Go Back

(Pork Tenderloin) with Port Wine Sauce | CI

Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Course Main Course
Servings 4

Ingredients
  

  • FOR MEAT:
  • 4 center-cut tenderloin steaks about 1 inch thick
  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • FOR SAUCE:
  • 2 shallots minced
  • 2 teaspoons tomato paste
  • ¾ cup red wine ruby port (see note)
  • ½ cup low-sodium chicken broth
  • 1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme
  • 2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
  • 3 tablespoons unsalted butter

Instructions
 

  • Directions
  • If cooking with tenderloin: Pat steaks dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in large skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Cook steaks until well browned and meat registers 125 degrees for medium-rare, 3 to 5 minutes per side. Transfer to platter and tent with foil.
  • Add remaining tablespoon oil and shallots to empty skillet and cook until softened, about 2 minutes.
  • Stir in tomato paste and cook until beginning to brown, about 1 minute.
  • Stir in port, broth, and thyme and simmer, scraping up any browned bits with wooden spoon, until sauce is slightly thickened, about 5 minutes.
  • Off heat, whisk in vinegar, butter, and any accumulated steak juices. Season with salt and pepper. Pour sauce over steaks. Serve.

Notes

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS:
Beef tenderloin has a soft, tender texture, but can often taste bland. We set out to create a pan-seared beef tenderloin recipe that delivered juicy, flavorful meat and a quick, restaurant-style pan sauce. Instead of red wine, using port in this sauce adds a rich sweetness. While tawny and vintage port are fine, we preferred the sweeter and typically less expensive ruby port. A bit of balsamic vinegar adds a kick of acidity to the port wine sauce that goes well with the pan-seared beef tenderloin. We made sure the pan was properly preheated before adding the steak—cooking in a pan that isn’t properly preheated leads to steaks that overcook before they develop a good crust. We heated a heavy-bottomed skillet over medium-high heat with a little vegetable oil until the oil smoked (the smoke indicated that the pan was hot enough).