Apple Cinnamon Pork Tenderloin Recipe
Pork and Apples, A Perfect Pair
I decided to make dinner last night, and a nice pork tenderloin was freshly defrosted ready for enjoyment. Knowing how well pork and apples go together so nicely I decided to try to make apple cinnamon pork tenderloin. I had a recipe, but had to improvise as I went along as it wasn't turning out as nicely as it sounded. The end result was nicely so I figured I should write up the recipe.
I love to experiment in the kitchen, and this recipe was dying for some tweaks. I rarely use a recipe without modifying it to my tastes, but to me that is what cooking is, a zen art rather than an exact science.
This is a great, and healthy way to enjoy pork tenderloin. The apples give it a natural sweetness and there is no need to add sugar or salt.
Substitution ideas: You could try using apple cider or apple juice instead of water for the liquid, might make it a sweeter and more powerfully apple flavour.
Ingredients
- 1 lbs pork tenderloin
- 2 tbsp cornstarch
- 1 tbsp ground cinnamon
- 2 apples chopped roughly 1" cubes
- 2 tbsp raisins
- aprox. 1/2 cup water
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 F
- Place pork in a casserole dish with a lid
- Place the apples, cornstarch, cinnamon and raisins in a bowl and mix well
- Spoon the apple mixture around the pork cover and bake for 40 minutes
- Remove the lid add enough water wet apple mixture and put fill the the bottom of the casserole dish slightly.
- Stir mixture and spoon over the tenderloin.
- Return to the oven and bake uncovered for an additional 15-20 minutes until tenderloin is cooked through.
The Process in PIctures
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The Review
This wasn't my favorite pork recipe, but the cinnamon and apple went very well with the tenderloin. I would definitely suggest using apple juice or cider instead of water, and don't be stingy or it will dry out. You may even want to marinade the pork in apple juice prior to adding it to this dish.
I found the apples dried out a bit more than I would have liked, more liquid would most likely fix this issue. The original recipe did not call for liquid at all, this is where the improvising came in. Without liquid the apple coated in the powder was simply not releasing its liquids and thus simply drying out in the casserole dish, the adding of liquid released this and allowed for the apples to cook nicely and release some flavors into the pork.
© 2013 Jeff Johnston
