I am fond of pork tenderloin on its own done on the BBQ but I will never turn down the taste of ham, mustard and Swiss cheese any day. To add to that there is a Cordon Bleu Sauce to take the flavors over the top while enjoying this juicy tenderloin, which is so tender like its name suggests.
The Cordon Bleu Sauce can be changed up a little to suit your tastes. For instance, you can increase the Parmesan cheese to 1/4 cup and make that freshly grated rather than the kind in a canister like I used. I think the former would be much superior. If you like thyme, you can increase the thyme to 1/2 tsp.
I would definitely not skip the Cordon Bleu Sauce as it takes this meal and makes it even more special. Special is good. I used slices of cheese from a block of Swiss cheese and simply weighed the amount that I used. The ham slices were fairly thick - bought in a package that came with 2 packages actually - from the equivalent of Costco.
Kitchen twine is available in most upscale grocery stores. I add ask for it, as I was not sure where to find it. It helps keep the Cordon Bleu Stuffing in place. Some of the cheese might still leak out, but just put it back in after cooking.
I am not the best at tying tenderloins as I am so not mechanically minded in any way, but I managed and this tutorial on you tube will go a long way to helping you figure it out.
Usually when one buys pork tenderloin, it comes two tenderloins as can be seen in my pictures. Use your favorite seasoning salt. The melted butter that I spoon into the butterflied tenderloins is what makes them juicy and tender. You can do the same with butterflied chicken breasts. It is a clever little trick.
This is an easy recipe as I didn't fuss with a breading but instead provided a nice sauce to serve with your pork tenderloin.
If you do not have Dijon mustard, you can use plain yellow mustard. Pork tenderloin is the perfect bland foil for the rich flavors of cordon bleu. We typically BBQ our pork tenderloin, but my husband is being won over with recipes like this done in the oven.
The roasting pan that you use should have a lip to it to keep the juices in. Once you have made it this pork cordon bleu recipe may become a favorite in your household as well. You can use grated Swiss cheese, but I simply used slices of Swiss cheese from a block of cheese. There are lots of variations on this theme possible and I will give it some more thought as time goes by. One could bread the pork tenderloin for one or cover it in grated Parmesan cheese; so many options. When you make this pork, you can use a meat thermometer, but I usually go by how the pork looks. It should not be very pink - mostly done. Years of experience help with this, but I don't think that is a necessity. For those who are not sure, checking the internal temperature of the pork is a good idea.
Ingredients:
3.5 lbs pork tenderloin (1.6 kg)
(in two pieces)
1 tbsp butter, melted (15 ml)
2 tbsp Dijon, OR yellow mustard (30 mL)
4.7 oz sliced Swiss cheese (133 g)
6 slices ham (4.0 oz; 113 g)
Kitchen twine
11/2 tsp seasoning salt (7 mL)
1/2
tsp salt (2 mL)
1/2
tsp black pepper (2 mL)
2 tbsp olive oil (30 mL)
Cordon Bleu Sauce:
1 tbsp butter (15 mL)
1 tsp minced garlic (5 mL)
2/3
cup mix of cream and water (150 mL)
2 tbsp Parmesan cheese (30 mL)
11/2 tsp Dijon, OR yellow mustard (7 mL)
1/2
tsp dried parsley (2 mL)
1/8
tsp dried thyme (0.5 mL)
1/8
tsp salt (0.5 mL)
Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C).
Slice pork tenderloins longitudinally, not all the way through, in order to butterfly them. Spoon melted butter in both tenderloins along their length and then spread Dijon, OR yellow mustard on them. Place cheese on ham slices and roll up. Place closed side to the outside to help prevent cheese from escaping during cooking. Use kitchen twine to tie up both tenderloins and enclose the ham and cheese filling. How to tie tenderloins - click here.
In
small bowl, combine seasoning salt, salt and black pepper. Rub on both sides of the pork tenderloins.
In
large nonstick frying pan, place tenderloins in olive oil and brown over high
heat on both sides. Place on baking
sheet with sides and pour drippings from frying pan over both tenderloins. Bake 25 minutes. Check for doneness by cutting through into
thickest part and bake another 2 minutes or so if still pink inside. Allow to cool 5 minutes, slice and serve with
Cordon Bleu Sauce.
Cordon Bleu Sauce: In nonstick
frying pan, over medium heat, in butter, cook garlic 2 minutes. Add cream and water mix, Parmesan cheese,
Dijon, OR yellow mustard, dried parsley, thyme and salt. Cook and whisk the sauce frequently. Set aside.
Yield: 10 servings
1
serving
347.2
calories
42.6
g protein
18.0
g fat
0.1 g fiber
1.2
g net carbs
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