divine angst

Sometimes I make something that is just so impossibly good that I can’t help but share it with everyone.

Pan-Seared Oven-Roasted Pork Tenderloin with Red Wine Shallot Sauce

One 1 lb. pork tenderloin (or thereabouts). Get one without “flavor added.”

Brine:
2 quarts water
2 tbsp kosher salt
1 tbsp white sugar
1 tbsp brown sugar
handful of black peppercorns
healthy amount of dried oregano (probably at least a tablespoon)

Pan sauce:
1 small shallot, minced
1/4 cup red wine
1/4 stock (vegetable works well)
1 tbsp dijon mustard (I used a roasted garlic dijon mustard)
1 tbsp butter

Mix the brine ingredients well, until the salt and sugars are fully dissolved. Add the pork to the brine (I ususally use a large zip-top bag) and refrigerate for about an hour.

Preheat the oven to 400°.

Remove the pork from the brine, pat dry very well, sprinkle all sides with a bit more kosher salt and some freshly ground pepper, and let sit for about 15 minutes. The tenderloin needs to dry out some before you attempt to sear it.

Heat 1 tbsp. vegetable oil in a large (at least 12″) skillet.

Add pork and sear for 1 to 1-1/2 minutes. Turn one quarter, and brown for another 45-60 seconds. Repeat for the other two quarters.

Remove pork to a baking sheet with a lip and transfer to the oven. Roast for 10-14 minutes, depending on how well-done you like your pork. The interior temperature should be at least 125-135 before you take it out of the oven.

While the pork roasts, mince the shallot and add to the skillet. (If you need to add a bit more oil, do so before adding the shallots.) Saute the shallots. If the fond begins to burn, add a tablespoon of water. When the shallots are tender, add the wine and stock and bring to a boil. Reduce by at least half.

When the pan sauce has reduced, stir in the mustard. To finish the sauce, swirl in the butter.

When the pork comes out of the oven, tent a piece of foil over it and let it rest for at least 6 minutes. This will allow the pork to continue cooking, and it should reach a temperature of 135-145 for medium. (I am personally OK with this; if you would like to cook the pork even further, go ahead and take it all the way to 155. The brine should keep it from getting too dried out.)

When you are ready to plate, slice the pork on the bias, cover with the pan sauce and serve.

SOOOOOO gooood. My tummy is HAPPY.

Recipe adapted from one in Cooks’ Illustrated magazine. Many thanks to those guys—they know what they’re doing.

In preparation for selling our home, Mr. Angst and I are doing some hard-core spring cleaning. To that end, we spent about an hour this afternoon going through our books. Mr. Angst has one more bookshelf to go through, but we’re basically done with the book-weeding.

And it’s hard. I have books that I’ve carted around for years in the hopes that I’ll reread them one day, or that I’ll use them for reference. I have books I read once and loved and wanted to hold on to forever. I have books I went through hell to obtain, so I would always have them. Yet somehow, books in all of these categories are going away. We now have two laundry baskets filled with books to take to the we-buy-your-used-books store. I don’t think we’ll get much—they’re pretty well known for not giving much cash for paperbacks. But I have a few complete series, and I have several first-edition hardbacks, and maybe we’ll get enough money back to buy some fine wine and get drunk.

I enjoy the feeling of productivity when I get rid of piles of things that I don’t need. So I feel good right now—clean, refreshed. But I also feel sad. Getting rid of books is sad. I know that the space we’ve freed up is now open for new and unread books, new books that may become favorites, but it’s still sad.

Still to come: the editing of the closet. I have many clothes to give away.

By the way, if you know you live in my city (trying to remain Googlenonymous here, so I won’t say where) and you want to peruse my to-be-given away books (or anything else, for that matter—we’re going to get rid of some furniture and other stuff, too), feel free to email me. I’d be happy to give away things to deserving strangers.

Watching: Yojimbo

Drinking: Cafe du Monde Coffee/Chickory blend with foamed milk—homemade cafe au lait

About to be eating: Cheerios Oatmeal with brown sugar, butter, and cream. Not a fat-free breakfast.

Doing: Preparing to start cleaning house (realtor coming next week!)