Pork Tenderloin with Spicy Red Grape Sauce
For 4-6 portions. The grape sauce can be prepared 1-2 days in advance. When hot the sauce has the consistency of maple syrup, and thickens further as it cools. No oven-safe pan? First fry the fillets on the hob, then move them to a suitable tray that has been pre-heated in the oven. While the fillets rest their temperature continues to rise, and may reach 68-70°C.
Ingredients
| 500 g | red grape berries | |
| 50 g | brown muscovado sugar | |
| 50 g | dark demerara brown sugar | |
| 50 ml | rice vinegar | |
| 1 | small onion, finely chopped | |
| 2 | garlic cloves, finely chopped | |
| 1 tsp | 5 ml | mustard seeds, crushed in a mortar |
| 1 tbsp | 15 ml | grated fresh ginger |
| 1 | hot chili pepper, finely chopped (with or without seeds, to taste; optional) | |
| 3 tbsp | 45 ml | mulberry fruit molasses or grape molasses (petmez) |
| â | salt and freshly ground black pepper | |
| 2 | pork tenderloin fillets (approx. 500 g each), trimmed of sinew and membranes | |
| 2 tbsp | 30 ml | sunflower oil or light olive oil |
| 6 | small bunches of red grapes | |
| 2 tbsp | 30 ml | red wine |
Instructions
For the red grape sauce:
- In a wide but not necessarily deep pot, combine all the ingredients except the grapes and the fruit molasses. Place on a high heat and bring to a boil until the sugar melts.
- Then add the grape berries, bring the mixture back to a boil and cook for 5 minutes. Mash the grapes in the pot with a potato masher or a slotted spoon so they release their juice, reduce the heat to moderate and cook everything for about 20 minutes.
- Pour the mixture into a sieve and press with a spoon so as much juice as possible is extracted. Discard the dry part and return the juice to the pot. Add the fruit molasses and cook for 3-4 minutes on high heat to thicken. Taste for salt and add if needed.
For the pork tenderloin:
- Season the fillets with salt and freshly ground black pepper and rub them on all sides with oil. Heat the oven to 200ÂșC.
- Heat a non-stick oven-safe pan over high heat. Add the fillets and sear them on all sides until golden-brown. This will take about 8 minutes.
- Remove the pan from the heat and brush the fillets on all sides with some of the grape sauce. Distribute the bunches of grapes around them, pre-seasoned with a little salt and black pepper, and immediately place everything on a middle rack in the oven preheated to 200ÂșC. Roast the fillets for 15-18 minutes or until the temperature in the center of the meat reaches 64ÂșC.
- Take the pan out of the oven and move the fillets to a warmed plate. Cover with aluminium foil and leave for 10 minutes to rest.
- While the fillets rest, add the remaining grape sauce and the wine to the pan with the grapes. Stir well to combine with the juices released during roasting and pour this mixture over the bunches of grapes. Return to the oven for 10 minutes to roast the grapes well and reduce the juices.
- Slice the meat and serve with the roasted grapes. Strain the sauce in the tray and serve together with the meat.