Pork Tenderloins with Orange Pepper Sauce
Pork tenderloin medallions pounded thin, seared golden, and finished in a bright pan sauce of shallots, black pepper, white wine, and fresh orange juice. A 40 minute bistro-style dinner.
YIELD
4 servingsPREP
10 minCOOK
30 minREADY
40 minPan-seared pork tenderloin medallions draped in a glossy orange-pepper pan sauce, this is weeknight bistro cooking at its most satisfying. The key move is pounding the sliced pork to a quarter inch thick, which cuts the cook time down to a few minutes per side and gives you plenty of surface area for browning.
A light flour dusting helps the medallions develop that golden crust and thickens the sauce later when the pan drippings meet wine and orange juice. Do not skip the staging step: crowding the skillet turns searing into steaming and kills the browning you worked for.
Once the pork is resting in a warm oven, shallots and coarse black pepper go into the drippings, followed by white wine, orange peel, and juice. Reduce to about half a cup, a syrupy consistency that coats the back of a spoon, and pour straight over the meat.
Chef Tips
- Use waxed paper or plastic wrap when pounding, direct contact with a mallet tears the meat.
- Dust pork with flour right before searing, not ahead, or the coating goes gummy.
- Deglaze fast while the pan is still hot, cooled drippings lose their flavor lift.
- Coarsely crack the black pepper yourself rather than using pre-ground, the aroma is sharper.
Variations
- Swap orange juice for blood orange or tangerine juice for a deeper, sweeter sauce.
- Finish with a tablespoon of cold butter for a silkier, restaurant-style sheen.
- Serve over wild rice or buttered egg noodles to catch every drop of sauce.
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the pork by cutting into ½-inch slices, then pounding between 2 sheets of waxed paper until about ¼ inch thick. Dust lightly with the flour.
In a wide skillet, melt the margarine over medium-high heat. Add the pork, turning once, until browned on both sides. Do this step in stages if pan isn’t large enough to handle all the pork at once. When the pork is browned on the outside, it should be thoroughly cooked through. Remove to a warmed serving platter, and keep warm in a 200 degree oven.
To the drippings in the pan add the shallots and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the shallots wilt, then add the wine, orange peel, and orange juice. Bring to a boil, stirring frequently. Cook until reduced to ½ cup or so. Pour the sauce over the pork and serve.
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