Recipe Fridays: Honey-Sesame Pork Tenderloins

Well, it's time for another Recipe Friday.  This week, we're serving up a main dish instead of a baked good. :) Mom made this recipe for Dad, Abbie, Jay and Jeanette when they were here for dinner last Saturday. When both Jay and Jeanette asked for the recipe, I knew it was one worth sharing with my readers.

To make this recipe FODMAPS friendly, Mom substituted the maple syrup in place of the honey and used garlic top greens in place of garlic cloves.

These beautiful local free-range pork tenderloins were served with rice pilaf, fresh local asparagus and fresh local salad. Cookies for dessert! (Recipe coming next week). 

Thank you, Mom, for serving us such a wonderful meal and always making our company feel welcome and well-nourished. 

Honey-Sesame Pork Tenderloins

2  whole pork tenderloins, about 1 lb each

1 T. minced garlic cloves

1 T. minced fresh ginger

1/3 c. soy sauce

2 t. sesame oil

2/3 c. honey

2 T. packed brown sugar

Sesame seeds

Combine all ingredients and allow pork tenderloins to marinate 4-6 hours (or overnight).

Remove tenderloins from marinade and place on baking sheet or pie pan.  Pour marinade into saucepan.  Generously sprinkle sesame seeds all over tenderloins.  Bake at 350 degrees approx. 25-30 minutes for medium to medium rare doneness.  Remove from oven, cover and seal with foil and allow to rest about 10 minutes before slicing.  Bring the marinade to a boil. Simmer until mixture is reduced by half – about 10 minutes.  Watch sauce carefully!!  Serve sauce with meat.

Notes from Chef Renee:  The original recipe is from a class I took with a woman named Melanie.  I reduced some of the garlic and ginger and simplified the preparations she used.  She also used a special seasoning soy sauce that I didn’t buy.  I baked the tenderloins for a shorter time than she did….We don’t like well done meat.  I only marinate the meat for the afternoon…Melanie did it overnight…Hope you enjoy it.

When I make this for just the 2 of us, I use ½ the marinade recipe for 1 pork tenderloin.

Tonight I had 3 small pork tenderloins – less than 2 ½ lbs total….Leftovers are good too!