We had a small Cinco de Mayo dinner party the other night and I tried a bunch of new Mexican recipes.   I always try new recipes out on guests.   So far I’ve been pretty lucky that all of the recipes have been decent.   I’m just waiting for the day that one of the recipes fails and we have to order in at the last minute.

This pork tenderloin was really easy to make and it had a lot of flavor.   I served it with the Mexican slaw that you see behind it in the picture.    I’ll post that recipe shortly as it was really delicious.   I also served one of my favorite salads,  as well as one of my husband’s favorite recipes.   I received numerous complements on the food.   You could argue that our friends are just really polite, but I have to say that I really liked the pork.  I’ve been eating it as a leftover for the past two days.  Yum!

Yucatán Pork Tenderloin
Recipe from Fine Cooking Magazine, December 2005

2 Tbs. minced garlic
2 Tbs. pure chile powder (preferably ancho)
1 Tbs. dried oregano (preferably Mexican)
1-1/2 tsp. ground cumin
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup grapefruit juice, preferably fresh
2 small pork tenderloins (1 to 1-1/4 lb. each), trimmed

Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat the oven to 450°F. In a small bowl, combine the garlic, chile powder, oregano, cumin, 1 tsp. each kosher salt and black pepper, and enough of the grapefruit juice (about 1/4 cup) to make a paste. Rub the paste all over the pork and set on a rack in a small roasting pan. Roast until the thickest part of each tenderloin registers 140° to 145°F on an instant-read thermometer, 25 to 30 minutes. Transfer to a clean cutting board to rest. Slice the pork and divide it equally on dinner plates.

Yield: Four to six servings