This post is sponsored by McCormick® but the content and opinions expressed here are my own.
A Holiday Twist
Holidays are a BIG DEAL at our house. Neil and I were just talking about our families’ traditions when we were younger and what traditions we wanted to keep for Kaya. Food is always at the center of our holiday celebrations. We like to keep tradition in mind when we make our holiday dishes but get a little creative too. Thankfully, our favorite brand McCormick® keeps its ingredients reliably fresh and stocked at H-E-B!
Neil and I journeyed to the H-E-B in Waxahachie, TX recently. This is the ONLY H-E-B in our area that’s relatively close. It’s about a forty-five-minute drive from our home and worth it. We both come from the central Texas area where H-E-B’s are everywhere! Our neighborhood’s mom group actually schedules H-E-B field trips and supply runs for our neighbors. I love this community!
This year we wanted to give pork tenderloin a try…Neil was slightly unsure about this one but it turned out juicy and delicious!
Why Pork?
Pork Tenderloin is a relatively cheap cut of meat and it feeds a crowd. We wanted to make it feel rustic and “homey” by stuffing it with sliced granny smith apples, mushrooms and gorgonzola cheese and rubbing it down with McCormick® Sage.
The bite of the gorgonzola cheese and the sweetness of the apples are the perfect partners to your tenderloin this holiday season.
It was super simple to throw together and forget about in the oven for a couple of hours. This is such a great option if you like to entertain and actually want to hang out with your guests!
Stuffed Pepper Sage Rubbed Pork Tenderloin
Equipment
- kitchen twine
- chef's knife
- baking sheet
- cooling rack
Ingredients
- 4 lb Pork Tenderloin
- 1 tbsp McCormick® Ground Black Pepper
- 2 tbsp McCormick® Ground Sage
- 1 tbsp McCormick® Sea Salt Grinder
- 4 small granny smith apples, sliced thin
- 1/3 cup mini portabella mushrooms, sliced
- 5 oz gorgonzola cheese, crumbled
- 2 oz apple juice in spray bottle optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Prepare cooling rack inside of a baking sheet.
- Butterfly pork tenderloin. Liberally dust inside and out with ground pepper, salt and sage. Stuff apples, mushrooms and cheese in the loin.
- Secure both halves of the tenderloin in 3" segments with kitchen twine. Spray outside with apple juice (optional). Place on cooling rack/baking sheet.
- Bake for an hour or until tenderloin reaches 145°F (medium rare) to 160°F (medium). Spray with apple juice (optional) and rest for 10 minutes on cooling rack. The tenderloin should increase by about 10 degrees while resting.
- Slice and serve with sides!
BONUS Recipe!
Leftover Apple Treat?
I overbought on apples (again). Because of this happy mistake, and my always needing something sweet to sink my teeth into, we did a spin on apple pie stuffed french toast cups. We used the leftover granny smith apples, cinnamon raisin bread, McCormick® Pumpkin Pie Spice and McCormick® Allspice.
This is sticky, gooey, sweet and perfect for an after-meal treat or a heavy breakfast Hors D’Oeuvres if your family gathers for the holidays in the morning.
Cinnamon Raisin French Toast Cups
Equipment
- 2- 6 cup muffin tins
- nonstick spray
- nonstick skillet or cast iron skillet
- small bowl
Materials
French Toast Cups
- 12 slices Cinnamon Raisin bread
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup milk
- 1 tsp McCormick® Pumpkin Pie Spice
- 1 tsp McCormick® Ground AllSpice
Pecan Apple Pie Filling
- 4 small Granny Smith Apples, small diced
- 1/2 cup Pecans, chopped ultra fine
- 1 cup Brown Sugar
- 1 tsp McCormick® Pumpkin Pie Spice
- 1 tsp McCormick® Ground AllSpice
- 4 tbsp European Butter
- 1 tbsp Molasses
- 1/4 cup Apple Cider
- 2 tbsp Cornstarch
- 2 tbsp water
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350
French Toast Cups
- Spray muffin tins with non stick spray
- Prepare french toast custard. Whisk eggs, milk, McCormick® Pumpkin Pie Spice and Allspice together in a small casserole dish (or pie pan, bowl, etc)
- Soak bread in custard and press the bread into the muffin tin cups.
- Bake cups for 20 minutes. Set aside to cool
Pecan Apple Pie Filling
- Place butter in nonstick or cast iron skillet and melt. Add finely chopped pecans, cider, sugar, molasses and spices. Bring to simmer.
- Simmer for five minutes, stirring frequently. Add dices apples and stir. Simmer for another five minutes, stirring frequently.
- Make cornstach slurry by mixing together cornstarch and water in a small bowl. Add slurry to the filling. Stir until bubbly and thickened.
- Remove from heat and cool.
Assembly and Bake
- Fill bread with filling and bake for 15 minutes. Let cool for 15 minutes before removing and serving.
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