Smoked Pork Tenderloin, Basil and Creamy Fontina Peppery Cheese Sauce
Recipe by chef Richard Julien
You will become a legend in the neighborhood with this classic recipe of smokey grilled pork and a creamy cheese and herb sauce! The Fontina is a perfect cow’s milk cheese with a nutty almost earthy flavor perfectly matched for grilled and smoked meats!
- Prep: 15 min
- Cooking: 38 min
- Grilling Time: 25 min
Ingredients
- 2 pork tenderloins trimmed of any silver skin, about 1 lb (500 g) each
- 2 cups (500 mL) apple wood smoking chips (soaked in water for at least 1 hr)
- 2 tsp (10 mL) vegetable oil
- Fontina Cheese Sauce
- 3 tbsp (45 mL) butter
- 6 cloves garlic minced
- 2 cups (500 mL) white wine (Riesling or Gewürztraminer)
- 1/2 cup (125 mL) fresh basil leaves packed, keep 4 leaves aside
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 1/2 cups (375 mL) 35 % cream
- 2 tbsp (30 mL) liquid honey
- 1 tbsp (15 mL) Dijon mustard
- 2 tsp (10 mL) fresh cracked black peppercorns
- 1 tsp (5 mL) Kosher salt
- 1/4 tsp (1 mL) ground nutmeg
- 1 cup (250 mL) Canadian Fontina or Canadian smoked Gouda shredded
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Preparation
Pre-heat barbecue to high heat. Place pork on plate, cover with plastic wrap and let stand for 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, drain the water from the wood chips. Place soaked wood chips on a 2-ft (.60 meters) piece of heavy duty foil. Wrap to make a packet; with tip of knife, poke 8 holes. Place on the rocks in your barbecue; close lid and let smoke develop, about 15 minutes.
Brush tenderloins with oil; season with salt and pepper. Lower the heat to medium. Grill covered, rotating the pork on all 4 sides, until juices run clear when pork is pierced and just a hint of pink remains, about 25 to 30 minutes or until a meat thermometer registers 165 °F (75 °C). Remove to clean plate, loosely cover with foil; let rest 7 minutes before slicing.
Fontina Cheese Sauce:
Pre-heat a medium saucepan to medium-low heat. Add butter and garlic; sauté 3 to 4 minutes or until golden brown. Add wine, 4 basil leaves and bay leaf; increase heat to medium-high and cook until reduced to 1/2 cup (125 mL), about 20 minutes. Stir in cream, honey, mustard, pepper, salt and nutmeg; reduce heat to medium and cook, stirring occasionally for 15 minutes or until the sauce coats the back of a spoon. (You should be able to draw a line in the sauce on the spoon with your finger and the sauce should not drip down the spoon where you made the line.)
With a wooden spoon, stir in cheese; lower the heat to low. Cook stirring until the cheese is melted. Remove from heat and cool for 5 minutes. Remove and discard bay leaf. In a blender, puree sauce along with the remaining 1/2 cup (125 mL) of basil, until smooth.
Serve sliced smoked pork with the creamy Fontina cheese sauce and your favorite side dishes!
Tips
Make sure the sauce has cooled considerably before pureeing.
Always allow you barbecued meats to rest for at least 7 minutes before you slice and serve. This allows the juices inside to restore equilibrium. Often when we cook beef, chicken, lamb or pork we cut into the meat as soon as we remove from the grill. This results in a loss of many of the natural juices that make this dish succulent and juicy!
Nutritional information
Per serving| Energy: | 371 Calories |
| Protein: | 25 g |
| Carbohydrate: | 7 g |
| Fat: | 23 g |
| Fibre: | 0.3 g |
| Sodium: | 406 mg |
Top 5 Nutrients
| (% DV*) | |
|---|---|
| Calcium: | 9 % / 102 mg |
| Thiamin: | 79 % |
| Selenium: | 67 % |
| Vitamin B6: | 47 % |
| Vitamin B12: | 38 % |
