Recipe: Pork Tenderloins with Leek Stuffing

PORK TENDERLOINS WITH LEEK STUFFING

"I've made this a couple of times and it's gotten rave reviews. Stuffing can be made ahead to save time during final prep. This is the first time I've used leeks, so I wasn't sure how long to cook them. I decided that you can't really tell when they're "done"; the longer you cook them, the milder and less crunchy they get."

6 tbsp butter
2 leeks, finely sliced
1/2 cup onions, finely chopped
3 tbsp celery, finely sliced
1 1/2 cups breadcrumbs
1/2 tsp fresh savory
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1 1/2 lbs pork tenderloins
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/4 cup cognac
2 cups beef stock
salt and pepper
2 tbsp flour
1 cup mushrooms, sliced

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In an oven-proof skillet, melt 2 tbsp butter, saute but do not brown the leeks, celery and half the onions, then remove from heat, add breadcrumbs and seasoning, and let stand to cool.

Slice pork tenderloins lengthwise without separating, pound delicately with meat mallet to flatten.

Spoon cooled stuffing onto the pork tenderloins, fold and secure with skewer or toothpicks.

Using the same skillet, melt 2 tbsp butter and saute remainder of onions with garlic and pork tenderloins. Pour Cognac and beef stock over mixture, then season with salt and pepper.

Cook, uncovered, in oven for 30-40 minutes and baste often with sauce while cooking.

Saute mushrooms in remaining 2 tbsp butter for 3 minutes, remove from heat, add flour and mix well.

Transfer tenderloins to platter, discard skewer or toothpicks and keep warm.

Add mushroom mixture to cooking liquid and cook over medium heat until thickened.

Slice the meat and arrange on platter. Pour gravy over meat slices and serve.

Source: Ken Burner (1994)