Time Is Of The Essence

I'm not usually in a hurry these days, but now and again it's nice to have a couple of meals up my sleeve that I can whisk out and have on the table in half an hour. This one with pork tenderloin medallions is just that kind of dish.

Pork tenderloin is just about my favorite kind of pork - it's almost always moist and flavorful, even though it's pretty lean. And, if I slice it into 1.5 inch thick medallions, it cooks up very quickly. This one uses a simple pan sauce, too, that just adds to the flavor.

After browning the medallions quickly in butter, I set them aside in a warm oven to continue cooking a bit using the residual heat. Into the sauté pan, I swirl a little more butter (I need this little bit of extra fat as the pork is so lean), then add sliced shallot and chopped mushrooms to lightly brown, deglaze with a tad of Courvoisier (or brandy, if I have it), then add plain yogurt and mix that in.  When the pork comes out of the oven, it will have released some juices, so I pour them back into the pan sauce to combine, then add the medallions again just to heat through.

Served with the pan sauce ladled over, it makes a nicely elegant entrée without much fuss. It's delicious, even when time isn't of the essence.