By New Year's Eve, 2022. I made the dinner I'd planned: duck breast with cherry sauce, the preserved Montmorency cherries from June, roasted root vegetables from the cellar. Ate slowly, the fire going, the radio on low. The Burgundy was good. I opened it at dinner and finished it watching the clock approach midnight, which I did sitting in the chair by the woodstove rather than at the table. A comfortable position for the end of a year.
At midnight I stepped outside for a moment — the property dark and snow-covered, the sky clear, the temperature at fifteen degrees. A Vermont midnight on New Year's Eve: the quality of cold and silence that makes a moment feel definite. This was 2022. Now this is 2023. I went inside and went to bed.
January first: Sarah called in the morning. Carol called in the afternoon. Teddy texted: Happy New Year grampa. The small ceremonies of a new year beginning. I made a simple potato soup for lunch — the pantry soup, the one that requires only what I always have — and ate it at the kitchen table with the new year's light coming in the window, which is the same as any winter light but on this day looks like a beginning.
My birthday is in two and a half weeks. January eighteenth. Seventy years old. I'm not afraid of it. I've been thinking about what seventy means and what I've found is: not much. Not in the way I expected. The fear of a number is always larger than the number.
The duck and the Montmorency cherries were this particular year’s version of something I return to often: a good cut of meat, a bright fruit sauce, and enough time to let it all come together without rushing. When the preserved cherries aren’t on hand or the season calls for something a little lighter, this pork tenderloin with a peach glaze fills exactly the same role—the kind of dinner that justifies setting the table properly, even when it’s just you. It’s the recipe I’d offer anyone who read about that New Year’s Eve and wanted to make something in the same spirit.
Just Peachy Pork Tenderloin
Prep Time: 15 min | Cook Time: 25 min | Total Time: 40 min | Servings: 4
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 lbs pork tenderloin, trimmed
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 3/4 cup peach preserves or jam
- 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
- 1 tablespoon butter
Instructions
- Preheat the oven. Heat oven to 425°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil and set aside.
- Season the pork. Pat the tenderloin dry with paper towels. Combine salt, pepper, garlic powder, and smoked paprika, then rub the mixture evenly over all sides of the pork.
- Sear. Heat olive oil in an oven-safe skillet over medium-high heat. Sear the tenderloin for 2—3 minutes per side until a golden crust forms, about 8 minutes total.
- Make the peach glaze. While the pork sears, whisk together the peach preserves, Dijon mustard, apple cider vinegar, and red pepper flakes in a small saucepan over low heat. Stir in the butter and cook for 2 minutes until smooth and slightly thickened.
- Glaze and roast. Brush the seared tenderloin generously with half the peach glaze. Transfer the skillet to the oven and roast for 15—18 minutes, or until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the thickest part reads 145°F.
- Rest and serve. Transfer the tenderloin to a cutting board and let it rest for 5 minutes. Slice into 1-inch medallions and spoon the remaining warm glaze over the top before serving.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 340 | Protein: 36g | Fat: 10g | Carbs: 26g | Fiber: 0g | Sodium: 480mg