Medallions, Noisettes, and Pork Tenderloin

Boneless rounds of meat are often called medallions when they are at least 3 inches in diameter and noisettes (French for hazelnuts) when they are smaller. One of the best cuts for making pork noisettes—in fact the only cut that yields suitable noisettes—is the tenderloin. Pork tenderloins are usually about 8 inches long and 2 inches wide and are tapered at one end. Their meat is the most tender of all the pork cuts, and if you are careful not to overcook them, they stay moist and delicate. They are surprisingly inexpensive, too, maybe because people don’t know how to cook them, and the only preparation they require is the removing of the silver skin, as shown. They can then be sliced into neat 1-inch-thick rounds, or noisettes. Tenderloins should be sautéed, not braised, since braising will dry them out.