Here on the Canadian prairies we have a native berry called a ‘Saskatoon’. These berries are very special …. the kind of special that only comes once a year.
Saskatoon berries look much like blueberries, but in fact are part of the rose family which includes apples, cherries, plums and of course roses. Saskatoons ripen in late June or early July. They grow in many conditions from sea level to mountain peaks and are less picky about soil conditions than blueberries. Trying to explain their flavor to anyone who has never tasted them is difficult and elusive. They’re sweet, dense, rich, seedy, slightly blueberryish, more almondish, a bit apple-y, dusky and deep. Like I said …. difficult to explain!
Throughout North America, saskatoon berries have a variety of names including: prairie berry, service berry, shadbush or juneberry.
Saskatoon berries work equally good in sweet treats as well as savory recipes. This pork tenderloin entrée is a good example of the latter.
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- 454 gm pork tenderloin, trimmed of any silverskin
- 1/4 cup Panko crumbs
- 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
- 1 tsp EACH dried thyme & oregano
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1/4 tsp pepper
- 1/8 cup Dijon mustard, old fashioned, grainy
- Fig Balsamic Olive Oil Vinaigrette or olive oil
- 1 tsp oil
- 2 green onions, finely sliced
- 1 1/2 tsp ginger, grated
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1/4 cup water
- 2 Tbsp cider vinegar
- 1 1/2 tsp cornstarch
- pinch of salt
- 1-2 cups saskatoon berries, fresh or frozen
Ingredients
Tenderloin Stuffing
Saskatoon Chutney
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- In a small bowl, combine panko crumbs, Parmesan, thyme, oregano, garlic & pepper.
- Remove silverskin from tenderloin & 'butterfly'. Place meat between 2 sheets of plastic wrap & pound, making it all the same thickness. Spread mustard evenly on flattened cut side & top with 'stuffing'.
- Preheat oven to 375 F. Starting with the long side, carefully roll the tenderloin as opposed to just folding it over.
- Place a rack in a shallow roasting pan & lay a piece of foil on top creating sides for it. Lightly oil center of foil; place tenderloin on it & brush with Fig Balsamic Olive Oil Vinaigrette or just use olive oil. Roast for about 45 minutes until just a hint of pink remains.
- In a small saucepan over low heat, add 1 tsp oil & sauté green onions & ginger for a couple of minutes. Add honey, water, cider vinegar, cornstarch & salt; mix well. Add saskatoons; bring to a simmer & cook until chutney thickens slightly.
- Slice roast tenderloin into medallions about 1-inch thickness. Pour some chutney onto serving platter; place sliced tenderloin medallions on top & drizzle with remaining chutney.
