Dinner on the Quick: Balsamic Apple Pork Tenderloin
By: Patty Schell
I have a new gadget in my kitchen. Well, maybe not exactly new. I purchased a countertop pressure cooker last year. I stared at it quite a while before I actually put it to use. The delay probably resulted from my upbringing as a child. I was well-versed in the dangers of pressure cookers as a child. I remember wondering each time my mom would use it whether it would result in an explosion. Lol!
Today’s cookers are much safer and easier to use. Once I used mine, I realized what a wonderful gadget it is. I have only made a couple of things so far, but I can already see what a benefit they are. Meat can go from freezer to finished in no time. And those same meals you cook in the crockpot for hours can be done in thirty minutes.
Here’s what I tried last night.
Balsamic Apple Pork Tenderloin
4 servings
Ingredients
1 tablespoon cooking oil
1.5 pounds pork tenderloin
1 small onion
2 cloves of garlic, crushed
2 ½ tablespoons balsamic vinegar
½ cup apple juice or chicken broth
1 apple, chopped
½ teaspoon salt
1 sprig rosemary
2 sprigs thyme
To finish
1 tablespoon butter
2 ½ teaspoons cornstarch
Instructions
Turn on sauté function and heat. When hot, add oil. Brown tenderloin on all sides. Approx. 2 minutes per side. Remove tenderloin to plate. Set aside. Add onion to pot and cook until tender, stirring frequently. Add garlic. Stir. Add balsamic vinegar. Stir. Add juice/broth, apple, salt, rosemary, and thyme. Stir well. Add tenderloin, nestling in the mixture. Cancel sauté function. Place lid on cooker and lock. Close steam release vent. Press cook. Adjust time to 10 minutes. Longer if meat is frozen: 15 minutes. When cycle finishes, let pot rest in the warm function for 15 minutes. Release any remaining steam and remove lid. Check internal temperature of pork for doneness: 140 degrees F. Remove from pot and cover with foil to keep warm. Switch on sauté function. Add butter and incorporate. Remove 1/3 cup broth, whisk in cornstarch, and return to pot to thicken sauce. Turn off pot. Slice meat and top with sauce. Enjoy!
No pressure cooker? This recipe can be made in the crockpot or the oven. Just adjust times accordingly.
Weight Watcher Friends: This has 5 SmartPoints if made with chicken broth, 6 with juice. I used beer which doesn’t add any points to the overall dish.
