Pork Tenderloin in Orange Sauce

Here is my recipe for pork tenderloin with orange sauce, garnished with fresh parsley and orange zest confit. It uses the same ideas as the typical Duck à l'Orange recipe to get a lot of orange flavor into the dish.

Ingredients

• 1 pork tenderloin
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• ½ cup / 125 ml vinegar
• 2 oz / 60 g sugar (for the sauce)
• juice and zest (thin strips) of 3 oranges
• 1 cup / 250 ml chicken stock
• ¼ cup / 60 ml Grand Marnier
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 4 oz / 125 g sugar (for the zest)
• 1 cup / 250 ml water
• 2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
• a few twigs of parsley as garnish
• salt and pepper to taste

Preparation

1. Combine 4 oz / 125 g sugar and 1 cup / 250 ml water in a heavy saucepan and bring to a boil. Add the orange zest and simmer until about one half of the liquid is left. Strain and set the orange zest aside.
2. Preheat oven to 350°F / 175°C.
3. Combine the vinegar and 2 oz / 60 g sugar in a heavy saucepan. Set over medium heat and reduce until the mixture turns syrupy. Add orange juice and chicken stock.
4. Season the pork tenderloin with salt and freshly ground pepper. Set a pan over high heat, add vegetable oil and cook the tenderloin until well browned on all sides. Remove from pan and set aside.
5. Reduce heat. Add onion and garlic to the pan and cook until the onion is soft and translucent.
6. Add Grand Marnier and cook for a minute or two, then add the mixture of sugar, vinegar and orange juice. Return tenderloin to the pan.
7. Cook tenderloin in the oven until the core temperature has reached 145°F / 63°C. Remove from oven, wrap in aluminum foil and let rest.
8. Season the sauce with salt and pepper, add chopped parsley.
9. Slice the tenderloin. Garnish with orange zest and fresh parsley.

Yields 4 servings

Preparation time: about 1 hour

The orange sauce and zest are inspired by the "Duck à l'Orange" recipe in Anthony Bourdain – Anthony Bourdain's Les Halles Cookbook.