Family Supper: Roasted Pork Tenderloin

I will be the first to admit that it is big challenge to find those recipes that satisfy both the adult and child palette.  This Roasted Pork Tenderloin is a five-star winner in the family dinner category, which is very important this time of year when family gatherings are frequent and treasured.

I've served this tasty entrée twice in the past week.  Both times all of the kids ate it!  It's not often that you serve something to all ages and not only get everyone to eat it, but your 22 month old child demands "pork, pork" for breakfast the next morning, pointing at the refrigerator and then grabbing a huge piece out of the little leftovers baggie before you can cut it up!

This is one of those recipes that was given to me over the phone by my mother many years ago, scribbled down and somehow made into my collection of random recipes that I like.  If memory serves me correctly, she got it from her friend Mary Lou, who owned her own catering business at one point.  I believe this recipe was one of her most popular and for good reason!

The marinade is a lovely combination of apricot preserves, soy sauce, olive oil, orange juice, rosemary, garlic, orange zest, salt and pepper. The sweet and savory is probably what makes it have mass appeal to all ages.  It's also tender, particularly when cut into tiny bite size pieces for the kids.

You marinate the pork for as little as four, but as much as 24 hours and then roast it for about 25 minutes.  I opted to roast it on a rack.  This enables the heat to get around the whole roast and you get it to brown more.  I believe the original recipe called for cooking it in a glass dish and then deglazing the pan with some white wine to get a little sauce to pour over the tenderloins.  I opted not to do this step because I was serving it to as many kiddos as adults, but my mother has made it this way, and it is absolutely delicious.

Finally, this blog seems quite trivial sometimes.  This is particularly true in the wake of both a local and national tragedy that breaks all of our hearts.  My thoughts and prayers go out to those who lost their loved ones in the Newtown shootings.  To all of those readers who have children in your life that you love dearly, give them big hugs and kisses tonight.  Let us all take time during this holiday season to appreciate those precious and magical little moments with our little ones.

Roasted Pork Tenderloin

Recipe Type: Main

Author: Julie du Pont

Prep time: 15 mins

Cook time: 25 mins

Total time: 40 mins

Serves: 6-8

A roasted pork tenderloin marinated in olive oil, soy sauce, orange juice, orange zest, rosemary, garlic and apricot jam.

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 2 tbsp apricot jam
• 1 tsp rosemary
• 1 tsp minced garlic
• 1 tsp orange zest
• 1/4 cup no pulp orange juice
• 1 tbsp dijon vinegar
• 2 lbs pork tenderloin
• 1/4 cup dry white wine (for deglazing)

Instructions

1. Combine all but last 2 ingredients in blender.
2. Place pork in glass dish and pour marinade over the pork.
3. Refrigerate and let marinate for 4-24 hours.
4. Bring to room temperature.
5. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
6. Roast for 25 minutes.
7. Transfer pork to cutting board and let rest for 10 minutes.
8. Optional: deglaze pan with white wine to form sauce and pour over the pork.

Julie du Pont is a Darien resident, mom and lawyer.  She blogs about food and entertaining at weekend table.