What's in your freezer? Seriously, what's in there that needs to be used? In my case, it's fruit! Fruit that we froze last summer that will be back in season soon. So I'm using up cherries and raspberries like crazy. Not that I mind!
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| Reduce raspberries |
there and back eats up an entire morning. To be on the safe side, I keep a few things at the ready and one of them is usually pork tenderloin. It defrosts very nicely overnight, and it's always so tender. |
| Brown the meat |
Since I have all these raspberries that need to be eaten, I made a raspberry reduction and added cream. I used 1/3 cup of balsamic vinegar, which gives it a serious kick. It's also sweet, thanks to sugar and honey, so it's a
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| De-glaze pan |
Straining the sauce isn't necessary, although it's probably more attractive strained. I would take the extra step for company.
The sweet and tart combination would be great on venison, too. Or beef, or, well, I'm seriously thinking it might even be good on ice cream! Either I've been watching too many cooking shows or I've been taken over by Natasha.
Pork Tenderloin with Raspberry Cream Sauce
15-16 ounces frozen raspberries
1/2 cup cognac
1/3 cup sugar
1-2 tablespoons or 1/3 cup balsamic vinegar*
2 tablespoons honey
pinch of thyme
2-4 tablespoons olive oil
2 pork tenderloins
salt & pepper
water
1 tablespoon butter
3 tablespoons heavy cream
fresh raspberries to garnish (optional)
Place the raspberries in a large pot. (If they have ice crystals on them, wash them off.) Add the cognac, sugar, balsamic vinegar, honey, and thyme. Bring to a boil, stir to combine, and reduce heat. Simmer uncovered about twenty minutes until it has thickened and the liquid is reduced by about half. (This can be done in advance and refrigerated.)
Preheat oven to 400. Pour the olive oil into an oven proof pan large enough to hold the pork tenderloins and heat at just under medium. Brown the tenderloins on all sides, approximately 10 minutes total. Place the pan in the oven and roast 12 - 15 minutes. A meat thermometer should read about 140 degrees. Remove from pan and let rest for 10 minutes before cutting.
Meanwhile, de-glaze the pan with a splash or two of water. Add the raspberry mixture to the pan, stir, and heat. Remove from heat, whisk in the butter and the heavy cream. If you wish, you may strain the sauce. Serve over the meat and garnish with fresh raspberries.
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| Unstrained |
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| Strained |
Sophie...er, I mean, Krista, how beautiful is this! I knew you were a domestic diva. So, what's the tip on freezing fruits? Mine always turn out mushy and wet when they thaw.
ReplyDelete~Avery aka Daryl
Avery, be sure the fruit is dry before you freeze it. I think frozen fruit is best used in cooked form because of its tendency to be a little bit mushy. On the other hand, I have frozen raspberries that looked fabulous when I took them out of the freezer. They weren't mashed together, so you might consider freezing them on a sheet where they're not touching and then putting them into a freezer bag once they're individually frozen.
ReplyDelete~ Krista
Oh my ... I'm scrambling trying to think what I can use this yummy sauce for (other than pork). Portobellos seem too heavy. Maybe I'll try it on the fake chicken cutlets. Because, YUM.
ReplyDeleteWendy, it would be great on fake chicken cutlets! Hmm, I hadn't thought about how hard it is to find vegetarian dishes that could use this kind of sauce. Maybe on tofu?
ReplyDelete~ Krista