Pork Medallions with Chocolate-Orange Sauce

Serves 6 / The combination of orange juice with fresh ginger and a hint of earthy chocolate is stunning with pork medallions. This is a dish simple enough for a weeknight supper and gorgeous enough to serve to guests, all of whom will wonder just what’s in your magical sauce. The hardest part of this recipe is cooking the medallions in batches and deglazing the pan with orange juice between the second and third batches; this important step prevents the pan juices from burning and ruining your sauce.

2 pounds pork tenderloins
Salt and pepper
4 tablespoons canola or vegetable oil, divided
1 cup orange juice, bottled or fresh
1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger
1 ounce unsweetened chocolate, chopped

1. Rinse tenderloins and dry well with paper towels. Cut off fat and any silver skin with
a sharp paring knife. Cut tenderloins into even 1-inch slices and pound each gently with the flat side of a knife until 3/4-inch thick. Sprinkle slices with salt and pepper. You will have 24–28 slices total.
2. Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a heavy-bottomed 12-inch skillet until surface shimmers. Add 6–7 pork slices (no more or they won’t be able to brown completely) and sear on one side for 90 seconds or until brown. Turn slices over and sear for another 80–90 seconds. Remove cooked slices to a plate and cover to keep warm. Repeat with 6–7 more slices.
3. After cooking and removing the second batch, pour in orange juice and scrape up browned bits with a wooden spoon. Pour orange juice mixture into a bowl and reserve.
4. Pour remaining 2 tablespoons oil into skillet and heat until shimmering. Repeat cooking process with third and fourth batches of tenderloin. After final batch is seared, remove from pan; add orange juice back into skillet, scraping up any browned bits with a wooden spoon. Boil until thickened, 3–5 minutes.
5. Stir in chocolate and ginger until smooth; add pork slices and heat through for 1 minute. Serve immediately.

PER SERVING: 308 cal, 51% fat cal, 17g fat, 4g sat fat, 96mg chol, 32g protein, 5g carb, 1g fiber, 76mg sodium