Rosemary Pork Tenderloin with a Bourbon Glaze and Old Amsterdam Cheese Grits

I thought Summertime was supposed to be a time to kick back and relax, but so far that has not happened this year. The days seem to disappear and it feels as though nothing has been accomplished, although I am totally swamped with all sorts of projects related to the blog and things to accomplish around the house. I need to get my butt in gear call in those cooking and cleaning fairies! Where could they be?!
We were driving back from the mountains the other day and a ride that should take two hours and fifteen minutes took three hours and we did not even stop. I have decided that when time disappears like this (as it does every day, it seems), that I have badly allocated my time been abducted by aliens! That must be the only logical reason! How can so much time disappear and you not remember what happened to it? Definitely the aliens…

Anyway, to make up for my recent alien abductions, I was a very lucky girl last week and received a nice package from the people at Norseland, Inc.! They are the exclusive importer, sales and marketing agent for Jarlsberg in the United States. They have quite an extensive line of other specialty cheeses in addition to Jarlsberg. Some of them were included in my nifty little refrigerated package, so that made me do a happy dance as I love cheese! In fact some of my favorites are the ones they represent!
Jarlsberg is truly one of my favorite cheeses to serve as part of a cheese board and as a snack to have around for afternoon munchies with a glass of wine in the early evening. Everyone loves the wonderful nutty flavor.

In addition to the Jarlsberg, I received some Gran Maestre Manchego. Manchego is a Sheep’s milk cheese from Spain (shhh…don’t tell Mr. Bunkycooks! He doesn’t do sheep or goat!). This is a delicious cheese that truly is best served at room temperature (as are all cheeses). It is one of those cheeses that is perfect for a dinner party, especially if you are preparing a little Mexican or Spanish food. I could not wait to serve it as we had it in Barcelona with some delightful sangria based on a recipe from Cerveceria Catalana. They drizzle the cheese with honey as one of their tapas, so that is what I did! It brought me right back to Barcelona. When can I return?!
Of all the goodies that were in the bag, the one I wanted to play with the most was the big chunk of Old Amsterdam. I am a huge fan of this rich buttery cheese. It has such a wonderful aged flavor. Again, if you are going to serve this as an appetizer, leave it out for an an hour or two before your guests arrive. The flavors really develop the longer it sits at room temperature before serving. I love that aged Gouda flavor with a bit of a bite and little bit of saltiness. It is delicious.

So, as I tend to do when I receive goodies in the mail, I asked myself, how could I use this in cooking? Well, of course, after living in the South all these years, I just had to make grits, y’all! I have great access to all the wonderful stone ground grits we have here in the South and I knew this cheese would really be a great switch from cheddar, which is traditionally used in cheese grits. (Thanks to one of my Bunkycooks readers (Barb) for the grits inspiration).
This looks perfect! Love rosemary, and a bourbon glaze is a great touch:)
Thanks so much! The bourbon glaze is the bomb! 😉
What a great meal – bourbon and grits. =)
Thank you! Can’t go wrong with that combo!
Looks fantastic. Not a big grits fan, but with a cheese like Old Amsterdam, I’d give them a go. The loin is perfect. Well done.
Thanks so much! These grits are not like any other grits you have had! Trust me and find the Charleston Grits brand and cook them with the Old Amsterdam cheese. Oh, yum! BTW, I found out that these grits are available at Some Whole Foods and Fresh Markets as well as smaller farmer’s markets and stores (where I found them).
I must try this bourbon glaze. Very seldom that we use bourbon in cooking
You diffinitely stopped me in my tracks with Bourbon Glaze so what else is in this recipe? lol its wonderful !~~!
Penny & Claudia –
You have do try the bourbon glaze. Oh, yum! 🙂
Great looking dish, congratulations!
Thank you Laura.
Those are not your usual cheese grits. Not at all, and that’s a good thing! Great choice of cheese.
I agree that these are not the grits you think of generally when the word comes to mind! Oh no, nothing like those! These are awesome! Even us Northerners are loving these cheesy grits! 🙂
Oh my. You know I miss the south and then you do this. Grits? Bourbon Glaze? What’s NOT to love. Hey ya’ll!
Gotta love the word y’all! This is a perfect Southern style meal (without all the fatty stuff!).
What a wonderful recipe. So many of my favorite ingredients.
These are all lovely, collard greens, grits, and of course the bourbon glazed pork.
Scott & Madin,
Thanks for the comment.
SWOON – GRITS . . . FROM THE SOUTH, NO LESS! Brought back some of those same grits when we visited Charleston this spring – haven’t made grits yet but boy howdy, as soon as the time aliens return ME back home, I’ll be making the same recipe!
I say cook em up quick! They are soooo good! Do the aliens take you away too sometimes???? 😉 Those bad, bad aliens!
Oh my, the pork tenderloin, bourbon glaze and grits look and sound amazing. Beautiful dinner! However, my mind must be in the gutter today, because I had to smile when you said Mr. Bunkycooks doesn’t do sheep or goat! There was also something about you wanting to play with the big chunk of Old Amsterdam, and should I mention that photo of the two tenderloins in the pan 😉 Yes, I think it’s time for a long vacation with my man! BTW, it was great catching up with you this morning!
Denise,
You are a hoot! You almost made me pee in my pants! 😉 I hope that long weekend away with your man fixes whatever is ailing you, girlfriend!
Have a great vacation and I wanna see pics!
Gwen
Lucky you… I *love* cheese! The tenderloin looks luscious and the bourbon sauce just puts it over the top!
Hi Karen,
Thank you! I love cheese, too (could you guess?)!
These cheeses look amazing, oh I just can’t get enough of cheese. How do I get them to send a package of cheese to me?? 🙂 And I want to eat those grits right NOW. So creamy…
This was a nice goody bag to receive! I was truly a lucky girl!
Mmm…. bourbon glaze and cheesy grits! This is excellent!
Bunky – Nice job with this dish. I love pork tenderloin and am always looking for new ways to cook and present it, this recipe will definitely go into my rotation…and the grits…YUM! Lovely photo as well, it makes me want to lick my screen. Cheers – S
Hi there,
I prepared this again tonight for a dinner party with friends and it was delicious! Thank you for your comment and I hope you will try the recipe. I know if you make it, it will be good!
Gwen
what a great presentation Gwen!! I do love goat and sheep’s milk cheese….hell I love any type of cheese (except vegan….shhh, don’t tell them, some of them are my friends)
wow and a bourbon glaze….I been glazed myself by bourbon…I mean made many a bourbon glaze….sigh….
what a great surprise to get those wonderful cheese’ in the mail!! And as for grits!!! you go girl!!! I saw a woman in one of our supermarkets once buying instant grits, i took it out of her hand and said oh, no honey…..no one eats instant grits…..she said something I can’t repeat and picked up the box again….sigh….time for a bourbon glaze…..I mean what a wonderful bourbon glaze….sigh..
well anyway…….thanks so much for sharing, and I did see you managed to sneak some greens in there too!!
cheers
Dennis
Oh, grits don’t get me going. And cheese too. Don’t tell me there pork is involved. I can’t stand the love. GREG
Hi Greg,
I didn’t know that pork and grits would stir up such emotions in people! Oh, my! I will have to fix something like this again! Woo hoo!
BTW, what cocktail are you going to make to go with this? I want one!
Gwen 😉
Wow, what an amazing plate of vittles! Isn’t that what you say in the south? I’m loving the bourbon sauce and of course the grits, I didn’t know you’re a Yankee but you really know how to do southern food right!
Gwen – I’ve never had grits, but it sure looks good with that pork tenderloin. Your images look like a holiday feast! =) A very nice package to come home to, filled with delicious cheeses.
Now that sounds like a wonderful gift pack to receive – cheese, cheese, and more cheese! What a beautiful job you did on this pork tenderloin.
Adore recipes with glazed and this one with the Bourbon glazed over the pork is magnificent 🙂
Btw, gorgeous pictures, makes me hungry, really!
All the best,
Gera
Thank you for the comment, Gera.
Glad you enjoyed the dish!
As a life-long west-coaster, I’m not sure I’ve ever had the real grits. You’re gonna have to come over and school me. Or, tell me where I can find good grits, because that looks DELICIOUS. [K]
Kim,
We’ve got to get you to this part of the country! I know you would appreciate some of these sophisticated Southern dishes…especially if they are paired with great wine!
Gwen
whoa is me – pork tenderloin with a bourbon glaze, a true southern flavor and then you throw in the grits, oh man, you make me scream…..
Hi Drick,
I know you would like this dish…Southern with a flair! It’s so good!
Dear Gwen – I love how you’ve taken real gourmet flavors in the bourbon & rosemary glaze and then fixed them with good ole southern fare. You go girl!
I love the pics of the pork all marinating with the fresh herb rub.
What a creative, wonderful meal you’ve out together. No surprise there!
Ciao, Devaki @ weavethousandflavors
Hi Devaki,
I know you understand what it takes to makes great flavors, so thank you! This really was great and I have prepared it several times just to be sure. It gets better each time.
Gwen
Your words, photos and recipe are making my mouth water , so much. This looks appetizing , my husband would really enjoy this meal too. Thanks for sharing!
Thank you Nancy,
I hope you make the recipe and that your hubby enjoys the dinner as much as we did!
Gwen
I love manchego drizzled with warm honey! One of my favorite snacks ever! And your pork tenderloin looks just lovely. What a meal!
Thank you Katie,
It was so good that I prepared that dinner again tonight! Yum! Thank you for your comment.
Gwen
I have been swamped too. Blogging is hard work!
The pork sounds delicious with the glaze. That’s a great looking meal and Jalsberg is one of my favorite cheeses.
Hi Biren,
Blogging is hard work! My advice is to take a few days and take some time off. You will feel better. Promise!
I really do need a break, like NOW. Thanks for the advice 🙂
Biren