I’ve never cooked with anise before. I have been wary of the overt licorice flavour and not sure what would compliment it (or what it would ruin). I picked one up the other day, and tried this dish as an experiment. I discovered the strong flavor cooks itself out, and it takes up the white wine flavour. It kept a bit of a crunchy texture too, which added some moisture to the bite.

I served this with some rosemary mashed potatoes, grilled asparagus and mushrooms.

Panko Breaded Tenderloin

Preheat oven to 425

Pork tenderloin, trimmed
Season with salt and pepper
Whisk 1 large egg
Dip tenderloin in egg
Dip tenderloin in panko crumbs

In a cast-iron or heavy pan, add some mustard oil (any oil would be okay, this is what I used)
Grill the meat on the stovetop (I used a cast-iron pan) a few minutes on each side
Transfer to oven pan and roast till done ( I don’t want to be responsible for any food poisoning here so just make sure it’s cooked)

White Wine Anise Sauce

I reused the same pan that I’d seared the pork in for the sauce.

Chop 1 fresh anise bulb (~1 cup) fine
Add a bit more oil to pan
Saute til clear (then a bit brown), adding a bit of salt to make it sweat
Pour white wine over (~1 cup)
Stir in 1-2 tsp mustard
Bit of honey
~ 1 tbsp butter
Reduce the sauce to 1/3

Serving

Remove meat, let it sit for 5 minutes
Slice in 3/4 inch medallions and arrange
Drizzle sauce over it.