Monday, March 22, 2010

Bacon Wrapped Pork Medallions with Cherry Sauce



Sometimes on Friday nights I like to make a "restaurant style" meal, put Caroline to bed a little early, and have a date night at home.  Such was the case last Friday, when I made this meal.  This meal looks fancy, but is actually pretty quick to throw together.  I decided to wrap the pork medallions with bacon... well... because its bacon.  It created a little more work (wrapping the medallions, browning the sides in the pan), but the final result was quite delicious.  I did think the smokiness of the bacon played nicely off the sweetness of the cherry sauce.



I served this with a simple risotto and roasted asparagus (so excited for spring produce!), and we drank a lovely Oregon Pinot Noir with it.  All in all, a perfect date night meal!


Bacon-Wrapped Pork Medallions with Red Wine, Cherry, and Rosemary Sauce
adapted from Cook's Illustrated, The New Best Recipe
  • 1 pork tenderloin, trimmed of excess fat and silver skin
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon pepper
  • 8 slices of bacon (preferrably Applewood smoked)
  • 1 Tablespoon olive oil
  • 3/4 cup red wine
  • 1/2 cup dried cherries
  • 2/3 cup low-sodium chicken broth
  • 2 teaspoons minced fresh rosemary
  • salt and ground black pepper
Arrange the bacon on a microwave-safe plate, and cook 1-3 minutes, until several tablespoons of fat has rendered off.  Transfer the bacon to a paper towel and allow to cool slightly.

Meanwhile, slice the tenderloin into 1-inch slices.  Season both sides with salt and pepper.  Wrap each medallion with a slice of bacon, cutting off the excess at the end if necessary.  Secure with a toothpick.

Heat the oil in a large, heavy-bottomed skillet, until shimmering.  Working in batches if necessary, sear each medallion about 1 minute per side, or until nicely browned.  Use tongs to turn the medallions, so as not to scrape off the sear.  Turn each medallion onto its side and brown the bacon as well. Transfer the pork to a plate.

Set the now-empty skillet over medium-high heat and add the red wine and cherries.  Cook, scraping up the browned bits with a wooden spoon, until the liquid reduces to 2-3 Tablespoons, about 2-3 minutes.

Increase the heat to high and add the broth, rosemary, and any accumulated juices from the plate of the medallions.  Cook until the sauce reaches the consistency of maple syrup, about 2 minutes.

Remove the toothpicks from the pork, and add the pork to the sauce, turned to coat.  Simmer to heat the pork through, about 1-2 minutes.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Transfer the pork to a serving plate, and spoon the sauce over the meat.  Serve immediately.


3 comments:

Alaina said...

I will definitely be putting this on my list of things to make! Thanks for the awesome recipes :)

Jen said...

This looks like a great date night dinner. We do the same thing on Friday nights - love to stay in and cook a "date-worthy" dinner at home (with vino, of course)!

Definitely making this for an upcoming dinner :)

How did the ING Half go yesterday? Were you able to miss the rain?

Anonymous said...

This recipe looks yummy, pork recipes are the best in the whole world. In fact my grandpa who likes to visit Viagra Online, also is great cooking those recipes with pork.

Post a Comment

 
BLOG DESIGN BY: SHERBET BLOSSOM DESIGNS