Pork Wellington - This is a cheap and easy spinoff of the classic Beef Wellington, but it is super tasty. Looks fancy but it's really easy! | www.lakesidetable.com
Preheat oven to 400º F
Season pork well with salt and pepper. Sear it on all sides in a smoking hot pan over high heat using 2 tablespoons olive oil. Set aside.
Lower heat to medium and add onions until they are tender and translucent. Add the garlic and mushrooms. Cook until mushrooms start to release their liquid. Add 1/2 cup of sherry. Save the remaining 1/2 for sauce.
Reduce completely, season well with salt and pepper. Allow to cool.
Brush tenderloin with mustard. Roll out the puff pastry sheet to about 10" x 12". Use flour on your surface to keep from sticking. Line the pastry with ham or prosciutto.
Spoon 1/2 of the mushroom mixture over the ham. Leave a 1-2" border. Place the tenderloin on top in the center. Roll the tenderloin up in the puff pastry. Keep the seam side on the bottom, tuck the ends under too.
Make an egg wash with the egg using 2 tablespoons water and the egg. Brush the egg wash over the puff pastry and sprinkle with coarse salt like Maldon. Place on baking pan sprayed with Pam.
Bake for 20 minutes at 400º F. Turn the pan around an bake until internal temperature reads 135º.
Remove from oven and cut the puff pastry ends off (this allows the steam to escape so the pastry doesn't get soggy). Let the tenderloin rest for 10 minutes.
While the pork is in the oven, add the apple sauce to the remaining onion, garlic, mushroom mixture and cook over medium heat for 2 minutes. Add the other 1/2 cup of sherry and reduce by 1/2.
Mix in the chicken stock and herbs. Cook down until you have your desired consistency.
Slice pork tenderloin and serve over the sauce.
Note in the prep time I put 80 minutes. The active prep time is really about 20-30 minutes as you wash, cut and saute the mushroom mixture, and brown the tenderloin. The other 60 minutes is to let tenderloin cool in the refrigerator. It needs to cool off so it doesn't over cook. AND if you put a hot piece of meat on puff pastry, it melts the pastry and makes it gooey. You get a much better puff all the way around if the meat as cooled first.
Serve with a crisp sauvignon blanc or if you've made this with a beef tenderloin you might like a favorite cabernet sauvignon or Malbec. Baby potatoes with lemon and parsley, green beans almandine, and a big green salad also accompany it well.
This dish is easy enough for a week night family meal and pretty enough for an elegant dinner party.
Make this an ultra low carb, gluten free, and ketogenic dish by simply discarding the puff pastry once it's on your plate. The real treat is the tender and moist pork loin combined with the sherry mushroom sauce. Delish!