Pork Tenderloin Medallions with Fig & Port Wine Sauce

We've got another winner here! Believe me, the "wow" factor is quite high when you serve this to your guests because the presentation will blow them away. And then, when they taste it ..... another wow! I like serving this with either steamed rice, or orzo, or couscous, or mashed potatoes, all of which can soak up some of the delicious sauce so every bite is sure to please. A side dish of grilled or roasted vegetables, or even a salad of fresh greens tossed in a homemade vinaigrette would be great.

Ingredients:

15 small dried mission figs, stemmed

1 cup tawny port (darker version of ruby port)

2 teaspoons plus 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, divided

1 cup thinly sliced onion

1 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth

1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme

1 bay leaf

1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar, or to taste

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, divided

Freshly ground pepper to taste

1 pork tenderloin (1 1/4 lbs.), trimmed of fat and silver skin

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

Directions:

Make the fig/port sauce:

Place the figs and port in a microwaveable bowl, cover and microwave on High for 3 minutes. Heat 2 teaspoons oil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. 

Add broth, thyme, bay leaf and the fig-port mixture. Bring to a boil and cook until reduced by half, about 12-14 minutes. Add the vinegar, 1/4 teaspoon of the salt, and freshly ground pepper to taste. Let the sauce cool down a bit. Remove and discard the bay leaves; scoop out the figs and transfer onto a plate; purée the sauce in a food processor (or use an immersion blender, pureeing the sauce in the pan). Put the figs back. Set aside.

Make the medallions:

Sprinkle both sides of pork tenderloin with the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt and pepper, and dredge lightly with flour, shaking off the excess.

Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-heat. Add the pork and cook until browned all over, 2-3 minutes per side.

Add the fig-port sauce, bring to a simmer and cook until the pork is cooked and heated through, about 15-20 minutes(keep checking as the sauce might thicken too much). If the sauce is too thin, remove the pork with a slotted spoon to a platter and tent with foil to keep warm. Simmer the sauce until reduced and syrupy. If too thick, add chicken broth

Slice the pork into medallions and serve with some of the sauce on top of the medallions and the figs; serve remaining sauce on the side. Serves 6 to 8.