Boudin-Stuffed Pork Tenderloin with Blackberry Wine Sauce
 
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
 
Luckily, I live within five minutes of artisan boudin makers, but if you do not, I’ve included a link to the recipe.
Recipe by:
Serves: 4 to 6
Ingredients
  • 2 (1½ pounds) pork tenderloins
  • 1 package cream cheese
  • 2 pounds store-bought boudin or see recipe here
  • 1 pound thick-cut, smoked bacon
  • 2 tablespoons Acadiana Table Cajun Seasoning Blend, see recipe here
  • 2 sprigs rosemary
  • 2 cups white onion, finely diced
  • 2 tablespoons garlic, finely diced
  • 1 bottle blackberry wine
  • 1 tablespoon sugarcane molasses
  • 1 tablespoon butter, unsalted
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 tablespoon cornstarch, if needed
  • 1 tablespoon cold water, if needed
  • Sprigs of rosemary, for garnish
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 350ºF.
  2. On a wooden cutting board, slice each pork tenderloin along the middle, but stop short of going all the way through. Form a pocket leaving a half-inch at each end and open it up.
  3. Spread the cream cheese liberally along the full length of the bottom of each pocket. Stuff the boudin inside the pocket. Close the pork loins and turn the meat up on the cutting board. Lay strips of bacon on the top, side by side, along the length of the tenderloins, wrapping the ends of the bacon underneath to close them up.
  4. Sprinkle the tenderloins lightly with seasoning. Stem and chop one sprig of rosemary and sprinkle over the tenderloins.
  5. In a deep-sided baking pan lined with aluminum foil, place the tenderloins and add the chopped onions and garlic along with 1 cup of the blackberry wine.
  6. Cover the top of the baking pan with foil and move it to the oven. Set the timer for one hour.
  7. After 1 hour, take out the pan and remove the foil cover. Pour off the onion, wine, and pan drippings into a medium-sized pot. Move the pan back to the oven uncovered to begin finishing the meat. Increase the heat to 400ºF.
  8. After 15 minutes, open the oven and check it. See that it is starting to add color, and the bacon is just beginning to crisp. The bacon should not be crispy but still hold its shape along the length of the tenderloin. Watch closely and remove. Cover once again with foil and let rest in a warm place.
  9. Meanwhile, finish the sauce by turning the burner on high heat under the pot with the drippings. As it begins to reach a simmer, add the rest of the blackberry wine and the molasses. Turn the fire down and let the mixture reduce by half. With an immersion blender, blend the onions and garlic to a purée, helping to thicken the sauce. Stem and chop the remaining sprig of rosemary and add to the sauce. Add richness to the sauce with the knob of butter; stir and taste. Add salt and freshly ground black pepper to correct the seasoning. The sauce should be thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, but not like a thick gravy. If you need to thicken, make a slurry by stirring 1 tablespoon of corn starch and an equal amount of cold water. Stir it into the sauce and let it come to a boil to reach the desired thickness. Pour the sauce into a serving bowl and keep warm.
  10. To plate the dish, move the tenderloins to a cutting board. The bacon will serve as a mark for portion controlling as you should slice in between each bacon strip. Position the pork pieces on a large platter retaining the shape of the tenderloin. Be sure to spoon some of the wine sauce over the top and garnish with more sprigs of rosemary.
Notes
You can substitute any fortified, fruity wine for this, even Port.
Recipe by Acadiana Table at https://www.acadianatable.com/?p=5465