You know, pork tenderloin is just a wonderful and efficient piece of meat. And I love it because not only is it flavorful, it’s terribly versatile. I can BBQ it, braise it, bake it, fry it, sauce it, you name it. It cooks in a heartbeat and tastes like a million dollars. And it can be purchased in a four pack at Costco for a reasonable price. (Yes!)

But of course the main reason I love it – its pork! And I have yet to find any pig products that I don’t like. (Actually there are a couple of piggy products I can’t abide, pickled pig’s feet and fried pork rinds, but I have conveniently chosen to consider them inedible and therefore non pig related.)

So when I wanted a new pork tenderloin recipe to serve at our upcoming cooking club dinner, I stumbled on to this recipe. A short note: In our cooking club, there are four couples. And in the case of the other three couples, it’s the guys who are the passionate cooks. (Not meaning that the ladies are not good cooks too, just that they are not the ones who tend to gravitate to the kitchen like mice do to cheese.) And these guys are especially great when it comes to big hunks of grilled and/or smoked meat and seafood. So not being a taco short of a combination plate, I know better than to try and compete with these guys in the grilled meat arena. (Not that the club is a competition, because it’s not. I simply know my limitations, and therefore stick to the dishes I know how best to prepare. It’s called self-preservation!)

So in preparation for the meal this weekend, I fixed this recipe last evening for just Mr. C and me. Well, it was a wonderful success. I also found another recipe that I thought sounded delicious, so I plan to try it out tomorrow night. If it’s as good as this recipe, I am going to have a very hard decision to make come Sunday morning. (And yes, I usually try new recipes out on guests without first having prepared the recipe. But with this formidable group coming for dinner Sunday evening, the meat and side dishes need to be perfect. So along with the tenderloin, I’m serving one of my favorites – Gruyère Cheese Soufflé. Recipe to be posted in the next few days.)

And in case you’re worried about me becoming too circumspect when serving these guests (or any other guests for that matter) I’m going to try a new bread recipe on Sunday that I found on the Cooking Light web site. The brioche baked in muffin tins recipe caught my eye immediately because the dough is prepared one day and baked off the next. (My favorite way to prepare bread when time is limited and there are other dishes to prepare.)

So wish me luck on the new brioche recipe as well as the other two dishes I am going to prepare. If the bread recipe work out and the rolls are delicious, I’ll be posting the recipe in the near future. And I hope you enjoy this wonderful, slightly modified recipe from the Taste of Home website. It’s just amazingly delicious and easy as can be to prepare.

• ½ c. Cognac or bourbon
• ¼ c. packed brown sugar
• 3 T. white wine vinegar
• 3 T. tamari soy sauce (I use GF tamari)
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• freshly ground black pepper
• ½ tsp. chili powder
• ¼ tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1/8 tsp. ground allspice
• 1/8 tsp. kosher salt
• pinch crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 room temperature pork tenderloin, silver skin and fat removed, cut into 12 slices and slightly flattened with your fingers

In a small saucepan, combine the Cognac or bourbon, brown sugar, vinegar, Tamari, garlic, and pepper. Bring to a boil; lower heat and simmer gently for about 20 minutes or until liquid is reduced to about ½ cup, stirring occasionally.

Meanwhile, combine the chili powder, cinnamon, allspice and salt; rub over pork slices.

In a large non-stick skillet coated with cooking spray, cook pork over medium heat for 2-3 minutes on each side or until tender. (Pork should still be slightly pink.) Serve with sauce.