Pepper Crusted Pork Tenderloin with Savory Mustard Sauce

This is another one of those recipes where I saw the picture and just had to make it.  Dave and I eat a lot of pork tenderloin.  It's quick and easy to prepare after a long day at work and so versitile you can add so many different flavors to it.  Some of our favorites are Michael Symon's Pork Souvlaki, Noble Pig's Hoisin Pork Tenderloin, or just adding one of our favorite Penzey's rubs to them.  We're partial to Galena Street, Northwoods and Northwoods fire.

This recipe takes a bit more preparation than those I just mentioned but it is really good so I think it's worth it.

Here is a link to the recipe:
Peppercorn Crusted Pork Tenderloin with Savory Mustard Sauce

The Mustard Sauce:
The sauce was pretty easy to put together but those of you, you know who you are, who are averse to any recipe with more than 3 ingredients, well, you'll have to wait until I make this for you.

Wine, chicken broth, minced shallots and two kinds of mustard are boiled in a medium sauce pan.  I knew I was going to like this sauce by the aromas filling my kitchen!  Once this is reduced by half, cream, mustard seeds, yellow mustard, cayenne and a little salt are added.  This is simmered until thick while you prepare the rest of the meal.  Here's where I made a little miscalculation.  It's the new year and, well since all the ugliness at my last employer I've put on a few, ok more than a few, pounds.  I thought I would use half-and-half instead of the heavy cream.  Don't do that.  It never really thickens up.  And while it tastes fine, I think thicker would have been better.  Just use less of it!  It's very flavorful so you don't really need a lot.  Yes, Cathy from Noble Pig even mentioned that and I ignored it.  Lesson learned!

 The bits of shallot are strained out before the cream, mustard seeds are added.
 

 And finally the sauce is finished with a little butter.

The Pork:
The crusting on the pork calls for a medley of peppercorns.  I toasted mine because I like that flavor.  Thank you Alton Brown for teaching me that!

They are then ground up until coarse.  I think mine were a bit too course because every once in a while I'd get a bite of peppercorn.  Next time I'll grind them a bit finer!

The recipe also calls for rye bread crumbs.  I had forgotten to add rye bread to my shopping list so I didn't have any in the house.  I used my Every Day Bread from Jennifer Reese's cookbook Make the Bread, Buy the Butter.  It's the only bread we eat anymore.  It was good, but again, considering the aromas, I bet rye bread would have made this the bomb!

The breadcrumbs are mixed with the peppercorns, some parsley, olive oil and salt.  The pork is brushed with even more mustard and then rolled in this mixture.  Beautiful!  Well, not as beautiful as Cathy's picture but looking pretty good to me!
 

This is popped in a 425 degree oven until it's done!  I served it with my favorite Farro Risotto and some roasted brussels sprouts and, of course, a Noble Pig Pinot Noir!

I'll be honest, when we have time to make something special out of the pork tenderloin it is very hard to beat the Hoisin Pork Tenderloin.  I think that is still our favorite but this is a close second!