Recipe: Perfect Cranberry Glazed Pork Tenderloin

This makes a great holiday entree, or just a delicious fall-inspired dinner for family or friends (also makes great use of leftover cranberry sauce). Be sure to use naturally-raised pork - you don't want to be eating all the hormones and chemicals and crap that are fed to conventionally farmed pigs. Natural pork should be raised on pasture or wooded areas if possible, and allowed plenty of space to forage and range. You'll find the flavor far superior to conventional supermarket pork.

Pork is equally well suited to sweet fruit flavors, and savory herbs such as rosemary. In this delicious recipe, you don't have to choose! And the garlic and a touch of balsamic vinegar provide a unique and delicious depth of flavor to the sauce.

Perfect Cranberry Glazed Pork Tenderloin
(Serves 4.)

Cranberry Sauce (Photo credit: MGF/Lady Disdain)

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 (1 lb) pork tenderloin
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 small red onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup whole-berry cranberry sauce
2 teaspoons fresh rosemary, chopped
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and lightly oil a 9x13" baking pan.
2. In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat; lay pork tenderloin on work surface and season pork with salt and pepper. When skillet comes up to heat, lay pork tenderloin in the skillet and brown lightly on all sides.
3. Remove the pork from the skillet and set in prepared pan.
4. Into the skillet, put the onion, reduce the heat, and cook until softened, then add the garlic, and cook for about 30 seconds to 1 minute or until garlic softens, being careful not to burn.
5. Pour into the skillet the chicken broth, cranberry sauce, rosemary, and vinegar, and cook for 2 or three minutes until hot.
6. Pour this sauce over the pork in the baking pan and bake, uncovered, until pork tenderloin is done, about 20 to 25 minutes.  Use a meat thermometer and make sure it registers 155 degrees.
7. Remove from oven and let the pork rest for 8 to 10 minutes at room temperature.
8. Slice and serve with sauce spooned over the top of each piece.

Recipe - Cherry Claw-Footies

This yummy dessert is great anytime of year, but the name alone makes it Halloween-worthy and the richness lends itself well to cool fall evenings, so now is a great time to bring out this special from-scratch dessert idea. The tartness of the cherries marries well with the cream and vanilla, and if you want an alcohol-free version (although all the alcohol will cook off anyway) you can substitute cherry juice.

Cherry Claw-Footies

Ingredients:

1 Tbsp unsalted butter
1 1/2 pounds red sour cherries, pitted
3 Tbsp all-purpose flour
pinch of salt
1/4 cup granulated sugar
4 large eggs
2 large egg yolks
1 cup milk
1 cup heavy cream
1 vanilla bean, split and scraped
3 Tbsp kirsch (cherry or other fruity brandy)
confectioners sugar for dusting

Directions: 

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees and lightly butter a 10 inch, shallow dish; fill with cherries and set aside.
2. In a large bowl, sift flour and salt together, then add sugar.
3. Start gradually adding and whisking in the whole eggs, then the egg yolks, the milk, and finally the cream.  
4. When combined, gently stir in the vanilla bean seeds and the kirsch or other sweet brandy, then whisk again to combine.
5. Hold a sieve over the cherries in the dish and pour the batter into the sieve and let it drain over the cherries, making sure you let it cover the whole dish.
6. Bake in preheated oven for 40 to 45 minutes or until the batter puffs up and gets golden brown on top.
7. Remove and let cool at room temperature.
8. Dust with the powdered sugar lightly and serve in individual dessert bowls.
9. May serve with a dollop of cold whipped cream or a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

 

More Seasonal Halloween Recipe Ideas:

• It's Scary How Good This Recipe Is! (omimattress.com)
• Fall-Inspired Signature Drinks (pinklotusevents.wordpress.com)
• Bite Into a Killer Dexter-Themed Dessert (people.com)
• Tastes of Fall - Hot Apple Crisp with Homemade Butter Pecan Ice Cream (donachyblog.wordpress.com)