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Pork Florentine

By Matthew Fairman

Published on February 26, 2021

Time

1 hour

Yield

Serves 4

Pork Florentine

Ingredients

1 tablespoon herbes de Provence 2 ¼ teaspoons kosher salt, divided1 ¼ teaspoons pepper, divided2 (1-pound) pork tenderloins, trimmed2 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided1 shallot, minced2 garlic cloves, minced1 pound (16 cups) baby spinach ¾ cup heavy cream ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus extra for sprinkling½ teaspoon grated lemon zest plus 1 teaspoon juice¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg Pinch cayenne pepper

Before You Begin

If you can't find herbes de Provence, you can substitute the following: 1 teaspoon of dried marjoram; 1 teaspoon of dried thyme; ½ teaspoon of dried basil; ½ teaspoon of dried rosemary, crumbled; ½ teaspoon of dried sage; and a pinch of ground fennel.

Instructions

  1.  Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 325 degrees. Combine herbes de Provence, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper in bowl. Pat pork dry with paper towels and sprinkle with herb mixture.
  2.  Heat 1 tablespoon oil in 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Cook pork until well browned on all sides, about 8 minutes.
  3.  Transfer pork to rimmed baking sheet. Roast until pork registers 135 degrees, 14 to 17 minutes. Transfer pork to carving board, tent with aluminum foil, and let rest while cooking spinach.
  4.  Heat remaining 1 tablespoon oil in now-empty skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add shallot and garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add spinach, 1 handful at a time, allowing each to wilt slightly before adding next. Cook until fully wilted and liquid has mostly evaporated, about 4 minutes.
  5.  Stir in cream, remaining ¼ teaspoon salt, and remaining ¼ teaspoon pepper and bring to boil over high heat. Cook until reduced and thickened (rubber spatula will leave trail that takes about 3 seconds to fill in), about 3 minutes. Off heat, stir in Parmesan, lemon zest and juice, nutmeg, and cayenne. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
  6.  Slice pork ¾ inch thick and serve with spinach mixture, sprinkled with extra Parmesan.
Pork Florentine

Pork Florentine

Headshot of Matthew Fairman
By Matthew Fairman
4.5(43)
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Time

1 hour

Yield

Serves 4

Ingredients

1 tablespoon herbes de Provence
2 ¼ teaspoons kosher salt, divided
1 ¼ teaspoons pepper, divided
2 (1-pound) pork tenderloins, trimmed
2 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
1 shallot, minced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 pound (16 cups) baby spinach
¾ cup heavy cream
¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus extra for sprinkling
½ teaspoon grated lemon zest plus 1 teaspoon juice
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
Pinch cayenne pepper

Test Kitchen Techniques

Ingredients

1 tablespoon herbes de Provence
2 ¼ teaspoons kosher salt, divided
1 ¼ teaspoons pepper, divided
2 (1-pound) pork tenderloins, trimmed
2 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
1 shallot, minced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 pound (16 cups) baby spinach
¾ cup heavy cream
¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus extra for sprinkling
½ teaspoon grated lemon zest plus 1 teaspoon juice
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
Pinch cayenne pepper

Test Kitchen Techniques

Ingredients

1 tablespoon herbes de Provence
2 ¼ teaspoons kosher salt, divided
1 ¼ teaspoons pepper, divided
2 (1-pound) pork tenderloins, trimmed
2 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
1 shallot, minced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 pound (16 cups) baby spinach
¾ cup heavy cream
¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus extra for sprinkling
½ teaspoon grated lemon zest plus 1 teaspoon juice
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
Pinch cayenne pepper

Test Kitchen Techniques

Why This Recipe Works

We wanted beautifully seared, juicy, well-seasoned pork; we wanted just-wilted, bright-green fresh spinach bathed in a complex, creamy sauce; and we wanted it all to be easy and fast. Pork tenderloin, with its tender, lean, juicy meat, paired beautifully with a rich spinach-cream sauce, plus it had a postcooking resting time long enough for us to make the fast sauce. We generously seasoned two tenderloins (enough for four people) with salt and pepper and added a tablespoon of herbes de Provence, a powerhouse blend of dried herbs. As soon as we'd browned the pork in a hot skillet, we transferred the tenderloins to a rimmed baking sheet to finish cooking through in a 325-degree oven. Moving them to the sheet prevented the bottoms from overcooking in contact with the hot skillet. While the tenderloins rested, we wilted a pound of tender fresh baby spinach with some garlic, shallot, and extra-virgin olive oil and cooked off the excess moisture (to keep the sauce from becoming watery). Then we stirred in the cream to let it simmer briefly until it thickened into a sauce with luxurious body. We finished the rich, creamy spinach with savory Parmesan cheese, a touch of warming nutmeg and cayenne, and a hit of bright fresh lemon.

Before You Begin

If you can't find herbes de Provence, you can substitute the following: 1 teaspoon of dried marjoram; 1 teaspoon of dried thyme; ½ teaspoon of dried basil; ½ teaspoon of dried rosemary, crumbled; ½ teaspoon of dried sage; and a pinch of ground fennel.

Instructions

  1.  Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 325 degrees. Combine herbes de Provence, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper in bowl. Pat pork dry with paper towels and sprinkle with herb mixture.
  2.  Heat 1 tablespoon oil in 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Cook pork until well browned on all sides, about 8 minutes.
  3.  Transfer pork to rimmed baking sheet. Roast until pork registers 135 degrees, 14 to 17 minutes. Transfer pork to carving board, tent with aluminum foil, and let rest while cooking spinach.
  4.  Heat remaining 1 tablespoon oil in now-empty skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add shallot and garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add spinach, 1 handful at a time, allowing each to wilt slightly before adding next. Cook until fully wilted and liquid has mostly evaporated, about 4 minutes.
  5.  Stir in cream, remaining ¼ teaspoon salt, and remaining ¼ teaspoon pepper and bring to boil over high heat. Cook until reduced and thickened (rubber spatula will leave trail that takes about 3 seconds to fill in), about 3 minutes. Off heat, stir in Parmesan, lemon zest and juice, nutmeg, and cayenne. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
  6.  Slice pork ¾ inch thick and serve with spinach mixture, sprinkled with extra Parmesan.

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