Vanilla-Rubbed Pork Tenderloin with Grilled Fruit

Ground vanilla bean powder is absolutely fantastic used in a rub on
seafood, meats and poultry. I rubbed a little on a salmon filet along
with kosher salt and ground black pepper, and it lifted the sweet
flavor of the fresh salmon to new heights. Ground vanilla powder isn’t
easy to find. We do offer it at vanilla.com. You can also grind your
old vanilla beans, but you want to get the grind as fine as possible.

Makes 4 servings

Ingredients:

Rub:

1 teaspoon paprika (ideally Spanish paprika)
1 teaspoon vanilla sugar
1 teaspoon pure ground vanilla bean
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon allspice
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

2 pork tenderloins, about 1 pound each
extra-virgin olive oil

Grilled Fruit:

8 fresh apricots or plums (or some of each)
4 nectarines or peaches (or some of each)
2 firm bananas (optional)
melted butter
vanilla sugar
squeeze of fresh lime juice

Preparation:

To make the rub:

In a small bowl, mix the rub ingredients with your fingertips.

Trim any excess fat and silver skin from the tenderloins. Allow to
stand at room temperature for 20 to 30 minutes before grilling.
Lightly brush or spray with oil and spread the rub all over, pressing
the spices into the meat.

Grill over direct medium heat until the pork is barely pink in the
center, 15 to 20 minutes, turning every 5 minutes. Remove from the
grill and let rest for 3 to 5 minutes before slicing. Serve warm with
grilled fruit.

Grilled Fruit:

Cut apricots in halves or quarters, cut nectarines in halves and then
quarters, and slice bananas lengthwise. Brush with melted butter.
While pork tenderloin is resting after being cooked, wipe off grill
and add a little oil before putting fruits on grill. Cook
approximately two minutes on each side, and then place into a bowl or
on a plate. Cut fruits into smaller sections if desired, squeeze a
little lime juice over fruits and then sprinkle Rain’s Choice vanilla
sugar over all. Yummm! Serve alongside pork tenderloin.