Pistachio Pork Medallions with Mustard Cream Sauce

November 29th, 2011  |  Family Dinner, Oink  |  2 Comments

Some of our closest friends just had their first baby and I tell you it felt like she was pregnant for three years!  I couldn't wait to get my hands on their beautiful little girl and then my kids got sick.  And then I got sick.  And then Thanksgiving happened.  And then they were too overwhelmed to come over for a little party Saturday night {what??? like having a baby is hard or stressful}.  Finally I just had to make them dinner and take it over...whether they liked it or not...I had to see baby Frankie.  The girl is gorgeous... not surprising...so are both of her parents, which might have something to do with why I couldn't wait to see the baby and what she looked like.  Anyway, the mom works for a pistachio company so I wanted to incorporate those into my dinner.  I also had some pork tenderloin in the freezer and with a couple of tweaks to my buerre blanc sauce, this was the end result.  It was fantastic.  If you don't believe me, go back and read my friend's text on the previous page!

 

 

Ingredients:

For the pork:
1 1/2 lbs pork tenderloin,
1 cup pistachios, toasted
1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
1/4 cup dijon mustard
2 tablespoons basil, chopped
1 tablespoon dill chopped
1 teaspoon rosemary, chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil

For the sauce:
1 large shallot, finely chopped
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 cup whipping cream
1 tablespoon dijon mustard
1 tablespoon stone ground mustard
1 tablespoon basil, chopped
1 tablespoon dill, chopped

Directions:

Preheat oven to Convection Bake 375 degrees or Bake at 400 if your oven does not have that feature.  Grind pistachios in a food processor until only a few small chunks remain {see photo}.  Add in breadcrumbs and pulse until combined.

In a small bowl, mix mustard and chopped fresh herbs.

Slice the pork tenderloin into 1/2" thick slices and sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper.  Its easiest to set up an assembly line at this point.  Dip each piece of pork into the mustard mixture, being certain to get a few pieces of herbs on each piece.  Press into the pistachio mixture and coat on each side.  Continue with each piece of pork.

In a large oven-safe skillet set over medium heat, add olive oil to coat pan.  Gently place each piece of pork into pan, leaving a little space between each to ensure even cooking.  Cook for about 2 minutes and then flip medallions, cooking another 2 minutes.  You may need to work in batches depending on the size of your pan, so if you need to set aside the first batch, keep it in a warm place.  Once all medallions are golden brown on each side, place them back into the skillet and put in the oven to continue cooking for another 5 minutes.  While the pork is in the oven, start your sauce.

In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, add shallots and wine.  Cook until most of the wine is evaporated and then add the cream.  Stir occasionally until cream begins to thicken, about 2 minutes.  Whisk in fresh herbs and mustards and allow to cook for another minute or two.  Remove from heat and spoon over pork medallions.

A couple of notes: Pork chops or chicken breasts would work just as well with this recipe, so don't be afraid to substitute.  Also, if you don't have all the different types of mustard, you can certainly use plain yellow mustard.

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