Pork tenderloin medallions recipe

Ingredients

• 1 cup (8 ounces) unsalted butter
• 1 scant cup unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1 scant cup almond flour
• ½ cup confectioners’ sugar
• 7 ounces (7 or 8 large eggs) egg whites
• 6-ounce ripe pear, preferably Anjou, skin-on, cut in ½-inch dice
• ½ teaspoon grated orange zest
• ⅛ teaspoon ground allspice
• ⅛ teaspoon ancho chile powder
• Kosher salt and ground white pepper

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 pound sunchokes (Jerusalem artichokes), peeled and thinly sliced
• 1 small (about 6 ounces) parsnip, peeled and thinly sliced
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 small shallot, chunked
• 2 cups (1 pint) Light Chicken Stock
• 4 tablespoons (2 ounces) unsalted butter
• 1 lemon juice
• Kosher salt and ground white pepper

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 large shallot, sliced
• ½ teaspoon white peppercorns
• 1 teaspoon yellow mustard seed
• Large sprig of fresh thyme
• Large sprig of fresh rosemary
• ½ cup (4 ounces) olorosa or cream sherry
• 1 tablespoon sherry vinegar
• 1 tablespoon packed brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 2 cups (1 pint) Veal Demi-Glace
• 2 tablespoons (1 ounce) bourbon
• Kosher salt and ground white pepper

To Prepare the Cake
1. Preheat the oven to 375°F.
2. Cook the butter over medium heat in a small pan (preferably with a light-colored bottom so that you can easily see the butter change color). When the butter foams, swirl it around in the pan a few times, and watch it carefully as it turns from golden to nutty brown. The butter’s aroma will become nutty too. Pour the butter into a heatproof bowl to stop its cooking.
3. In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix together on low speed the flour and almond flour with the confectioners’ sugar.
4. Add the egg whites and increase the mixer speed to medium-high.
5. When well blended, begin to mix in the brown butter. Add it about 1 ounce at a time, turning the mixer speed down to low while adding each portion of butter, then turning the speed back up to medium-high until the butter disappears into the batter.
6. By hand, mix in the pear, orange zest, allspice, chile powder, and pinches of salt and pepper. Scrape the batter into an 8-inch square pan.
7. Bake the cake for 10 minutes. Reduce the heat to 350°F, then turn the cake around in the oven to ensure it cooks evenly, and bake for 8–10 more minutes until golden brown and fairly firm. Cool the cake on a baking rack.
To Prepare the Sunchoke Puree
8. While the cake is baking, prepare the puree. Warm the oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat.
9. Add the sunchokes, parsnips, garlic, and shallots and cook 5–7 minutes, until the vegetables begin to soften and have some lightly browned edges.
10. Pour in the stock, and simmer until the vegetables are tender and only about ¼ cup of liquid remains.
11. Transfer the mixture to a blender, add the butter and lemon juice, and puree. Season with salt and pepper.
To Prepare the Bourbon Mustard Sauce
12. Warm the olive oil in a medium saucepan over high heat. Stir in the garlic, shallot, white peppercorns, mustard seed, thyme, and rosemary. Cook for 5 minutes, until the garlic and shallots are golden.
13. Add the sherry, sherry vinegar, brown sugar, mustard, and reduce by half, about 5 minutes.
14. Pour in the demi-glace and reduce the heat to medium. Simmer to reduce by about half, about 10 minutes.
15. Stir in the bourbon and remove the sauce from the heat. Strain the sauce through a fine-mesh sieve into a smaller pan, season with salt and pepper, and keep warm on low heat.
To Cook the Pork Medallions
16. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Season the pork medallions with salt and pepper.
17. Warm a 10- or 12-inch ovenproof skillet over high heat. Pour in the oil, swirl to coat evenly, and add the pork medallions. Sear to deeply golden on all sides, about 8 minutes total. Transfer the skillet to the oven and roast 8–10 minutes, until the temperature on an instant-read thermometer registers 140°F–145°F for medium doneness.
18. Remove the skillet from the oven and add the butter, garlic, and thyme. As the butter melts, baste the pork for another 30 seconds with the pan juices. Transfer the pork to paper towels and let it rest for a minute.
Putting it all Together
19. Cut the cake into 1½-inch squares. Place 2 cake squares on opposite sides of each of 4 plates, then several spoonfuls of sunchoke puree between them. Slice the pork medallions in half and arrange a pair of medallions over the puree. Drizzle the bourbon-mustard sauce around the plates. Tuck herbs, leaves, or blossoms in and around each plate and serve right away.