Pork Tenderloin Stuffed with Caramalized Onions and Cranberries Topped with Crusted Goat Cheese

Prepare your crusted goat cheese first. Place the beaten egg in a bowl. Place bread crumbs seasoned with 1/4 tsp of the salt in a separate bowl. Set aside. Prepare a plate lined with wax paper. Set aside. Remove your goat cheese from the package and place on a cutting board. Take an 8" piece of thread(sewing thread works fine)and slice the cheese in 1/4 inch rounds. Dip the rounds of cheese in the beaten egg, then in the bread crumbs, ensuring that all side are covered and put on plate. Do this for all the pieces. Cover the plate with plastic wrap and store in refrigerator. Slice your red onion in half lenghtwise, then thinly slice each half crosswise. Heat a non stick pan and add the butter and 1 Tbls of the olive oil on med-high heat. When heated (butter is foaming) add the onions and stir fry for 2-3 minutes. Turn your heat down to med-low and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring every minute or so. Add 1 cup of the cranberries and the red wine. Continue to simmer for 10 minutes, again stirring every few minutes. Add the white sugar and simmer for another 5 minutes and remove from heat. Set aside. Preheat oven to 375F. Take your tenderloins and place on a clean surface. Cut a slit in the side of the pork all the way down and making sure you only cut 3/4's of the way in. Season pork with worcestershire sauce, lime juice, the remaining salt, pepper, onion powder and garlic powder. Stuff each tenderloin with the caramlized onions and cranberries mixture. In an oven proof skillet, heat 2 Tbls of the olive oil on med-high heat. Brown the stuffed tenderloins for 2 minutes, flip over with spatula or thongs and brown another two minutes. Move the skillet to the oven for 18 minutes or until internal temperture of 160F is reached. Remove and cover with foil wrap for 10 to 15 minutes. While the tenderloins are baking. In a small sauce pan add the port wine, 1/4 cup of the cranberries, the maple syrup and chicken broth and simmer on med heat for 15 minutes until reduced to about half. Strain through fine seive and return to sauce pan and keep warm. Heat 1 Tbls of olive oil in a non stick pan on med heat. Add the crusted goat cheese rounds and fry on each side for about 1 minute or until golden brown (you may have to add a little extra olive oil to the pan when they are turned over). Remove from heat. Slice the pork tenderloins in 1" thick slices. Place 2 pieces to a plate. Cover with one or two crusted goat cheese pieces and top with a couple of spoonfuls of the reduce maple and port sauce.

Additional information : Contest recipe category: Meat and Game

Source : Denise Ouellette