Recipe: Pork Medallions with Grapes and Pomegranate Sauce

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Pork tenderloin is succulent, flavorful, and lean, delicious roasted whole or cut crosswise into medallions and sautéed. I accompany it with a sweet-sour sauce similar to what I would serve with venison, with pomegranate juice and chicken stock thickened with a little ketchup. Seedless grapes finish the dish nicely and shredded arugula gives it a special accent at the end, although you can use chopped chives or parsley instead, if you like.

4 servings

1 large pork tenderloin (about 1 1/4 pounds)
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 tablespoon good olive oil
3/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup pomegranate juice
1/2 cup chicken stock, homemade, or low-salt canned chicken broth
2 tablespoons ketchup
1 cup small green seedless grapes
3 tablespoons dried cherries or cranberries
1/4 cup shredded arugula

Trim the pork tenderloin of most of the fat and silverskin and cut it crosswise into 1-inch-thick medallions.

Preheat the oven to its lowest setting. Heat the butter and oil in a large, heavy skillet. Sprinkle the medallions with the salt and pepper. Arrange the medallions in a single layer in the skillet and cook them over high heat for about 2 1/2 minutes on each side, or until lightly pink inside. Transfer the medallions to a plate and keep warm in the oven.

Add the pomegranate juice and chicken stock to the skillet, bring to a boil, reduce the heat to low, cover, and cook for 4 to 5 minutes. Add the ketchup, grapes, and cherries or cranberries and mix well. Boil for about 1 minute, or until the sauce is smooth and slightly thickened.

Arrange the medallions on four warm plates, coat with the sauce and grapes, and sprinkle with the shredded arugula. Serve.

Episode 215: Crock of Flavor

Light, lean, and big on flavor! This menu features Small Crocks of Shrimp in Hot Vegetable Broth and lean pork tenderloin in Pork Medallions with Grapes and Pomegranate Sauce, accompanied by a mélange of Spinach, Macadamia Nuts, and Raisins. For dessert, it's Butter Pecan Ice Cream with Apple Maple Topping, completing a feast worthy of any company!

Minute Recipe: Cherries in Eau de Vi

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During the summer, when cherries are plump, ripe, and juicy, I put up a few jars of cherries in alcohol and keep them in the cellar to enjoy during the winter. My mother always had some preserved sour cherries or Montmorency cherries on hand. Served with some of the cherries, this eau de vie makes a great after-dinner drink. I sometimes use pure grain or fruit alcohol (about 190-proof) that I dilute by half with distilled water, but if this is not an option for you, substitute vodka instead.

Trim the stems of about 1 pound large sweet cherries such as Bing, leaving about 1/2 inch of stem attached to the cherries. (If the stems are pulled out, the alcohol will permeate the cherries, making them soft and mushy instead of firm and crunchy.) In a bowl, mix about 1/2 cup light corn syrup and 1 1/2 cups eau de vie or vodka. Pack the cherries into a Mason jar and pour the alcohol mixture over them, adding enough so it just covers the fruit. Cover the jar with a tight-fitting lid and set aside in a cool place, such as a cellar, for at least a month. Serve a few cherries in a brandy glass with some of the liquid. The cherries will keep for a couple of years.

About 12 servings