Juicy pork tenderloin, butterflied and stuffed with a rich filling that creates a savoury, melt-in-your-mouth main dish that’s elegant enough for entertaining yet simple enough for a weeknight dinner.
Ingredients
- 2 pork tenderloins, well-trimmed, about 12 oz / 0.375 kg EACH
- 3 slices bacon
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 shallots, chopped
- 1 ½ cups (375 mL) sliced white mushrooms
- 2 cups (500 mL) chopped fresh spinach
- 2 Tbsp (30 mL) red wine
- 2 ½ oz (75 g) Brie, chopped
- ½ tart apple, chopped
- 2 Tbsp (30 mL) chopped toasted walnuts
- 1 tsp (5 mL) dried thyme leaves
- Salt and ground black pepper
- 1 tsp (15 mL) canola oil
Method
- With sharp knife, butterfly pork tenderloins by slicing horizontally to, but not through, opposite side. Open tenderloins as you would a book. Flatten slightly with palm of hand. Cover tenderloins with plastic wrap and set aside.
- In large skillet, fry bacon over medium heat until crispy.
- Remove bacon slices from skillet onto a plate lined with paper towels. Set aside.
- Discard all but 2 Tbsp bacon fat. Sauté garlic, shallots and mushrooms until softened, about 5 minutes.
- Add spinach and sauté briefly just until it starts to wilt.
- Deglaze skillet with wine, scraping up any brown bits from bottom of skillet. Remove skillet from heat and allow mixture to cool, about 30 minutes.
- Add brie, apple, walnuts and thyme to spinach-mushroom mixture; stir to combine.
- Roughly chop reserved bacon. Add to mixture; stir to combine. Season stuffing with salt and pepper according to taste.
- Spoon half of the stuffing onto one half of each tenderloin. Fold over other half of tenderloin to enclose stuffing. Tie with butcher string in 3-4 places.
- In large nonstick skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Sear stuffed tenderloin on all sides until nicely browned.
- Preheat oven to 375°F. Roast tenderloins on parchment-lined rimmed baking sheet for 15-20 minutes or until instant-read thermometer registers 155°F.
- Remove tenderloins from oven onto clean cutting board. Tent loosely with foil and let tenderloins rest 5 minutes.
- Remove butcher string. Slice to serve.