Today, November 28th, our neighbors to the south in the USA, are celebrating their Thanksgiving Day. It encompasses both religious and secular aspects … being both a harvest festival and a festival of family.
Here in Canada, we have already enjoyed our Thanksgiving in October, but I thought it would be nice to acknowledge their holiday with posting a special meal.
Stuffed pork tenderloin is an amazing way to amp up a simple cut of meat. Pork tenderloin is incredibly tender since it is essentially the ‘filet’. Because there is very little fat in a tenderloin, its perfect to stuff with all sorts of tasty things to bring in both moisture and flavor.
Today I am going with a very simple stuffing of gorgonzola cheese and herbs and serving it with a pomegranate/blueberry balsamic sauce.
Pomegranate & blueberry sauce is the epitome of fruit flavors mixed with pork. Sweet, tangy, and savory! Balsamic sauce, the versatile, sweet reduction made by adding sugar to balsamic vinegar and cooking it down to thicken, arrived during a time of chicken Kievs, vol au vents and trifle, when chicken satay was still mysteriously exotic.
Pomegranates have a bright, sweet-tart flavor that can be incorporated into all kinds of meals. The only thing is that they are a seasonal fruit, so you need to take advantage of them while they are available from October to January. There are many interesting facts about pomegranates, but here are just a few.
- Pomegranates don’t contain any saturated fats or cholesterol.
- In China, a picture of a ripe, open pomegranate is a popular wedding present because it represents a positive, blessed future and fertility for numerous offspring.
- Ancient civilizations used pomegranate juice as a condiment or a meat marinade, much like we use lemon juice today.
- Before granulated sugar, people used ‘syrup’ from pomegranates and other fruits as sweeteners for dessert dishes.
- The word pomegranate means ‘apple with many seeds.’
- Pomegranates botanically belong to the berry family.
If you get a chance to try this recipe I hope you enjoy it as much as Brion & I did.
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- 454 gm pork tenderloin
- 60 gm Gorgonzola cheese
- 2 Tbsp Litehouse Salad Herb Blend This is a blend of parsley, red onion, chives, shallots, garlic & dill.
- olive oil
- salt & pepper
- 1 cup pomegranate juice
- 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
- 1/3 cup brown sugar
- 1 small onion, finely chopped
- 1/4 cup blueberries
- 1/3 cup pomegranate seeds (arils)
- 2 tsp cornstarch dissolved in 1 Tbsp water, optional
Ingredients
Tenderloin
Sauce
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- Preheat oven to 375 F.
- Remove silverskin & any excess fat from tenderloin then butterfly it open. Cover with plastic wrap & pound with a meat mallet until about 3/4-inch thick.
- Add herbs to a small dish & mix in a Tbsp of water to reconstitute. Set aside. Add gorgonzola to a small saucepan & heat over medium low heat. Break apart into small chunks. Add herbs & mix well. Heat until melted & bubbly. Remove from heat.
- Spread the cheese & herb mixture down the middle of the tenderloin, leaving a gap around the edges.
- Roll up the tenderloin from the short side & secure with kitchen twine if necessary. Place pork in a baking pan, drizzle with oil & season with salt & pepper.
- Roast for 45 minutes or until cooked through & at least 145 F. internally.
- In a saucepan, combine pomegranate juice, balsamic vinegar, brown sugar, onion, pomegranate seeds & blueberries. Cook over medium heat about 15-20 minutes the stir in cornstarch/water combo to thicken sauce slightly. If the sauce is too thick or you would like it a bit more tart, just add some more balsamic vinegar.
- Remove pork from oven & lay on a cutting board. Allow it to rest for 10 minutes. Slice into medallions, drizzle with the berry sauce & serve with seasonal vegetables & mashed potatoes.