Apple & Gorgonzola Pork Tenderloin

Ahhh another pork tenderloin recipe...

I fear that Norm's parents are beginning to think that all we can make is some sort of pork tenderloin. It seems like every time we have them over, there is always pork on the menu, only the sauce changes. Sometimes it's a gorgonzola sauce...or a dijon cream sauce...or even glazed with hoisin and say and grilled. **Sigh** oh well. There are rarely leftovers though, so I don't think serving pork in the future will be an issue = )

This recipe comes courtesy of Carrie's Kitchen Creations. Her pics made my mouth water, I had it starred in my Google reader for months, just waiting for a good time to make it. I love pork with fruit...my hubby, not so much. Or so he thought!!! We were trying to decide what to make and I mentioned that I had seen this amazing looking recipe on a food blog that had apples and gorgonzola. He turned up his nose, but failed to give me any other options, so he finally condeded. He was the first to say how delicious it was...so yeah!!! This opens up so many more culinary possibilities. I'll have to save this one for special occasions as it's way too much sugar (from the cider and the apple butter) for South Beach.

The pic at the beginning of the post is what it looked like before it went into the oven - pretty as a picture (but alas, my picture is not so pretty). The one below was after I pulled it out of the oven. After we sliced it, it lost some of it's prettiness.

Carrie's Kitchen Creations Fall Harvest Pork Tenderloin
Serves 4
1 (1 lb) pork tenderloin
2 apples, cut into 1/4 inch slices
3 tbs gorgonzola, crumbled (I used closed to 1/2 C of cheese, just because I love cheese!)
1 clove garlic, chopped
1/2 C apple butter
1/2 C apple cider
1 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp fresh ground pepper
1/8 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Cut tenderloin lengthwise down the center (I made two slight cuts from the center cut to create little canals to place the apples in). Be careful to cut the tenderloin deep enough to open it up but not so deep you cut it in half.

Mix apple butter, apple cider, and ginger.

Coat bottom of 9x13 inch baking dish (mine is glass) with apple butter mixture. Lay tenderloin in dish so cut side is facing up. Place apple slices in canals previously created when cutting tenderloin. Sprinkle the crumbled gorgonzola down the center. Top with chopped garlic. Drizzle the rest of the apple butter mixture over the apples and gorgonzola. Sprinkle salt and fresh ground pepper over the top.

Bake for 25 minutes at 350 degrees. Cover with foil and bake another 30-35 minutes. Remove foil and slice to eat.