Pork Tenderloin in Brandy-Cream Sauce

"Pork," from Make It Like a Man!

Pork Tenderloin in Brandy-Cream Sauce is incredibly tasty and sophisticated – more than special enough for company! It’s a fantastic recipe that I found on a site I admire, Krumpli. In addition to the nice blend of flavors and textures, the cooking method is spot-on, producing moist, tender, flavorful pork.

Krumpli’s recipe includes mashed potatoes. I’ve left them out, figuring I could use my favorite mashed potato recipe, or serve this pork over egg noodles, spätzle, or something like that. If you want an all-in-one recipe that includes the potatoes, see Krumpli. I’ve converted Krumpli’s measurements to Imperial, and have recast the instructions, because like all academics, nothing ever seems right to me unless it’s in my own words. 🙂

"Pork," from Make It Like a Man!

Ingredients for 2 or 3 servings:[a]

¾-1 lb. pork tenderloin, cut into 6 segments[b]
2 Tbs butter
Salt and pepper, to taste

For the Sauce:

½ cup finely diced shallot (from two shallots)
3-4 Tbs brandy
½ cup chicken stock
⅓ cup cream
10 prunes, sliced
Salt, to taste
1 Tbs (packed) chopped parsley

How To Do It:

  1. Wrap the pork in paper towels for a few seconds to get rid of excess moisture.
  2. Place the pork on a cutting board. Lay a sheet of cling film over the pork, and bash the slices into medium-thickness slices (between ⅓ and ½ inches) with a rolling pin.[c]
  3. Pre-heat a 12″ cast-iron skillet over decidedly high heat, about 2½ minutes. Add butter; melt. Meanwhile, season the pork.
  4. Working in batches, sauté pork until browned and cooked nearly to your liking, 1-2 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate; set aside.
  5. Add shallots to the pork pan and cook until almost caramelized, stirring constantly, about 2 minutes.
  6. Add brandy, flambé, and reduce until almost dry. See note![d]
  7. Add stock and cream and lower the flame to medium.
  8. Add prunes; cook until the liquid is reduced to your liking – anything from a sauce to a gravy consistency works well – about 5-6 minutes.
  9. Return the pork to the pan along with any juices, and either cook for a few minutes if the sauce needs reducing (or if the pork needs to finish cooking), or allow to sit, off flame, for a few minutes to rewarm the pork.
  10. Add parsley to the sauce just before serving, or garnish with it.

Notes:

  1. Considering that you’ve got a cream sauce, mashed potatoes, and perhaps other things (rapini and a kale salad, for instance), two medium-sized pieces are plenty per person. Fewer sides, three segments per seems right. Of course, the heavier your loin, the more likely that fewer segments will be satisfying (since they’ll weigh more, unless you cut more segments, which you could).
  2. Since the tenderloin is thicker at one end, you have to slice shorter segments at that end, if you want the thinner-end segments to weigh approximately the same as the larger-end ones. This isn’t necessary, nonetheless I feel compelled to try.
  3. You’ll find it easiest to flatten the pork if you work with no more than two segments at a time. It works best if you orient the segments with the cut side up; however, you can effectively flatten them regardless of their orientation – which is exactly what the coach said to me when I told him I thought the tight end on the opposing team hitting on me. 
  4. Be careful, firestarter! Depending on how hot your pan is at the moment of ignition, the brandy may produce a lot of flame … maybe two feet or so, sustained for several seconds. A cooler pan may produce a less robust flame, but it may burn on for quite some time. Make sure there is nothing directly above the pan that won’t like flames: for instance, your microwave, a fire detector, or your hair, Ron! God forbid you should be anywhere near anything flammable. The devil may appear briefly in the flames, and if he does, well, you’re doomed. Nonetheless, you might as well have a nice last meal, so don an oven glove and have a lid handy. Better yet, don two gloves, a lid in one of them, and get a priest or someone you trust to handle the ignition for you.
"Pork," from Make It Like a Man!
Pork Tenderloin in Brandy-Cream Sauce

Credit for images on this page: Make It Like a Man! Thank you, Kesor. This content was not solicited by anyone, nor was it written in exchange for anything.

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29 thoughts on “Pork Tenderloin in Brandy-Cream Sauce

  1. A lovely dish and your right one that I would gladly serve company. Thanks for the Krumpli link, it’s a great site and one I’ll be following. I so remember my first experience flambeing, no one gave me the fire warning like you were so kind to do. Luckily, hair does grow back after being singed.
    Ron recently posted…A Forest in Billinge and Jägargryta…

    • Thanks, Mimi. I think you might like Krumpli. He’s got some interesting things going on.

    • Thanks, Angie. It does! I’m sure this entire process would work with chicken.

  2. Hello Brandy Cream Sauce, I would like this pan. Wow, how delicious 🙂 I would eat this week spatzle, for sure!

  3. I love a good cream sauce, and this sounds fantastic, Jeff. I would never have thought about adding brandy. Pork chops are on sale at our store this week, so perhaps I should stock up. Or perhaps I should just stock up on the brandy instead. 🙂 Either way, well done, my friend! I hope I don’t see the devil in the flames…
    David @ Spiced recently posted…Ground Beef Nachos

  4. I love the flavors in this sauce and this having it with spätzle sounds perfect. I might even need bread to soak up any drop of that delicious sauce that’s missed. I love Krumpli too! It’s such a beautiful site.

    • Thanks, John. I eventually learned that I could temporarily move the pan to a trivet strategically placed in a better position, but you have to be fairly quick, because the pan needs to be hot.

  5. The sauce looks incredible- brandy, prunes and cream together- what a combo! Pork really works well with anything sweet and fruity. I’ll be sure to protect my eyebrows when igniting the brandy!
    Fran @ G’day Souffle’ recently posted…Enchiladas Suizas

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