Original post by Sarah – February 13, 2015
I have absolutely no idea why the apple cider is still in the fridge. Usually my youngest son drinks this down in no time. I think the only thing that saved it until now is that it was on the top shelf of the refrigerator, out of sight for the little guy. It was a happy surprise I must say to find this full container of cider this afternoon. So I sat down with a cold glass full, looking for inspiration on what to make for dinner. I came up with a spice rubbed pork tenderloin with an apple cider sweet and sour sauce. As you will see I served it with cheesy bread, carrots and parsnips.
I made a spice rub consisting of salt, paprika, onion powder, and maple sugar from Ben’s sugar shack. I think it makes a big difference if you let a rub sit on the meat. First I rubbed the tenderloin with olive oil and the covered it with the spices and rubbed it again. Make sure you cover all of the surfaces with the rub. Place it in a dish, covered in a fridge for at least 2 hours. After a few hours cook your pork tenderloin to 145 degrees. When the tenderloin is nearing completion you can start on the sauce.
I combined 1/4 cup of apple cider vinegar, 2 cups of apple cider from my Springdell share, 2 teaspoons of Dijon mustard, and 1 teaspoon of crushed rosemary. I was really wishing for the Springdell herb garden, fresh rosemary really would have been nice. I guess I will have to try this again in a few months. I’m sure I’m not the only one out there dreaming of all the joys that come with warmer weather :). Back to the sauce. Simply combine all of this in a sauce pan and let it come up to a boil. Turn down to a simmer and let it reduce. One of the mistakes I made with this was to not let it reduce enough, I was in a hurry but I should know that a sauce has it’s own time table. To know the sauce is finished it should coat the back of the spoon.
Thats all there is to it. Not difficult but presents as a delicious meal that seems like it takes a lot of time. Maybe something you could try when you are snowed in on Sunday! Enjoy.