Balsamic Fig Pork Tenderloin from Edible Gardens
One of the topics I have been wanted to blog about is my adventures cooking – good or bad. This past week I made Balsamic Fig Pork Tenderloin. I was at my Mother’s house and found an unopened jar of Mission Fig Balsamic Spread from Edible Gardens Gourmet Food Products based in Surrey, British Columbia. It had been sitting around in her cupboard for about a year as she had received it as a gift and did not know what to do with it. She said I could have it so I brought the Fig Balsamic Spread home to experiment with.
Balsamic Fig Spread from Edible Gardens
The first thing I did when I got home was open it and taste the spread, and although it was strong tasting of the balsamic vinegar was actually pretty good. I Googled it and found a couple of recipes that Edible Gardens suggested on their website. They recommended making it as an appetizer and gave recipes with bread and cheese, or as a main course with chicken, pork and shrimp. I choose the pork tenderloin as I had some in the freezer already and followed the recipe from Edible Gardens.
**********
Balsamic Fig Roasted Pork Tenderloin
Serves 2
Ingredients
- ¾ -1 pounds of Pork Tenderloin
- 4 Tablespoons edible gardens Mission Fig Balsamic spread
- 2 Tablespoons of edible gardens Tuscan Kitchen Italian Spice blend
- salt & pepper
Instructions
Preheat oven to 400′.
Trim fat from the pork tenderloin. Split meat lengthwise stopping 1 inch from the edge. Open the meat and flatten slightly with the palm of the hand. Season with salt and pepper. Stuff with fig spread and herbs. Fold the pork over itself and tie with kitchen twine at 1 inch intervals. Season with salt and pepper. In a pan sear the pork on all sides and finish in the oven for approximately 12 – 15 minutes. Let rest for 5 – 7 minutes. Slice and serve with your favorite seasonal vegetables and your choice of risotto, potatoes or rice.
**********
This recipe is extremely simple enough but I did NOT add the Edible Gardens Tuscan Kitchen Italian Spice blend as I did not have any.
Raw Pork Tenderloin with with Balsamic Fig Spread
Cooked Pork Tenderloin with Balsamic Fig Spread
Unfortunately, after eating the Pork Tenderloin I did not care at all for the spread. It completely overpowered the Pork Tenderloin which was too bad as I had cooked it perfectly. Perhaps if it was a very light spread rather than 4 tbsps it might have been OK or maybe if I had added the Italian Spice Blend it would have changed the flavor? I must admit overall I was pretty disappointed. I found the spread to be very strong tasting so I wonder why Edible Gardens pairs it with mild tasting meats such as chicken, pork or shrimp.
I still have about half of the jar of the balsamic fig spread left in the refridgerator so I want to use the rest as an appitizer. I was thinking of taking some cream cheese and using the spread on top and guests can use crackers to dip in the creamcheese/basamic fig spread. Oh well, I will have to see if the Balsamic Fig Spread is able to redeem itself.
September 8th, 2009 at 11:00 am
Might be good with baguette bread and brie cheese! I certainly like a lot of fruit chutneys served that way, fig would probably be good too. And I bet the brie would mellow out the balsamic a bit.
September 8th, 2009 at 2:35 pm
Mmmmmmm, brie cheese and baguette – excellent idea, maybe I’ll bring that to Girl’s Night this week.
September 8th, 2009 at 3:44 pm
Don’t let this adventure deter you from cooking pork with balsamic vinegar. I have an excellent recipe (courtesy of Marth Stewart) for pork chops marinaded in balsamic vinegar. Once you grill the chops, you can’t taste the vinegar at all, but they’re lovely and moist.
September 9th, 2009 at 7:43 am
@Chantel I would like to get that Martha recipe from you some time. Sounds interesting and tasty.
September 9th, 2009 at 11:16 am
It’s a really easy recipe. Just fill a dish you can marinade your pork chops in with about 1 cm of balsamic vinegar and a splash of olive oil. Martha says you’re supposed to pound your chops with a meat hammer to tenderize them, but I’m not that fancy. I just use a fork to flatten them a bit and poke a few holes in them (so they absorb more vinegar). Put the chops in the marinade, turning them over every 15 minutes or so so that both sides get good and coated in the marinade. The longer they sit there, the better they are (I try for at least 2 hours). Then just grill them to your liking and sprinkle a little fresh ground pepper over them before serving. Martha also suggests serving them with a few cherry tomatoes cut in half for colour, but I usually can’t be bothered. You’ll end up with nice, juicy pork chops.
September 10th, 2009 at 8:42 am
Thanks Chantel, that is a really easy recipe. I’ll try it and let you know how it turns out =)