Everything is better en Croute

Pork Tenderloin en Croute with Creole Mustard Sauce
This makes a really great Sunday night dinner or whenever you have some extra time. It’s pretty easy (although there are a number of steps) and it also looks very impressive, so it would be good for company. I saw this on Emeril Live and although I wanted to turn the channel, I just couldn’t because, hello!, he was was wrapping a pork tenderloin in puff pastry! How can I turn away from that? Exactly, I couldn’t.

Speaking of couldn’t — I could not find Creole mustard so I just used regular Dijon mustard and added some Creole seasoning blend that I had in the cabinet. Seemed to work just fine. If you don’t have Creole seasoning I would mix some onion powder (1 tsp), garlic powder (1 tsp), celery seed (1/2 tsp), a little cayenne pepper (pinch), sweet paprika (1/4 tsp) and some dried basil and oregano together (1/4 tsp each). Then use about 1/2 teaspoon of that mixture in the sauce.

For the tenderloin and pastry:
1 tbsp unsalted butter
1 pork tenderloin, trimmed of all fat and silver skin
Salt & pepper
2 tbsp olive oil
1 1/2 cups diced onions
1/2 cup diced celery
3/4 cup diced, seeded green bell pepper
1/2 tsp fresh chopped thyme leaves
Pinch cayenne
2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley leaves
1 (17.25-ounce) package frozen puff pastry, 1 sheet thawed
2 tbsp plain bread crumbs
1/4 cup grated Parmesan
1 large egg
1 tbsp water

For the Creole mustard cream sauce:
1 tbsp AP flour
2 tbsp Creole mustard (or regular Dijon mustard and 1/2 tsp creole seasoning blend)
1 1/3 cups chicken stock
2/3 cup heavy cream (oh, go ahead — splurge!)
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Let’s start…
Line a large baking sheet with aluminum foil and lightly coat with the non-stick agent of your choice — non-stick spray, butter or olive oil. Set aside.

Season the pork tenderloin on all sides with salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the tenderloin; reduce the heat to medium, and brown evenly on all sides. Cook, turning frequently, until the meat reaches an internal temperature of 110 degrees F, 10 to 12 minutes. Remove the tenderloin from the skillet and allow to cool for 30 minutes.

In the same skillet (you could also use a clean one, but I figure why waste any pork drippings), heat the butter over medium heat. Add the onions, celery and green bell peppers.

Saute until vegetables are tender and any released juices have evaporated, 6 to 8 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the thyme, a little pepper, a pinch of salt and a pinch of cayenne and cook for 1 additional minute. Remove the vegetables from the skillet and place in a bowl. Stir in the parsley and allow mixture to cool for about 10 minutes. Set aside 1/2 cup of the vegetable mixture for the sauce.

On a lightly floured work surface, lightly roll 1 sheet of the puff pastry to a 12 by 13-inch rectangle. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons of the bread crumbs evenly over the puff pastry, leaving a 1-inch border around the edges. Spread the grated cheese over the breadcrumbs.

Pat the seared tenderloin dry. Spread the unreserved vegetable mixture onto half of the puff pastry, over the breadcrumbs and cheese. Place the tenderloin over the vegetables, so that it is parallel to the shorter side of the pastry.

Whisk together the egg and 1 tablespoon of water. Brush the egg wash around the 1-inch border of the pastry. Gently lift the pastry around the tenderloin, and continue rolling the tenderloin in the pastry, jellyroll style. Use the egg wash to seal the edges of the pastry. I used the present wrapping technique of folding the end pieces up to the side and then sealing.

Place the tenderloin, seam-side down, on the prepared baking sheet. Make a decorative cross-hatch pattern across the tops of the pastries, being careful not to cut through the pastry. Brush the top and side of the pastries evenly with the remaining egg wash. Refrigerate the tenderloin in pastry for 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Now, in terms of planning the meal out, it worked well to start the sauce right after I put the tenderloin in the oven.

Making the Creole mustard cream sauce:
Heat the reserved vegetables in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the flour and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Stir in the mustard (and Creole seasoning if using plain Dijon mustard) and continue to cook for 1 more minute.

Slowly whisk in the chicken broth and heavy cream. Bring mixture to a simmer and cook, over medium-low heat until sauce is reduced to about 1 1/2 cups, about 20 minutes. Season sauce with 1/4 teaspoon of salt and 1/4 teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper. Set sauce aside and serve warm or at room temperature.

Place the tenderloins in the preheated oven and bake for 22 – 25 minutes, or until golden brown and an instant-read thermometer inserted in the center registers 150 – 155 degrees F. Remove from the oven and let rest for 10 minutes before serving. Serve sliced, with the Creole Mustard Cream Sauce.

We also had this with some wild rice and pan seared asparagus. For just the two of us, one tenderloin worked perfectly. We both had two slices each for dinner and two leftover slices each for lunch, along with some leftover sauce. It was a very decadent and tasty lunch.