Succulent Pork Tenderloin in Mustard Caper Cream Sauce is so easy and fast to prepare! No marinating and is finished with a tangy rustic sauce you’ll love!
Lately I’ve found myself in mental arrest regarding dinner. My current most dreaded phrase is ‘Mom, what’s for dinner?’ On some days it’s 4 p.m. when the question is posed and my response is like waking from those feverish dreams that you have to take a test in school but forgot to study….even though you have not been in school for many, many years.
Fortunately, as school graduations bear down with all their demands I have turned to Boulder Locavore to do the thinking for me. As I was poking around this delicious recipe sprang from the archives like a treasured friend I haven’t seen in a long time: Pork Tenderloin in Mustard Caper Cream Sauce.
My mouth began to water immediately when reading over the recipe. I love tangy flavors. Capers add a wonderful salty, briny depth to the cream sauce. I used country-style whole grain Dijon mustard which has whole mustard seeds making for a rustic texture that I also love.
One of my very favorite cuts of meat is Pork Tenderloin. It’s light in flavor and can be changed up easily with simple marinades or sauces. It’s juicy and succulent when cooked well and cooks quickly. It is the best choice for those ‘need something on the table in less than an hour’ days…which seem to be daily right now.
One way I love preparing Pork Tenderloin is to add it to some marinade the night before cooking. Then when preparing dinner all I need to do as pop it in the oven for 25-30 minutes, leaving plenty of time to toss a salad or prepare a fun side dish such as Mexican Green Chile Quinoa Salad.
This recipe for pork tenderloin in mustard caper cream sauce removes the marinating all together. The tenderloins are seasoned, seared and cooking in some of the sauce, leaving the remainder to be added when serving at the table. It always gets rave reviews! Because pork tenderloin is so lean, it’s best to monitor the internal temperature with an instant read thermometer to remove it from the oven before it overcooks. Did you know that meat will rise up to 10 degrees while it ‘rests’ after cooking? Removing the pork tenderloin from the oven at just the right temperature allows the cooking to complete outside of the oven to ensure it will be succulent and tender when served.
Pork Tenderloin is one of the easiest meats to prepare for a fast meal. It is a mild flavored meat making it perfect to season with a rub, marinade or sauce. It’s also a very lean but so will cook quickly and should not be overcooked to avoid it becoming dry.
Pork Tenderloin in Mustard Caper Cream Sauce
Ingredients
- 2 1-pound (each) Pork Tenderloins
- 3 tablespoons Unsalted Butter
- Kosher Salt and Black Pepper to season
- ½ cup Shallots , peeled and diced
- 2 tablespoon whole grain Dijon Mustard
- 2 tablespoons Capers (with brine)
- 1 cup Heavy Whipping Cream
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Select a baking pan which will fit both pork tenderloins and prepare it with no stick cooking spray. Lightly salt and pepper both tenderloins.
- In a large skillet or saucepan (large enough to fit both pork tenderloins), melt one tablespoon of butter over medium-high heat. Place the seasoned tenderloins in the melted butter and sear on each side until light golden brown. Remove and set aside.
- Reduce heat to medium. Melt remaining two tablespoons of butter and add shallots. Sauté until translucent.
- Add the mustard and the capers with their liquid. Sauté over medium heat, stirring constantly until fully combined; about 3 minutes.
- Reduce heat to low, pour in the cream and stir constantly for 5 minutes until the sauce begins to thicken. Remove from heat and allow to cool for 10 minutes.
- Pour enough sauce just to baste the tenderloins into a small bowl; reserve the rest of the sauce separately for serving with the cooked tenderloins. Using the basting portion of the sauce, coat all sides of the tenderloins and place them into a prepared baking pan. Note: the reason for separating the sauce is to ensure the portion of the sauce to be served with the cooked pork will not have been dipped into with the brush basting the raw pork.
- Bake tenderloins for 30-35 minutes (or until a meat thermometer reaches 150; the pork will continue to cook when resting outside the oven and will reach the recommended temperature of 160 degrees). Remove and allow to rest for 10 minutes before serving.
- To Serve: cut the tenderloins into ½ inch thick medallions, place slices on serving platters or individual plates and sauce with the remaining Mustard Caper Cream Sauce. Serve immediately.
Patricia C says
This is a quick and easy recipe. I used 10% cream, rather than heavy cream, for a smoother and slightly thinner sauce that could be poured over the pork. It was delicious. There wasn’t a drop of leftover sauce! Will definitely make again – thanks!
Toni Dash says
So glad you loved it! Thanks for sharing your adaptation too!
Annemarie LeBlanc says
My husband loves pork tenderloin and this recipe is another delicious way for us to enjoy it. I will make this on the weekend when the kids are home. I am so interested to try that mustard-caper-cream sauce. 🙂
Our Family World says
I love a good pork tenderloin recipe and this is the first one I’ve seen with that unique mustard caper cream sauce. I definitely have to try making this. Thanks for sharing.
Beeb Ashcroft says
My lands that looks too good to be true. You are welcome to cook for me any time 😉