suppose that is what will fill my days when they are both in school! That or spending hours figuring out how to make macarons... or something equally finicky... or maybe I'll learn how to quilt... Anyway. A busy life is a full, blessed life, in our case, at this point!

Rosemary Balsamic Pork Tenderloin
Printable Recipe

1⁄4 cup olive oil
1⁄8 cup cider vinegar
1/8 balsamic vinegar
Juice of 1 lemon
2 Tb Worcestershire sauce
1-2 Tb fresh rosemary, roughly chopped
2 Tb brown or Dijon mustard
1 tsp fresh ground black pepper
4 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
1-lb. pork tenderloin (silver skin removed)

Whisk together all marinade ingredients and measure out 1/3 cup. Save this for later. Place the pork tenderloin and marinade in a plastic bag or tupperware (I prefer the bag) and let marinate for about 5-6 hours.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Heat an oven-safe pan or skillet (like cast iron) on medium high heat. Add the tenderloin and sear each side each side well, about 2-3 minutes each. Move pan with tenderloin to the oven and cook for 30-40 minutes or until the meat has reached 160 degrees. Let rest for at least 5 minutes before slicing. *Note: If you don't have an oven safe pan, you can transfer the tenderloin and any juices to a small casserole dish and bake in that, but it will take a bit longer to cook. Then just make the sauce in the pan you seared the tenderloin in.*

Pan Sauce:
Pan scrapings from pork tenderloin
1/3 cup of chicken broth
1/3 cup of pork marinade (thoroughly mixed)
1-2 tsp butter

While your pork is resting,  add the chicken broth to the pan/skillet and heat on medium heat, scarping up all the browned bits of meat and juices. Add the marinade, bring to a boil, then lower to a vigorous simmer for 2-3 minutes, till thickened a bit. Keep an eye on it, if your heat is too high it will burn! Add the butter and remove from heat. Stir until the butter has melted. Serve over pork tenderloin. (You can also skip the butter to make it healthier, it still tastes terrific!)

Ours does look a bit overdone, but that's because we were in a hurry, and didn't cook it all the way through before slicing into it... so we had to finish the slices in a pan. Oops! Still tastes amazing though :)

This sauce is positively to die for!! Rich, tangy, deep, peppery flavors, with a hint of mustard, it seriously packs some punch! The pork turns out tender and flavorful, the marinade works its way all the way through... Yum.

It's one of my favorite meals, because it is so simple to make! And if you skip the butter in the sauce, which I often do, it's pretty darn healthy too! I'm on the hunt for healthier recipes these days. We'll see what I can find!