Maple Bacon-Wrapped Pork Tenderloin with Rosemary Cherry Sauce -- The Fall Table That Feeds the People You Love

The ISFA work continues — another kitchen table this week, another young family with numbers that might work. I sat across from a couple in Poweshiek County and laid out the grants and watched their faces change from fear to possibility, and the change is the thing I live for now.

I made pot roast with more carrots this week — the fall version, the one that fills the kitchen with the smell that means this time of year, this stage of life, this specific Tuesday when the stove is warm and the family is fed and the feeding is the point. Kevin ate seconds. The man always eats seconds. The eating is the approval and the approval is the marriage.

The trees along the highway are turning — maples red, oaks gold, the Bradford pears doing their useless purple thing. Iowa falls are short and violent and beautiful. The kitchen shifts to slow mode: crockpots, Dutch ovens, the oven at 375 from September through April. The fall cooking is the cooking of a woman settling in for the long season.

The pot roast was Tuesday’s answer, but by Thursday I was ready for something that felt a little more like a celebration — the week had been full of good things, faces changing from fear to possibility, Kevin eating seconds, the maples doing their best work along the highway — and this maple bacon-wrapped pork tenderloin is exactly the kind of dish that matches that feeling. It’s fall cooking the way fall cooking should be: the oven warm, the house smelling like something worth coming home to, the table set for people who matter.

Maple Bacon-Wrapped Pork Tenderloin with Rosemary Cherry Sauce

Prep Time: 15 minutes | Cook Time: 30 minutes | Total Time: 45 minutes | Servings: 4

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 lbs pork tenderloin (about 2 small tenderloins)
• 6–8 slices thick-cut bacon
• 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• For the Rosemary Cherry Sauce:
• 1 cup frozen or fresh dark cherries, pitted and halved
• 1/3 cup chicken broth
• 2 tablespoons maple syrup
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• 1 sprig fresh rosemary (or 1/2 teaspoon dried)
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Preheat and prep. Preheat oven to 400°F. Pat the pork tenderloins dry with paper towels. In a small bowl, mix together the maple syrup, smoked paprika, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Brush the mixture evenly over the pork.
2. Wrap with bacon. Lay the bacon slices out slightly overlapping on a cutting board. Place one tenderloin at the edge and roll it forward, pressing the bacon to adhere. Repeat with the second tenderloin. Secure with toothpicks if needed.
3. Sear the tenderloins. Heat olive oil in an oven-safe skillet (cast iron works best) over medium-high heat. Sear the bacon-wrapped tenderloins on all sides until the bacon is beginning to crisp and brown, about 4–5 minutes total.
4. Roast. Transfer the skillet to the preheated oven. Roast for 18–22 minutes, or until the internal temperature of the pork reaches 145°F. Remove from oven and let rest on a cutting board for 5 minutes before slicing.
5. Make the cherry sauce. While the pork rests, return the skillet to medium heat (pour off most of the bacon drippings, leaving about 1 teaspoon). Add cherries, chicken broth, maple syrup, balsamic vinegar, and rosemary. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the sauce reduces by about half and thickens slightly, 6–8 minutes. Remove the rosemary sprig, swirl in the butter, and season with salt and pepper.
6. Serve. Slice the tenderloins into 1-inch medallions, remove toothpicks if used, and arrange on a platter. Spoon the rosemary cherry sauce generously over the top and serve immediately.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 390 | Protein: 38g | Fat: 18g | Carbs: 16g | Fiber: 1g | Sodium: 620mg