Pork Tenderloin – Easy Family Meal

A complete family meal featuring Pork Tenderloin Diane, Mashed Yams with Marsala, Roasted Broccoli with Toasted Breadcrumbs and Chocolate Dipped Fruit.

Pork Tenderloin – Easy Meal

This was our Sunday dinner this week, which turned out to be a slightly smaller affair. One of the daughters is readying a house for sale, which means they are tied up with a whirlwind of projects. If you’ve ever been through this process, you probably feel exhausted just thinking about it! This took us down to an intimate party of 3 for our family dinner. It was still enjoyable, with the added upside of a few extra leftovers. Stay tuned for a possible reboot recipe using leftover pork tenderloin.

Pork Tenderloin + All the Fixings

As I have mentioned in my previous Sear & Sauce It post, pan sauteing is a quick and easy way to cook a variety of meats. This Pork Tenderloin Diane recipe includes a sprinkle of lemon pepper and a very simple lemon juice, Worcestershire and Dijon pan sauce. Just enough to drizzle onto the serving platter of meat.

Creamy, sweet Mashed Yams with Marsala are a great counterbalance to the lemon in the Pork Tenderloin Diane and Roasted Broccoli with Breadcrumbs. I’ve included a short cut for boiling the yams vs. roasting them, but I highly recommend the roasting method. It caramelizes and intensifies their sweetness. While the Marsala is a key ingredient in this recipe, you can either just leave it out (they are still delicious) or add a touch of maple syrup as a substitute.

The Broccoli with Toasted Breadcrumbs is a great example of how almost any vegetable tastes better when roasted, v.s. steamed. There is the downside of a house that’s perfumed with “eau de roasted broccoli” for a while afterwards. But the crisped broccoli florets, sprinkled with breadcrumb, shallot and lemon zest topping is so tasty, it makes the slight inconvenience worth it!

Last, but of course not least, we have the slightly indulgent Chocolate Dipped Fruit. I used strawberries and pineapple, but as my hubby loves to say, you can dip almost anything in chocolate! What I love about this dessert, is that it looks special and the chocolate makes you feel like you had a delicious dessert. Yet the fruit refreshes the palate, and is lower in calories than many other dessert options.

Pork Tenderloin – Easy Family Meal

Pork Tenderloin drizzled with a savory pan sauce, creamy Mashed Yams with Marsala, Roasted Broccoli with Toasted Breadcrumbs and Chocolate Dipped Fruit

5 from 1 vote

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Servings: 4

Author: ork Tenderloin Diane adapted from Cooking Light, June 2005 recipe. Roasted Broccoli with Breadcrumbs adapted from Epicurious, October 2005 recipe. Chocolate Dipped Fruit Recipe adapted from Lunds & Byerlys Facebook recipe.

Ingredients

Pork Tenderloin Diane

• 1 pound pork tenderloin trimmed and cut into 1 inch thick pieces
• 3/4 teaspoon lemon pepper
• 1 tablespoon butter divided
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 teaspoon Dijon Mustard

Mashed Yams with Marsala

• 2 pounds medium yams
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 3 tablespoons buttermilk see note for substitute
• 2 tablespoons of sweet Marsala wine or you can substitute 1 tablespoon of maple syrup
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

Roasted Broccoli with Toasted Breadcrumbs

• 3 tablespoons olive oil divided
• 1 minced shallot
• 1/2 cup coarse fresh breadcrumbs made from crustless french bread
• 2 teaspoons lemon zest
• 1 1/2 pounds broccoli stems removed, tops cut into 2 inch long florets
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice

Chocolate Dipped Fruit

• 1/2 pint strawberries washed and patted dry
• 1/2 of a fresh pineapple cut into planks patted dry
• 6-10 ounces semi sweet or milk chocolate chips

Instructions

Pork Tenderloin Diane

• Sprinkle pork slices with lemon pepper. Melt 2 teaspoons butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add 1/2 of pork slices to pan and cook 3 minutes per side, or until browned. Remove and keep warm. Add remaining teaspoon of butter and brown remaining pork slices. Remove and keep warm with the rest of the pork.
• Add lemon juice and remaining ingredients to pan. Cook 1 minute, stirring or whisking frequently to blend mustard into sauce. Return pork and accumulated juices to the pan, cook 1 minute or until thoroughly heated, turning to coat meat with sauce.

Mashed Yams with Marsala

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees and bake yams (do not poke with fork) for 60-70 minutes. I recommend placing a baking sheet on shelf below yams because they may still drip.
• Cool slightly then cut each in half lengthwise and scoop out pulp.
• NOTE – I recommend roasting the yams, because it intensifies their sweetness. If you are pressed for time, however, you can peel and cut yams into chunks and boil for 10 minutes. Then proceed with the rest of the recipe.
• Place yams and remaining ingredients in saucepan, mash and cook over low heat for 2 minutes or until heated through. You can also make this dish in advance, refrigerate and rewarm in the microwave. It reheats very nicely.

Broccoli with Toasted Breadcrumbs

• Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in heavy medium skillet over medium high heat. Add shallot and saute until beginning to brown, about 2 minutes. Add breadcrumbs, stirring frequently, and toast until golden brown, about 3 minutes. Transfer mixture to small bowl and toss in lemon zest. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
• Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Toss broccoli with remaining olive oil in large bowl to coat. Season with salt and pepper. Toss again. Spread out on large baking sheet and roast until stems are crisp-tender, about 20 minutes. Sprinkle with lemon juice. Transfer to a serving dish and top with toasted breadcrumb topping.

Chocolate Dipped Fruit

• Melt chocolate in glass measuring cup or small bowl in microwave. Start with 1 minute on high. Then continue for 10-15 second intervals, stirring each time, as chocolate starts to melt. Continue until chocolate is smooth and fully melted.
• Dip fruit into chocolate to coat. For pineapple planks, chocolate should cover about half of each plank. For the strawberries, the chocolate should cover a majority of each fruit, but leave a little bit of the fruit and the green top showing. Place on wax paper or plastic wrapped baking sheet. Chill until chocolate hardens, about 20-30 minutes.

Notes

Note – you can substitute a combination of 2 2/3 tablespoons regular milk + 1 teaspoon vinegar or lemon juice for the butter milk. Let sit at room temperature for 20 minutes and then stir before using.
Pork Tenderloin Diane adapted from Cooking Light, June 2005 recipe.
Roasted Broccoli with Breadcrumbs adapted from Epicurious, October 2005 recipe.
Chocolate Dipped Fruit Recipe adapted from Lunds & Byerlys Facebook recipe.