Fig and Blue Cheese-Stuffed Pork Tenderloin

 

An apple glaze and sweet dried figs complement the savory blue cheese in this simple yet refined dish. Serve with wild rice and steamed green beans.

Yield: 4 servings (3 slices each)

INGREDIENTS

1 (1-pound) pork tenderloin, trimmed

1/2 cup dried figs, coarsely chopped

1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Cooking spray

1 tablespoon apple jelly, melted

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 450℉.

Slice the pork in half lengthwise, cutting to but not through the other side. Open the halves, laying pork flat. Place pork between 2 sheets of heavy-duty plastic wrap; pound to 1/2-inch thickness using a meat mallet or small heavy skillet.

Sprinkle figs and blue cheese over pork leaving a 1/2-inch margin around outside edges. Roll up the pork, jelly-roll fashion, starting with long side. Secure at 2-inch intervals with twine. Sprinkle pork with salt and pepper and place on a foil-lined jelly-roll pan coated with cooking spray.

Bake for 20 minutes. Brush jelly over the pork. Bake an additional 5 minutes or until thermometer registers 170℉ (slightly pink). Let stand for 10 minutes. Discard twine; cut pork into 12 (1-inch thick) slices.

Source: Cooking Light, January 2007

NOTES: I made this once for Ira at his Lake Forest Park apartment when we first started dating.