Pork tenderloin is one of my favorite cuts of pork. Its very lean you so have to be careful to not overcook it. When done properly the end result is moist and tender. When I saw this recipe a month or so ago (I made it straight away but didn’t get around to blogging about it until now) on Kath Eats blog I knew I had to make it but with a couple of personal preference changes. Not being a huge fan of Blue cheese I went with the more mild flavor of Gorgonzola cheese- still a blue cheese but not so strong. Walnuts in place of pecans because that is what I had on hand and since my tenderloin package contained two pieces of meat I doubled the recipe.
It was a wonderful combination of flavors. The salty bite of Gorgonzola cheese melted with the sweetness of the dates and the crunch of the walnuts and you get a little taste of everything in every bite. Yumminess – a fabulous flavor profile.
Pork tenderloin is available at most grocery stores, Sam’s Club, Costco, Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods. Size varies and you most likely won’t find an exactly 1 or 2 pound package. This particular tenderloin weighed 2.3 pounds. How much cheese, date and nut mixture you need will depend on how large the tenderloin is. Use the following recipe as a starting point and adjust the quantities up or down as needed.
Easy enough for a week night meal but fancy enough to serve for a holiday dinner. You have to try this recipe!
Gorgonzola Cheese, Date & Walnut Stuffed Pork Tenderloin
- 2 pounds lean pork tenderloin
- 3 ounces crumbled Gorgonzola cheese or your favorite blue cheese
- 5 Medjool dates, chopped
- 1/4 cup walnuts, chopped or sub pecans
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
In a small bowl mix together Gorgonzola cheese, dates and nuts. Set aside.
Butterfly the pork tenderloin – with a sharp knife holding, the knife blade flat, so that it’s parallel to the cutting board, make a lengthwise cut into the center of the tenderloin without cutting all the way through, so it opens up like a book. Fill the center with the Gorgonzola, date and nut mixture. Fold the tenderloin back up and secure with kitchen twine at intervals to hold it together.
Place stuffed tenderloin on baking sheet and place in preheated 400 degree oven for about 25 minutes or until meat thermometer inserted in thickest part of tenderloin registers 145 degrees. Remove from oven, tent with foil and let meat rest for 10 minutes prior to cutting. Cut into medallions and serve.
Yield: 6 – 8 servings
Nutritional Information
Per 6 Servings: 280 Calories, 10.7g Fat, 72.5mg Cholesterol, 11.7g Carbs, 1g Fiber, 36.7g Protein WWPP 7
Per 8 Servings: 210 Calories, 8g Fat, 54.4mg Cholesterol, 8.8g Carbs, 0.8g Fiber, 27.5g Protein WWPP 5
Recipe adapted from Kath Eats Real Food.
Nutmeg Notes
Maybe you are like me and are in need of a little color bath and good cheer.
With my compromised mobility I couldn’t decorate the whole house so instead I put out about half a dozen holiday decorations including this glass container (leftover from Katy’s wedding centerpieces) filled with shiny Christmas ornaments. Katy said it’s actually one of her favorites – so classy and simple!
Our Meyers Lemon Tree is loaded with fresh fruit. These have been growing since about June and we are waiting for them to turn more orange in color before picking them. I am so excited – hoping to have some of our favorite Lemon Buttermilk Cupcakes soon!
So I am digging in my photo archives to share some cheery photos with you all. A couple weeks before my foot surgery hubby Tom and I went to lunch at a local plant nursery that has a restaurant in the middle of it. It’s really awesome. The restaurant has glass walls so you are looking out into the nursery while eating. Way cool! These glass flowers and colorful mushrooms in the back ground were for sale. So bright and happy – they make me smile.
They have a huge display of succulents. The old stove has been brought back to life. Hubby Tom and I both love plants and are pretty good at growing them. We enjoy browsing garden centers and nurseries – it’s peaceful and calming.
They gave this old truck a new purpose as well. I love it!
We have a new interest in succulents and added a few to our patio plant collection last summer. We will be coming back here next year to add some more. They are so beautiful. This photo could make a good screen saver one day.
In the adjacent buildings are fun little gift shops, art studios, wine tasting rooms and all types of eclectic gifts for sale. This sign was posted outside of one of the shops – I learned a new word.
I like mixing old books, dishes and linens like in this display. It was so much fun to browse and what a stroke of luck that I had my camera with me that day. I have enjoyed revisiting that experience through photos today and I hope you enjoyed it too.
Happy Tuesday!
Tami
I’m glad you found my blog and hope you feel comfortable enough to leave a comment.
Are you a bricoleur?
Do you have a green thumb?
12 comments
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Cammy@TippyToeDiet says:
December 18, 2012 at 11:03 am (UTC -7)
Alas, my thumb is brown. I am, however, the consummate bricoleur. I like to find new uses for things on hand. That’s a good thing, too, given my current budget.
I like the centerpiece, too! I’m doing something similar for our Christmas table, using a tall vase.
Tami says:
December 18, 2012 at 12:46 pm (UTC -7)
You are a bricoleur Cammy! I have seen some of your wonderful projects you have shared on your blog. I love to re-purpose things and have a love of old dishes but like to use them for candles holders and all sorts of things they weren’t meant for! I was going to use a tall glass vase I had for the shiny ornaments but while I was washing it in the kitchen sink I dropped and broke it!
Georgia Mae says:
December 18, 2012 at 11:45 am (UTC -7)
That recipe looks DELICIOUS. I really love how you include the calorie information as well. I always count calories and it’s nice when I don’t have to figure out the calories in the recipe myself!
You have a great blog.
Tami says:
December 18, 2012 at 12:49 pm (UTC -7)
Hi Georgia Mae and welcome! I try to provide nutritional information for all the recipes on the blog. Thank you for taking the time to leave a comment and I hope you come back often!
Happy Holidays!
Jane says:
December 18, 2012 at 12:26 pm (UTC -7)
Pork tenderloin is one of my favorites too! That sounds so good! And I love your pictures
They are bright and cheery!
Jody - Fit at 55 says:
December 18, 2012 at 3:14 pm (UTC -7)
I have NO green thumb & not really a bricoleur either.
Love all the pics – so cool & pretty too!
Hang in there Tami – 2013 is gonna be your year! I hope mine too!
Tami says:
December 19, 2012 at 6:21 am (UTC -7)
Lets hope so Jody!
Helen says:
December 19, 2012 at 1:48 am (UTC -7)
My thumb is so brown, plants start to wilt if I even approach. And guess what they did at work? Put ME in charge of the few plants we have in the lobby. I told my boss once I kill them all off, we’re buying silk LOL!
That pork looks delicious. I have a great recipe that I made just on Sunday: apple stuffed pork chops and you make a gorgonzola sauce to put over them. I need to give this one a try.
Tami says:
December 19, 2012 at 6:23 am (UTC -7)
I thought you had a green thumb Helen, your patio plants and flowers always look so nice! Ooh an apple stuffed tenderloin with gorgonzola sauce- yum!
The Candid RD says:
December 19, 2012 at 5:02 am (UTC -7)
That pork sounds wonderful. I love tenderloin, and with walnuts and blue cheese I don’t think you can go wrong!!
No, I have a very red thumb (opposite of green?? haha). Nick has a green thumb though, thank goodness!
Renee@Mykitchenadventures says:
December 20, 2012 at 7:36 am (UTC -7)
Tami, I would love this pork recipe. I would be eating it alone though! lol Hubby doesn’t mix any sweet flavors with his meat and youngest son doesn’t like blue cheese nor gorgonzola. But me…I’d be all over it. I’ll just have to come to your house to enjoy next time you make it! haha
I love how quaint that nursery is. A happy spot for sure! I would like to say I have an ok green thumb. Not the greatest, but I can keep things alive for sure. I think my herb garden is my favorite thing to grow. There is noting like fresh organic herbs!
Tami says:
December 20, 2012 at 7:48 am (UTC -7)
My hubby doesn’t usually like sweet flavors with meat either but the gorgonzola cheese somehow makes it all okay for him! I wish you could come enjoy this meal with us.
I need to try my hand at an herb garden. I buy those potted ones once or twice a year that I can keep on my kitchen counter near the windows and I enjoy having them when I want them. The fresh herbs from the grocery store never last long!