Sous Vide Pork Tenderloin with Lemon and Sage

I recently came across a slow-cooking recipe for chicken that uses milk, lemon peel and sage to cook a whole chicken, roasting it in the oven until it is falling apart tender. It occurs to me that the flavors are perfect for a piece of pork. One tenderloin is just the right size for two people. You don’t get the sauce that the chicken has, but the flavors infuse the whole piece of pork and you won’t miss the sauce--which I go ahead and use for the couscous.

Author

Barbara Freda

I grew up in a cooking family and after getting a degree in Spanish and Anthropology, realized what I really wanted to do was to go to culinary school. After working in a NYC bank for a few years, I managed to get to culinary school and got my first jobs in NYC kitchens, including a long stint at Union Square Cafe in its earliest years. After (sadly) leaving NYC, I realized I needed to step away from the 80-hour work weeks, so I left the heat of the kitchen for the cool of the computer keyboard: I started writing about food, the business of food, and technology in the food industry, as well as teaching cooking classes. Recipe development remains one of my top loves, and the opportunity to develop recipes for Anova has been fun every step of the way.

Prep Time: 00:15

Recipe Time: 02:00

Temperature : 140F / 60C

Ingredients

• 1 (1-pound) pork tenderloin, trimmed
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 3/4 cup whole milk
• 4 cloves garlic, peeled
• Peel of 1 lemon
• 5 fresh sage leaves
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1/2 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 2 cups cooked couscous

Directions

1. Set the Anova Sous Vide Precision Cooker to 140ºF (60ºC).
2. Pat tenderloin dry with paper towel. Generously with salt and pepper and place in a large zipper lock bag. Add milk, garlic, lemon peel, sage, cinnamon, and butter.
3. Seal the bag using the water immersion technique and place in the water bath. Set the timer for 2 hours.

Finishing Steps

1. When the timer goes off, remove the bag from the water bath. Remove the pork from the bag and pat dry. Reserve cooking liquid.
2. Heat vegetable oil in a large nonstick skillet over high heat. When the oil is shimmering, add the pork and sear until well-browned, about 1 minute per side. Transfer to a cutting board and cover to keep warm.
3. Wipe skillet clean with a paper towel and add reserved cooking liquid. Bring the liquid to a boil over high heat—it will curdle immediately, but don’t worry. Remove whole garlic cloves and discard. Stir cooked couscous into skillet, letting it absorb the sauce. Remove from heat and season to taste with salt and pepper.
4. To serve, spoon couscous onto plate, then top with sliced pork tenderloin. Serve.