PORK TENDERLOIN WITH CREAM BISCUITS AND GRAVY
SOURCE: MARION CUNNINGHAM. THE BREAKFAST BOOK.
Fried pieces of pork tenderloin and fluffy cream biscuits make a delicious and hearty farmhouse breakfast duo that can power through an entire morning of hard physical labor. The fullness of an individual meal serving can even lead to an omission or delay of lunch in cases of hectic workloads. Best of all, there is even no need to consume a significant amount of time and effort in kneading and baking the biscuit dough, cooking the pork, and thickening the gravy.
Ingredients
Cream Biscuits
2 cups/300 grams all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon/6 grams salt
1 tablespoon/6 grams baking powder
2 teaspoons/8 grams sugar
1 to 1 1/2 cups/240 to 360 mL heavy cream
1/3 cup/80 mL melted unsalted butter
12 pieces pork tenderloin, each with a diameter of 2 inches/5 cm and a thickness of 3/4 inch/2 cm
1/2 cup/150 grams all-purpose flour
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
7 tablespoons/90 grams rendered bacon fat
2 cups/500 mL half-and-half OR 1 cup/250 mL milk and 1 cup/250 mL heavy cream
Specific Equipment
Large mixing bowl
Fork
Dough scraper
Baking pan lined with parchment paper
Tray
Large skillet with a diameter of 10 inches/25 cm
Plate
Spatula
Serves 4
Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 425°F/220°C.
2. Stir the flour, salt, and baking in a mixer bowl with a fork until well-blended. Pour in 1 cup/240 mL cream, stirring constantly. Gather the dough together, if the mixture holds together and feels tender. Otherwise, pour and stir in the remainder 1/2 cup/120 mL cream to make the dough hold together.
3. Knead the dough on a lightly floured board for 1 minute. Pat the dough into a large square, about 1/2-inch/1.27 cm thick. Cut the dough equally into 12 squares with a dough scraper.
4. Dip each square into the butter, coating all sides of the dough, and place them on a baking pan lined with parchment paper. Bake for 15 minutes or until the biscuits have risen and lightly browned. Remove the biscuits from the oven and keep warm.
5. Trim any piece of excess fat from the edges of each piece of pork tenderloin. Stir the flour, salt, and pepper on a tray until well-blended. Dredge each piece of pork tenderloin in the flour mixture, shake off excess flour back into the tray. Set aside.
6. Melt 3 tablespoons/39 grams bacon fat in a skillet over medium heat. Sauté in the pork pieces in a single layer for 5 minutes or until all sides of the pork have browned. Reduce the heat to moderate and continue cooking for 5 minutes, or until the pork is cooked through. Remove the pork pieces from the skillet and transfer them to a heated or warm plate. Set aside in a warm place.
7. Add 4 tablespoons/51 grams bacon fat to the remaining fat in the same skillet, scraping up all bits from the bottom of the pan with a spatula. Stir in the excess seasoned flour that was used previously to dredge the pork tenderloin. Raise the heat to medium, stirring constantly until the flour has turned nut-brown in color.
8. Pour in the half-and-half or the milk-cream mixture, still stirring constantly. Reduce the heat to moderate, and continue cooking for 2 to 3 minutes or until the gravy is smooth and thick. Adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper according to taste. Remove the skillet from heat.
9. Distribute 2 to 4 tenderloin pieces for each serving plate, with 2 to 3 biscuits on the side. Spoon the gravy over the pork tenderloin and biscuits.
