FRUIT-STUFFED PORK TENDERLOIN WITH CIDER SAUCE

FRUIT-STUFFED PORK TENDERLOIN WITH CIDER SAUCE image

Yield 6 people

Number Of Ingredients 15

Ingredients

For the Stuffing:
2 Tbs. olive oil
1 & 1/2 cups chopped Golden Delicious or other baking apple
1 cup chopped yellow onion
2 tsp elephant garlic finely chopped (original: 1 garlic clove, finely chopped)
1/2 cup finely chopped dried apricots (original: dried apples)
1/4 cup dried cranberries (original: raisins)
1/4 tsp. dried thyme
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup apple cider
1 boneless pork loin, 2 & 1/2 lb.
1/4 tsp. dried thyme
salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
1 cup apple cider minimum
2 tsp. cornstarch

Steps:

In a large fry pan over medium-low heat, warm the olive oil. Add the fresh apple and onion and saute until golden, about 5 min. Stir in the garlic and cook for 1 min. Add the dried apricots, cranberries, thyme and season with salt and pepper. Add the cider and boil, stirring occasionaly, until the cider is absorbed by the stuffing, about 5 min. Let cool slightly. Preheat oven to 400F. Have ready 4/5 pieces of kitchen string, each about 18" long. Butterfly the loin by making a slit down its length, cutting just deep enough so that the loin opens up to lie flat like a book. DO NOT cut all the way through! Spoon the stuffing evenly onto the meat. Close up the loin and using the strings, tie at even intervals so it assumes its original shape. Reserve any stuffing that refuses to fit or stay in. Sprinkle the loin with the thyme, salt and pepper. Place the loin in a rack in a baking pan, and add 1/2 cup cider to the pan. Roast for 30 min. Baste with the pan juices and add another 1/2 cup cider. Roast appx 45 min longer, basting at least twice at regular intervals. Meat should be firm to the touch, and pale-pink when cut in the thickest portion, or a thermometer reads 150F--make sure it's in the meat and not the stuffing! Transfer the loin to a cutting board. Scrape the pan and pour the juices into a measuring pitcher and add additional cider to make measure 1 & 1/2 cups total. In a small saucepan, combine 1/4 cup of the pan juices, the reserved stuffing, and the cornstarch. Stir until the cornstarch is dissolved. Add the remaining pan juices. Bring to a boil over medium heat, and stir until the sauce is slightly thickened, about 5 min. Taste and adjust the seasonings. Cut the loin into slices, add drippings to the gravy. Serve the hot cider gravy-sauce on the side.