Pork stuffed with an apricot and tarragon butter

Pork fillet is a lovely cut of meat, but it lacks the fat found in other bits of the pig needed to make it really glossy and toothsome when cooked. The easiest and most delicious way to remedy this is to cut channels into the meat and stuff them with a flavoured butter, wrapping the whole fillet in Parma ham to keep things together.

I chose an apricot and tarragon butter here; the two flavours are great together and complement the pork beautifully. I used the Magimix to make the butter, but if you don’t have a food processor, just chop all the solid ingredients finely and blend with the butter in a mortar and pestle. To serve four, you’ll need:

1 pork fillet (tenderloin)
4 oz salted butter
8 semi-dried apricots
1 fresh chilli, deseeded
1 tablespoon coriander seeds
1 large handful fresh tarragon
1 large handful fresh parsley
4 shallots
Juice of half a lemon
2 teaspoons soya sauce
8 slices Parma ham

Put the butter, lemon juice, soya sauce, apricots, herbs, spices and shallots into the bowl of a food processor and whizz until finely blended. Cut channels into the meat by pushing a knife straight into it at 5 cm intervals, and stuff the butter into them, smearing any extra over the surface of the joint. Wrap the joint tightly in Parma ham and secure with string.

Roast the fillet at 200° C for 40 minutes, and rest for five minutes before serving with potatoes and a green vegetable, the pan juices poured over the meat.

8 Replies to “Pork stuffed with an apricot and tarragon butter”

  1. Last time that we went to one of our favourite restaurants they had introduced pork fillet stuffed with mushroom and tarragon onto the menu and I had to order it simply because you so rarely see pork on a menu. I get the impression that either chefs are scared of it because it can so easily be dry, or because it is just so underrated.

    I’m round to my mum’s for roast pork this evening and I can’t wait!

  2. I’ll be trying this out later in the week, great recipe!
    Also, first time commenting on this site – am i stating the obvious but is the name a play on Astronomy Domine by Pink Floyd?

  3. Astronomy Domine – yup, it is. Muse tend to cater nicely to my prog-rock needs these days, but I live near Cambridge, so Pink Floyd will always be a favourite.

  4. Wondering how to do the pork filet mignon this evening, fancied apricots and had some to use, thought I'd search GD, and lo! Just what I need, and your recipes are so pragmatic and sensible they can easily be adapted… don't know if you'll pick up a comment on so old a post but thought I'd leave it anyway!

  5. Hi Lucy! I blush to be called pragmatic and sensible. (I pick up on all comments, no matter how old the posts – and I'm *thrilled* to read such nice ones. Thank you very much!)

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