Cocoa Glazed Pork Tenderloin

While perusing my latest copy of Bon Appétit magazine, I ran into a recipe for Red Eye Glazed Pork Tenderloin.  This piqued my interest because I was going to make some sort of Pork Tenderloin for dinner.  The recipe seemed easy and fast enough.  The marinating of the tenderloin was similar to one of the ways I prepare tenderloin - marinate in salt, pepper, crushed peppers and light brown sugar which gives a caramelized presentation of the meat

I have never had or heard of Red Eye Glaze before but the recipe called for coffee or espresson, neither which I had. I decided to use unsweetened hot cocoa.  In the end, the mixture of honey and slightly bitter hot cocoa made for a wonderful glaze that complimented the tenderloin well

Here is my Cocoa Glazed Pork Tenderloin as inspired by Bon Appétit's Red Eye Glazed Pork Tenderloin:

Prep and Cook Time: approximately 2 hours
Serves:  4-6
You will need:  1 large oven safe skillet and a medium saucepan

Pork Tenderloin
1 Tbsp Sea Salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper
1/4 tsp crushed cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp packed light brown sugar
2 1/4 lb trimmed pork tenderloins
2 Tbsp cooking oil

Hot Cocoa Glaze
2 oz diced prosciutto
1 tsp cooking oil
1 small onion, diced
1/2 cup hot cocoa (1/2 cup hot water + 1 tbsp cocoa powder)
2 cups low sodium chicken broth
3 Tbsp honey
2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar

1.  Prepare tenderloin by combining salt, peppers, and brown sugar.  Rub all over tenderloins  and let it stand for at least 1 hour in the refrigerator. 

2.  While tenderloin is marinating, heat 1 Tbsp cooking oil in sauce pan over medium high heat.  Add prosciutto and sauté until golden brown.  Add onion and cook stirring often until soft and translucent.  Slowly stir in hot cocoa and scrape any brown bits around the sauce pan.  Add chicken broth, honey and vinegar.  Lower heat and simmer uncovered for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

3.  After tenderloins have marinated, pre-heat oven to 350°F.  In a large skillet, heat 2 Tbsp cooking oil over medium high heat.  Cook tenderloins on all sides until outsides are golden brown.  Transfer skillet to oven and roast until the thickest part of the meat registers at 140°F from an easy read thermometer, approximately 15 minutes.  Remove from oven and transfer to a cutting board.  Let meat rest uncovered for about 10 minutes before slicing.

4.  Prepare sliced meat on a serving platter and drizzle glaze on top.

Enjoy this SARAPLICIOUS dish!