Monday, December 29, 2008

Apricot-glazed pork tenderloin

There is such pleasure in bringing a delicious home-cooked meal to the table, and the enjoyment belongs both to the one who prepared it and to those who'll enjoy it. As wives and moms, nurturing is part of the role God gave us, and in an important way, that means feeding the hungry bellies of our family with our love-filled cooking. There's nothing better!

One of the dishes that gets most requested at my house is this one:


I clipped it out of Southern Living Magazine a few years ago, and that's where the above picture is from. They're showing it served over rice, but I always serve it with mashed potatoes and either baby carrots (drizzled with a honey/butter sauce), steamed green beans or sauteed mushrooms. Any veggie will do of course.

It's a beautiful dish to serve but yet it's very simple to make. My favorite kind! :)

The glaze needs just a few ingredients:


There are only 3 of us in our family so if you'd like to make it, simply adapt the recipe according to your needs. I buy a pork tenderloin of a little over a pound, so 2 lbs worth should be good for 5-6 people.

Place the pork tenderloin on a lightly greased rack in a foil-lined pan and sprinkle it evenly with salt. Mix the following ingredients in a bowl:

1/3 cup apricot preserves
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon grated ginger (I use the puree you see above)
1 tablespoon water

Spread the mixture evenly over the pork.


Bake at 435 for 25-30 minutes or until a meat thermometer inserted in the thickest portion registers 155 F. Remove the pork from the oven and cover with foil. Let stand 5-10 minutes, until the thermometer registers 160 F.

(Every oven varies so start checking for temperature after 25 minutes. If your tenderloin is on the larger side, it may take closer to 35 minutes to be ready.)

Then slice and serve with your favorite veggies or other side dishes. There you have it, dinner that's good enough for a special occasion and one that needed no fuss at all. Enjoy!

29 comments:

Darlene said...

Thanks for stopping by my blog this morning. That tenderloin looks delicious. We love tenderloin and that one sounds great!

I enjoyed browsing your blog and I'll be back......

Joanne@ Blessed... said...

That looks absolutely delicious! I am planning on making a ham today with green beans and mashed potatoes. But this is going to have to be on my list of dishes soon!

Thanks for your sweet comment on my blog. I pray that your year is blessed in 2009 too!

Anonymous said...

Hello Melody, I saw where you came to visit me and I wanted to thank you,I love making new friends. And thank you for your kind remarks too. Now this pork tenderloin looks so good. I'll copy that into my Blog Recipe folder. Stop by some time, so we can get to know each other more.

Hugs,
Chris

Unknown said...

That looks delicious! My son likes apricot glazed chicken, so I'll have to try this recipe for sure!

Susan B said...

This sounds like a great recipe. We love pork, but I hardly ever fix it. This recipe sounds simple and delicious! (My favorite kind of recipe too!) I will try it very soon. Thank you so much for sharing.

nikkicrumpet said...

YUM...and since it's dinner time it made me even more hungry...now if I could just find someone to cook it for me!

Liz said...

I love pork tenderloin...I will use your recipe. Thanks for sharing!

Carol said...

Thanks for sharing this recipe Melody. It looks delicious!
Smiles,
Carol

threesidesofcrazy said...

This looks so yummy. I was going to make one for New Years, but it was $4.50 a pound today - hubby decided he'd rather go out at that price! LOL Thanks for visiting! Have a great New Year.

Anonymous said...

The looks so yummy! And fancy! It's about midnight and I am dying for something to eat...can't fall asleep. I should go make me a pork tenderloin...anything will do!

Thanks for stopping by my blog!
I hope you enjoyed your Christmas!

Nanette said...

That looks so good!
Valerie

Patty H. said...

Thank you for this recipe! I have a couple pork loin in the freezer, now I know how I'll fix one of them. Yum, sounds good.

Jen - Balancing Beauty and Bedlam said...

Oh - I will have to do this one. I do an Asian Pork Tenderloin very similar to this but I always do it in the crock pot for time issues. This one just looks so beautiful (mine doesn't). :)

Elena said...

That looks beautiful and delicious!

Gretchen said...

Ohh, I'll have to try this one. I'm not a huge fan of pork, but my husband loves it, so I try to make a tenderloin every other week or so. It's good for all of us to diversify and try new things. The sweetness of the apricot would probably appeal to my kids, too.

Grace on the Narrow Path said...

I have never tried pork tenderloin. Now that I have seen how wonderful it looks, I am going to have to try this dish.
God bless you for sharing such a sweet blog. I am new to blogging and I am just getting use to everything. It is a lot fun and a great way to meet other christian women.
God bless you,
Bren

Shell in your Pocket said...

What a yummy recipe!!! I love apricot anything!!!
sandy toes

Staci said...

OMGosh you are amazing, that looks amazing, thanks for visiting my blog, i will be back for sure if this is how you roll!!

jk ill be back anyway!! ;)

Debra Kaye said...

Thanks for dropping by my blog this evening. Your blog looks awesome! Praising the Lord...great treats...certainly pleasing to the eye! Good stuff here. So nice to meet ya!

Blessings to you!

FrenchGardenHouse said...

That looks divine. Putting that on my menu for next week. Thanks so much for sharing.
xo Lidy

Tammy said...

That pork tenderloin looks sooo good.

Have blessed New Year!

Lib said...

Hi,
Looks delish!
HAppy New yr.!
Blessins',Lib

Tori Leslie said...

Yummy, this looks like a real keeper!
Happy 2009 to you and yours.
Praying that this is the year that we see Jesus face to face!

Miss Janice said...

Well, that looks delish! I'm cooking a big Southern meal today and I'm so hungry! Happy New Year to you and I look forward to visiting your blog throughout the year:-)

Carole Burant said...

Happy New Year, dear Melody:-)

I'm back to blogging and have so enjoyed catching up with your latest posts I had missed. That pork tenderloin looks soooo good and I really like the way they presented it in that picture!! I'm printing out the recipe because I know it's something we'd enjoy.

Wishing you and yours all the very best that 2009 has to offer, dear Melody! xoxo

Farrah said...

Melody,

This looks so yummy! Pork tenderloin is such a frugal food because it can be used for several meals and it is healthy for you! Thank you for sharing as well as visiting me! Happy New Year!

Belle (from Life of a...) said...

That looks delicious. Hope that you have a terrific 2009.

Tea Time With Melody said...

Oh, that looks delicious. I see those pork rolls in the store but for some reason I shy away from it. Don't know why but now you give me something to try. Thanks for sharing.

Elena said...

I have an award for you! Stop by and pick it up when you have time:)
Blessings, Elena