The 21st Century Housewife's Pork Tenderloin with Apple Balsamic Gravy – A Cook Once, Eat Twice Recipe

The recipe makes enough to serve at least four - but don’t worry if you have leftovers. They taste lovely the next day in the recipe for Fajitas I’ve posted below this one. In fact, sometimes I double this recipe just so I have extra leftovers for the fajitas! If you do double the recipe, be sure to use two roasting pans so everything cooks evenly.

You do have to cook just a little bit on the second night, roasting up the peppers to go with the fajitas, but it’s nothing too onerous. However if you’d rather you can do it the first night in a separate pan in the oven and save them for the second. Be sure to cool and refrigerate them promptly.

This dish has one of the nicest gravies I think I have ever invented. The apple and onion melt together to flavour it beautifully, and the Dijon mustard gives it a lovely tang. It’s a great summer dish because tenderloin cooks pretty quickly, so you won’t have to have the oven on for much more than an hour.

There is a fair amount of vinegar in this recipe, but don’t worry, it makes it taste absolutely delicious. When it combines with the apple and onion it gives a wonderful depth of flavour.

2 onions, red if possible

2 red skinned eating apples

2 pork tenderloins

2 tablespoons cider vinegar

2 tablespoon olive oil

1 tablespoon butter

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

2 tablespoons flour

½ cup apple juice

about ½ cup chicken or vegetable stock

¼ teaspoon fresh or ½ teaspoon dried thyme

2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

1 generous tablespoon redcurrant or cranberry jelly

salt and pepper to taste

Mix together the 2 tbsp cider vinegar and olive oil, and marinate the tenderloin for at least an hour in the fridge.




Peel and quarter the onions, reserving one half of one onion.  Core the apples and quarter them, again reserving one half of one apple.

Place the tenderloin in a roasting pan and arrange the apple and onion quarters around it. Pour the marinade over to coat everything. Cook in the oven at about 375℉ or 190℃ (about 170℃ for a fan oven) for about 40 to 50 minutes, turning the apples and onions halfway through.

Meanwhile, finely chop the reserved half onion and half apple. Melt the butter in a medium saucepan and sauté the chopped onion and apple over low to medium heat. You want them to cook slowly so they almost “melt” as they become tender. To do this you need to keep sautéing them over low heat, stirring occasionally, for about half an hour.

When the apple and onion are very soft and have cooked together, turn the heat back up to medium and add the balsamic vinegar. Let it all bubble away for a minute or so.

Sprinkle the flour over top and stir into the apples and onions. Cook for a minute, stirring constantly, just to cook the floury taste away. Gradually add the apple juice, stirring after each addition. Now gradually add the chicken stock, stirring constantly, until you get a nicely textured gravy. (You may need slightly more or less than the half cup.)  Stir in the mustard and thyme, and then blend in the cranberry or redcurrant jelly until you have a fairly smooth gravy. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Check that the pork is cooked through, and when it is, slice and serve with the gravy. This is delicious served over mashed potatoes and/or with some broccoli on the side.

Refrigerate any leftovers promptly and save them for:-

Yummy Tenderloin Fajitas

Leftover sliced tenderloin from the first night

1 red onion, peeled and cut in eighths

1 red pepper, de-seeded and sliced

1 yellow pepper, de-seeded and sliced

1 orange pepper, de-seeded and sliced

(It goes without saying you can vary the colours here, you just need 3 peppers!)

1 zucchini, ends removed and sliced in sticks

2 tablespoons olive oil

as much of 1 red chili, seeds removed and finely sliced, as you would like

(My family like it mild, so I add very little, but if you like it hot, go for it!)

large flour tortillas

1 cup of grated cheese (optional)

salsa, sour cream and/or guacamole for garnish

Place the onion, peppers and zucchini in a large roasting dish and drizzle the oil over top. Stir with your hands to coat the veggies with the oil. Bake at about 375℉ or 190℃ (about 170℃ for a fan oven) for about half an hour, stirring halfway through.

When the vegetables are nearly cooked, slice the tenderloin into small strips or pieces and place in a small roasting pan. I like to put about a tablespoon of water in with the pork, cover firmly with aluminum foil and heat gently in a low oven, turning occasionally until warm through – but if you are in a rush you can use a microwave. Just be sure to keep the meat warm once you have heated it.

Serve the tortillas, pork and vegetables in separate warmed dishes so everyone can assemble and wrap their own fajitas. (If you have a warming tray or plate that you can put on the table it really helps.)

Serve grated cheese, if using, salsa, sour cream and/or guacamole on the side.

The 21st Century Housewife's© Pork Tenderloin with a Mustard Cream Sauce

Pork tenderloin is a wonderful cut of meat. It’s lean and low in fat, and you can so do many different things with it. When I’m buying it I prefer to buy more than I need for just one meal. It’s usually cheaper that way and anyway, pork tenderloin is a great thing to have as leftovers. Among other things you can make really lovely hot supper sandwiches with it, serve it re-heated with spicy onion gravy or you can make it into something very special by preparing this quick and easy dinner with it!

To serve four people you need:-

1 tablespoon oil
1 red pepper, de-seeded and thinly sliced
2 tablespoons butter
2 heaped tablespoons flour
about 1½ cups milk
1 generous tablespoon whole grain or Dijon mustard
½ teaspoon paprika
about 2 cups cooked pork tenderloin, cubed
¾ cup frozen peas
1 bunch scallions (spring onions), washed and chopped
salt and pepper to taste
enough rice for four, cooked according to package instructions

In a small frying pan, heat the oil and gently sauté the pepper over a low to medium heat.

In a large saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Whisk in the flour and cook for a couple of minutes. Now add the milk, a bit at at time, whisking constantly. As the sauce begins to thicken after each addition of milk, add a little bit more, but go carefully - you may not need the whole amount. When the sauce is a nice creamy consistency, stir in the mustard, paprika, cubed pork tenderloin, sautéed red peppers and frozen peas.

Heat gently over medium heat, stirring frequently and adding a bit more milk if the mixture begins to thicken too much. When the pork is heated through and the peas are cooked, stir in the scallions (spring onions). Taste the mixture and add salt and pepper to taste if you wish.

Serve over the hot, cooked rice.

The 21st Century Housewife's© Pork Tenderloin with Balsamic Roast Shallots and Madeira Gravy

I’ve heard so many folks talk about using Madeira in cooking, I bought a bottle recently so I could experiment with it. I have used it in a lot of recipes – from gravies to soups and stews - with great success. If you don’t already know, Madeira is a fortified wine, fairly similar to sherry but with a slightly different flavour to it. Having said that, you can definitely substitute sherry for the Madeira in this recipe if you don’t have any Madeira to hand.

I love pork tenderloin. It is easy to cook and usually very tender. I buy mine from the butcher, who removes the white skin and trims the fat for me so all I have to do is season it and plonk it in the roasting dish. I recommend this course of action highly – the one time I did try to do the trimming myself I ended up frustrated plus I cut my finger!

This dish is definitely good enough for company, but it is a great one to treat yourself to as well! Leftovers keep for a couple days in the fridge and make lovely sandwiches.

Pork Tenderloin with Balsamic Roast Shallots and Madeira Gravy

2 to 3 pork tenderloins
2 cups shallots, peeled and sliced in half if they are big
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons olive oil

For the gravy:-

1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 generous tablespoons flour
about 2 cups chicken stock
½ cup Madeira
¼ cup cranberry sauce


Arrange the shallots around the tenderloins in a roasting dish. Mix the balsamic vinegar and the olive oil together and pour over the tenderloin and shallots. Turn the shallots a bit in the pan to coat them with the oil and vinegar. Roast at 375℉ (190℃) for about 30 to 40 minutes until the tenderloin is cooked with no pink inside –with an internal temperature of about 320℉ (160℃).

Meanwhile, make the gravy. Melt the butter with the olive oil in a medium saucepan. Add the onion and cook over very low heat, allowing it to soften slowly for about ten to fifteen minutes.

Add the Madeira and turn the heat up to high. Reduce the Madeira by keeping it at a high heat and stirring occasionally so it does not stick. Basically you want the onion to look like it has absorbed nearly all the Madeira, but with a tiny bit of liquid still in the pan.

Turn the heat back to medium, and sprinkle the Madeira soaked onions with the flour. Stir and allow to cook for about a minute. Gradually add the chicken stock, stirring after each addition. You are aiming for a smooth, fairly thick gravy. You may not need all the stock, or you may need a little more, but I find 2 cups is usually about right.

When the gravy is a nice consistency, stir in the cranberry sauce until it is all blended in and heat through.

Slice the tenderloin and top it with the roasted shallots. Pour a little of the gravy over top to serve, and put the rest in a gravy boat on the table so people can help themselves.