Autumn Meal with Friends

Yes, the weather is beginning to feel like fall and about time!  I have not been at home much since I have been dealing with the hurricane in North Carolina, so it is good to be home and time to do some entertaining.

A fall meal with friends seems to require some pork and some fruit, so when I saw a recipe with pears and pork, I knew this was the one. The recipe was promoting the cinnamon-pear balsamic vinegar which you can buy at the Red Stick Spice Co., but I did not get down to the Red Stick Spice Co. in Baton Rouge to get the vinegar, so I decided I could use just ordinary balsamic vinegar and add some cinnamon. Yes it worked! The pork was delicious and the pears perfect. There are so many spice blends out there with vinegar it is hard to know what to buy. This store has 40 infused olive oils, balsamic vinegars, and avocado oils. Lots to try!

With this meal I began with a cream of mirliton and shrimp soup (a recipe for another time), the pork and pears with a side of broccoli and a chocolate soufflé for dessert! Yes, a good time was had by all.

 

Taken from November/December ‘Louisiana Cookin’ Magazine

Cinnamon-Pear Balsamic Roasted Pork

Makes 4 servings

 

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided

4 small Bartlett pears, peeled, halved, and cored (about 1 ¾ pounds) (Slightly unripe pears work best in this recipe).

1 (12-ounce) pork tenderloins, trimmed

 1 ¼ teaspoons kosher salt

¼ teaspoon ground black pepper

1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper

1/3  cup Balsamic Vinegar combined with ½ teaspoon cinnamon

1 tablespoons finely chopped fresh sage

1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme leaves

Garnish: Fresh sage and thyme sprigs

 

Preheat oven to 375°. Spray a 13x9 inch baking dish with cooking spray.

In a large skillet, melt 2 tablespoons butter over medium-high heat. Add pears, cut side down, and cook until lightly browned, about 2 minutes. Remove pears from skillet. Sprinkle pork with salt and peppers. Add to skillet, and cook until browned, about 4 minutes, turning occasionally.

Place pears, cut side down, and pork to prepared dish, brush with vinegar. Sprinkle pork with sage and thyme. Cut remaining 2 tablespoons butter into small pieces and sprinkle over pork and pears.

Bake until a meat thermometer inserted into the thickest portion of pork registers 145° and pears are tender, about 18 minutes. Lightly cover and let stand 10 minutes before serving. Serve with pan juices. Garnish with sage and thyme sprigs, if desired.