Get the Recipe: Pork Tenderloin with Peppercorn Gravy
Quick, easy and always tender pork tenderloin, combined with a delicious peppercorn gravy. Easy enough for weeknights, but special enough for company!
Ingredients
- 1 - 1 1/4 lb. pork tenderloin, silver skin and any visible fat removed
- salt and freshly ground pepper
- olive oil, for the pan
Peppercorn Gravy:
- 1 Tablespoon butter
- 1/4 cup onion, very finely chopped
- 2 - 3 teaspoons crushed peppercorns, black, green or red peppercorns, or a mixture *See Note 1 below
- 1/4 - 1/3 cup red or white wine, or omit and use a bit more broth *See Note 2 below
- 1 cup chicken or beef broth, *See Note 2 below
- 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1/2 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves, or a pinch of dried thyme leaves
- 1/4 cup heavy whipping cream , 35% b.f. or can omit for a non-creamy sauce, *see Note 3 below
- Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
To thicken gravy (add only as much as needed):
- 3 Tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 1/2 Tablespoons cold water
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425F. (Regular bake setting. Adjust as necessary for convection or fan-assisted.)
- Prepare the 1 - 1 1/4 lb. pork tenderloin (silver skin and any visible fat removed) by removing the silver skin and any visible fat. Season with some salt and set aside.
- Heat an oven-proof skillet on the stovetop over medium-high heat. Add a splash of olive oil and heat. Add the pork tenderloin and cook, turning as needed, until it is seared and golden on all sides.
- Place the skillet with the pork into the preheated oven and cook, flipping the pork a couple of times during cooking, until the pork reaches an internal temperature of 145F, when measured in the thickest part of the meat, about 20-25 minutes.
- While pork is cooking, gather and measure out your sauce ingredients and have handy.
- Remove skillet from oven. Remove pork to to a cutting board to rest and loosely tent with a piece of aluminum foil.
- Place the hot skillet back on the stovetop over medium-high heat. Add the 1 Tablespoon butter to the skillet and melt, scraping up the browned bits in the bottom of the pan. Add the 1/4 cup onion (very finely chopped) and 2 - 3 teaspoons crushed peppercorns (black, green or red peppercorns, or a mixture *See Note 1 below) and stir until the onions start to colour, about 1 minute. Add the 1/4 - 1/3 cup red or white wine (or omit and use a bit more broth *See Note 2 below) and cook, stirring, until mostly evaporated, about 1 minute. Add the 1 cup chicken or beef broth (*See Note 2 below), 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard and 1/2 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves (or a pinch of dried thyme leaves).
- Reduce the heat under the pan to medium and allow the sauce to simmer/reduce for a few minutes to blend the flavours and reduce slightly. Add the 1/4 cup heavy whipping cream (35% b.f. or can omit for a non-creamy sauce, *see Note 3 below), if using and stir to combine and warm through. Taste the sauce and season with additional salt, as needed.
- To thicken the gravy, combine 3 Tablespoons cornstarch and 1 1/2 Tablespoons cold water in a small bowl, stirring until smooth. Add a bit at a time to your hot gravy, stirring well after each addition, until the desired thickness is achieved.
- Cut the pork tenderloin into slices and spoon hot gravy over the top, to serve.
Start with a cast-iron or stainless steel pan, either of which is oven-proof and will produce the best brown bits (which will produce the nicest gravy!)
Notes
Note 1: To crush peppercorns, use a mortar and pestle or simply hit them with a wooden rolling pin on a large cutting board. If you don't have any whole peppercorns on hand, use a pepper grinder on the coarsest setting to get the biggest pieces of pepper in the sauce.
Note 2: You can use either red or white wine, depending on what you have on hand or what you prefer. Generally, red wine is best combined with beef broth and white wine combined with chicken broth, if possible.
Note 3: Heavy whipping cream is recommended as the higher fat level prevents the sauce from splitting in the presence of the acidic wine. While you can use a lighter cream, it may split and leave small white fat chunks in your sauce and result in a less-than-smooth, thinner sauce.
That said, this gravy is delicious with or without cream, so you can also omit it if you prefer.
Be sure to read the notes above this Recipe Card for more tips, serving suggestions and substitution suggestions.
Serving: 1serving, Calories: 448kcal, Carbohydrates: 10g, Protein: 54g, Fat: 18g, Saturated Fat: 8g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g, Monounsaturated Fat: 6g, Trans Fat: 0.2g, Cholesterol: 191mg, Sodium: 388mg, Potassium: 1143mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 1g, Vitamin A: 355IU, Vitamin C: 1mg, Calcium: 60mg, Iron: 3mg
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