dinner, Main Dishes, Meatloaf, Beef & Pork, Recipes

pork tenderloin with tarragon + white wine sauce

Well friends, tonight in Chicago we’re all hunkered down awaiting a big snow storm. I’m actually pretty stoked. I love being snowed in and all cozy – especially because I’ve already stocked the fridge and pantry with some fun stuff to cook all weekend. So to all my fellow Chicago-ins, stay warm, eat well, have a beer – and enjoy the snow day! Last I heard up to 15 inches!!! Yahoo!

Alright – onto the recipe at hand. I’m still doing a pretty good job of sticking to my new year goal of cooking more during the week to save mulah and to eat a bit better – though once this week I may have licked a brownie batter bowl clean, ate a brownie and called it a night. 😮

On an evening where I was a bit more successful in my dinner cookin’ and eatin’ I whipped up this little number. Pork tenderloin is fab for a weeknight because it cooks quickly and is so easy to change up with spices and sauces. While this recipe seems crazy simple – there is something about these flavors (especially the tarragon) that makes this one of my favorites.

Ingredients
2 lb pork tenderloin
salt + pepper
1 tbs olive oil
2 tbs butter
1 1/2 tbs flour
1 cup cream
1/3 cup white wine, like chardonnay
1 tbs chopped fresh tarragon

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Trim the silver skin and excess fat from the pork tenderloin. Generously season the pork with salt + pepper. Get a cast iron skillet to medium-high heat, add the olive oil to the pan and sear the pork on all sides. Once all seared up, pop the tenderloin on a roasting pan and put in the oven. The cook-times will vary based on thickness of the tenderloin, but mine took about 45 minutes. You’ll know it’s done when a meat thermometer reads 160 degrees. Remove from the oven and let stand for five minutes.

To make the sauce, get a sauce pan on medium heat and melt the butter. Add the flour and whisk for about one minute. Add the cream, wine and tarragon. Turn heat to low and simmer the sauce, stirring regularly until sauce just starts to thicken a bit. Taste and add salt + pepper as needed.

To serve up, slice the pork loin and pour some yummy sauce over it, then eat up.

For an easy side I just tossed this delicious, vibrant pasta in some butter and salt and pepper. My mom got this pasta for me for Christmas – are we the only family that gifts pasta? Honestly, it’s like we’re just having a pasta trade every year, I love it and highly recommend.

Cheers y’all!

9 thoughts on “pork tenderloin with tarragon + white wine sauce

    1. Oh the idea of being ‘snowed in’ is gorgeous, as long as you have a well-stocked fridge and pantry, wine/beer, and lots of good books to read. I often think Monopoly should have a card that gives you a snow day – with NO losses!
      BTW since moving to live in Beijing, I often cook pork loin as it is readily available but I had never thought of pairing it with a tarragon sauce, always thought of tarragon with chicken or fish. Can’t wait to try this! Thanks

      1. Already loving today’s snow – even after having to shovel! 🙂 Thanks so much for stopping by the blog! Ooh – I’d love to hear how you cook your pork loin! Always looking for some new inspiration! 😀 Cheers!

  1. What a beautiful meal! That pork tenderloin would be perfect for Valentine’s day and that sauce! Yum! I think Tarragon is an underused herb and I bet it’s delish with the wine and cream. That pasta looks amazing! I haven’t tried a whole lot of different pastas but I can see maybe I’ve been missing out!

    1. Thanks! Honestly this recipe made me kind of obsessed over Tarragon…now I’m looking to put it in everything, haha. 🙂 And YES – you’ve got to try some fun pasta – amazing how flavorful it can be with very little on it. Cheers!

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