Pork Tenderloin with Whiskey Caramelized Onions on Ciabatta

Pork Tenderloin with Whiskey Caramelized Onions on Ciabatta

This post came about serendipitously via a friend’s request for a recipe for Pork Loin with Whiskey Caramelized Onions on Baguette that Antoni Porowski prepared on Queer Eye‘s reboot on Netflix series 1; episode 5.  Antoni is the Fab 5’s food and wine expert who breezes through some easy food preparations for the novice cook faced with entertaining at home. There are no recipes mentioned nor much attention to “how to” procedures. This has stirred up some speculation about Antoni’s actual cooking acumen, but he has a captivated legion of fans, a cookbook coming out in 2019, and says he’s opening his own restaurant in New York. You can’t argue with success!

I’m always up for a cooking challenge, so I read some comments about this particular dish from the series and put together the recipes for the required components. I decided to include a honey mustard sage vinaigrette that was not featured in the series, but adds a much needed taste bite to bring the whole concept to life. 

As pictured, tender thinly sliced fennel scented pork tenderloin is layered on toasted slices of ciabatta smeared with a sage honey mustard vinaigrette. Topping the pork loin are deeply caramelized onions that, while not quite as easy as Antoni’s appeared to be, were well worth the extra effort. All said and done, my friend’s hunch turned out to be a perfect addition to a lively mid summer supper buffet.

Roasted Pork Tenderloin, Honey Sage Mustard Vinaigrette, and Whiskey Caramelized Onions

Pork Tenderloin with Whiskey Caramelized Onions on Ciabatta    serves 10

For the pork tenderloin:

• 3 pork tenderloins, silvery skin removed
• 1 tablespoon fennel seeds, lightly toasted
• 1 tablespoon black peppercorns, lightly toasted
• 1 tablespoon flaked sea salt
• 2 tablespoons olive oil

preheat the oven to 350 f/ 180 c

Place the fennel seeds, peppercorns, and salt in a spice grinder and grind until powdery.

Pat the tenderloins dry with paper towels. Place on a tray and rub each tenderloin all over with the seasoning rub.

Place an oven proof a cast iron skillet or Dutch oven over medium heat on the stove top. Add the oil and when hot add the pork loins and brown on all sides.

Then transfer the browned tenderloins to the oven and roast for 30 to 35 minutes. Remove from the oven, loosely cover the pan with foil and set aside to cool.

When you are ready to serve, thinly slice the pork into medallions.

While the pork is roasting you can prepare the Whiskey Caramelized Onions.

• 4 large yellow onions, skin removed, halved, and cut into thin slices
• 1 medium red onion, skin removed, halved, and cut into thin slices
• 1 1/2  tablespoons butter
• 1 1/2  tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 4 tablespoons whiskey
• 1 teaspoon sea salt + more to taste
• ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Place the butter and olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Swirl the melting butter into the oil and than add the yellow and red onions, salt, and pepper. Stir until evenly distributed and continue to saute, frequently turning the onions, until they are soft and have turned a deep caramel color. Timing will vary, but about 10 to 15 minutes should do it. Then stir in the sugar and add the whiskey.

Continue to cook until the whiskey has evaporated and the onions have a moist lacquered like sheen. Transfer to a container and set aside to cool.

Sage Honey Mustard Vinaigrette:  makes 1 cup

• 3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 1 teaspoon mustard powder
• ¼ teaspoon turmeric
• 1 teaspoon dried crushed sage leaves
• 3 small garlic cloves, peeled and minced
• ¾ teaspoon sea salt + more to taste
• ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 3 tablespoons cider vinegar
• 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
• 7 tablespoons olive oil

Place the mustard, mustard powder, turmeric, sage, garlic ¾ teaspoon salt, pepper, honey, cider vinegar, and balsamic vinegar in a small food processor and whir until the ingredients are combined. Then with the motor running add the oil in a slow steady stream until the vinaigrette is thick and smooth. Taste and add salt if needed and whir until completely mixed into the vinaigrette.

Transfer to a jar, cover with lid, and refrigerate.

Serving:

• 4 to 5 ciabatta cut into ¼ inch slices lengthwise and toasted in the oven until just lightly browned around the edges.

Smear a thin layer of the vinaigrette on each slice of toasted ciabatta. Top the ciabatta with sliced medallions of the pork tenderloin and add clusters of caramelized onions on top of each slice. Add a small dabs of the vinaigrette atop of the onions and serve.