Is My Blog Burning No. 8 Lift Your Spirits High!: Lillet Pork Tenderloin With Apples And Fig Molasses

When Donna (Donna in Harrisburg), from There Is A Chef In My Kitchen announced she was hosting the Eighth Edition of Is My Blog Burning? Lift your Spirits High! (Entries must "use wine or spirits as a central component of your recipe!") I knew exactly what I was cooking.

This recipe is a variation on a very easy dish I sampled over a year ago from one of the lovely demo ladies at Burien's Trader Joe's. She was cooking her tenderloin in a mix of Trader Joe's brand Spicy Apple Cider (have you tried this? It is delicious!) and Gravenstein Apple Sauce. She gave me a slip of paper with the instructions typed in and I went happily on my way, with ingredients in my basket, to test it out that night, for dinner.

Since that evening, I started tweaking with her proportions and ingredient list until I created something a little more sophisticated and fresh but retaining the no fuss character of the original recipe. Then one day, Eureka! And by George, I did have it!

I had made this tenderloin recipe my own (what else is new?) with the addition of Lillet, (one of my favorite apéritifs) and fresh apples. For my latest Lillet Tenderloin I used some of the green Washington apples I received last week as a gift, peeling and coring them using the nifty new gadgets I just bought from Williams Sonoma). And just because I love figs, I added fresh figs from the market as an edible garnish (the season is almost over) and finshed the dish with a drizzle of Fig Molasses.

The Lillet enhances the fruitiness of the dish and balances the appley tartness with the cider's spiciness and sweetness. I serve it with my famous Crème Fraîche Mashed Potatoes (using a ricer, with just salt and pepper and Bellwether Farms Crème Fraîche, also purchased at Trader Joe's) and one of the easiest vegetable side dishes you can make at home, Sautéed Zucchini (I toss them in extra-virgin olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic and parsley and sauté until tender).

Lillet Pork Tenderloin With Apples And Fig Molasses

1 Pork Tenderloin (Mine came from Trader Joe's and weighed in at around one pound)
1 Sweet Onion (chopped finely)
2 cloves garlic
2 tablespoon olive oil
Maldon salt & freshly ground pepper to taste
1/2 cup Lillet (White)
1/4 cup Trader Joe's Spicy Apple Cider
2 small apples (peeled, cored & wedged)

Marinate tenderloin in one tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, fresh chopped garlic, salt & pepper for about 20 minutes.

In a heavy bottomed skillet (I use my trusty Sonoma Blue Le Creuset 5 Qt. Braising Pan), brown the tenderloin over high heat on all sides.Transfer tenderloin to plate.

Sautée chopped onion and apples in pan until tender and opaque. Remove from pan and set aside on a plate. Deglaze pan with Lillet, add Spicy Apple Cider. Reduce until syrupy. Return tenderloin, apples and onions to pan, cover and transfer to pre-heated 375 oven for about 30 minutes (or test with thermometer). When done, remove from oven, let tenderloin rest for about 10 minutes, slice and serve with drizzle of Fig Molasses and a garnishing of fresh figs..

Wine Pairing: We thought about pairing our tenderloin with an Alsatian Gewürzstraminer, Napa Chenin Blanc or an Oregon Pinot Gris or perhaps even a Oregon Pinot Noir. In the end we opted for a house favorite, Dr. Loosen Riesling. It complemented the tenderloin quite well. Low alcohol, with a lovely balance of acidity and sweetness, with apricot and flowers on the nose. Just lovely!