Stuffed Tenderloin of Pork with crab presents flavors you'll never forget

Here's another twist on Pork Tenderloin. Open this baby up and stuff it with fresh Dungeness crab. You will be amazed as to how well the flavors go hand in hand. Let's not waste time and get our ingredients together. This recipe is not difficult to prepare so don't be intimidated whastsoever.

1 Tenderloin of Pork (about 1.5 lbs)
1/4 lb of fresh Dungeness Crab
1 medium shallot, minced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
2 tablespoons of cream cheese, room temperature
2 tablespoons of butter, room temperature
1/4 cup of capers
1/4 cup of fresh chopped parsley
1/4 cup of roasted bread crumbs
1/4 cup of grated Gruyere or Parm cheese
salt and pepper (as we go along)
Cooking string
1/4 cup of cream
1/4 cup of water
3 tablespoons of olive oil

Let's first start by preparing our crab stuffing. In a saute pan, heat 1 tablespoon of oil over medium high heat. Saute the garlic and shallots for a few minutes. Add a few pinches of salt and pepper and stir in the bread crumbs. Finally, add the water, stir so that everything is well blended, and transfer all to a small mixing bowl.

In the mixing bowl, add the cream cheese and butter. Mix very well until a nice paste is formed. Add 1/2 of the capers, the parsley, and stir thoroughly. Now add the cheese and crab and stir gently so as not to break down the crab too much. You want to be able to have some chunks of crab stay whole. Set the mixture aside and prepare your tenderloin for stuffing.

Begin by cutting 6 pieces of cooking string, each about 10 inches long. Now, lay your tenderloin on a cutting board and using a sharp knife make a cut down the center of the entire length but don't cut all the way through. Leave about 1/4 inch between the knife and the cutting board. You'll now have 2 halves that are still connected at the bottom. About 1/4 inch from the bottom, cut into the meat down the entire length on each half, making sure not to cut all the way through the side. You got me so far? Your knife should be cutting horizontally. Now you have 4 quarters, still connected together. Do this one more time and open your tenderloin so that it becomes a flat sheet of meat. You may at this time use a mallet and very gently pound it so that it has a smooth surface.

You are now ready to stuff your roast. Start by sprinkling salt and pepper on the meat. Next, using a soup spoon, place your stuffing in a line down the length of the center of the meat, leaving about an inch on each end bare. Take those two ends and fold them in like you would a burrito and fold the length of the meat together so that one side overlaps the other. Now begin to tie your roast up by sliding each string under the meat and tying each string to keep the roast from opening up. You don't need to tie it too tight, just enough to keep it from splitting apart and having the stuffing squeeze out.

Set your oven to 400 (200c). Heat the remaining olive oil in a medium saute pan over medium high heat. When oil just begins to smoke, add the roast carefully and saute for about 3 to 4 minutes on each side to nicely brown the meat. Transfer the pan into the oven and bake at 400 for 10 minutes, then reduce the heat to 350 and bake for another 20 minutes. Remove from the oven, set the roast on a cutting board and let rest for 10 minutes. REMEMBER THE HANDLE WILL BE EXTREMELY NOT, so use mitts. While resting, heat up the pan drippings and add the remaining capers and the cream. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Reduce heat to low, salt and pepper to taste, then shut heat off.

Carve your roast into 1 1/2 inch slices and pour a bit of the sauce over each slice. You may serve this with steamed rice, baby white potatoes, or your favorite green vegetable. Add a bit of the sauce over your side dish as well. Enjoy. This whole dish from start to finish does not take more than an hour to prepare so don't fear that you'll be stuck in the kitchen (although your guests will think so). You will love the flavors !!!