Porkwithprunes Recipes

COUNTRY FRENCH PORK WITH PRUNES AND APPLES

Steps:

• Mix flour, herbes de Provence, salt and pepper; rub over pork. In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Brown roast on all sides. Place roast in a 5- or 6-qt. slow cooker. Add onions, apple cider, beef stock and bay leaves., Cook, covered, on low 3 hours. Add apples and dried plums. Cook, covered, on low 1 to 1-1/2 hours longer or until apples and pork are tender. Remove roast, onions, apples and plums to a serving platter, discarding bay leaves; tent with foil. Let stand 15 minutes before slicing.

PORK LOIN WITH APPLES, PRUNES, AND MUSTARD CREAM SAUCE

Steps:

• Put oven rack in lower third of oven and preheat oven to 375°F.
• Halve pork loin crosswise, then pat dry and sprinkle with 1 teaspoon salt and 3/4 teaspoon pepper (total). Heat oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then brown pork, 1 piece at a time, turning occasionally, 6 to 8 minutes per piece. Transfer to a small flameproof roasting pan as browned (do not clean skillet) and roast pork until thermometer inserted diagonally at least 2 inches into meat registers 150°F, 40 to 50 minutes.
• While pork roasts, peel, quarter, and core apples, then cut into 1/4-inch-thick wedges. Pour off all but 1 tablespoon fat from skillet, then cook onion in skillet over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until softened, 3 to 5 minutes. Add apples, prunes, broth, and water and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until apples are tender, 10 to 12 minutes. Stir in cream and mustard and simmer until sauce is slightly thickened, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from heat and keep sauce warm, partially covered.
• Transfer pork to a cutting board and let stand 10 minutes. Add wine to roasting pan and boil over high heat, stirring and scraping up brown bits, until reduced to about 1/4 cup, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir pan juices into cream sauce along with remaining 3/4 teaspoon salt and remaining 3/4 teaspoon pepper and heat sauce over moderate heat, stirring, until hot.
• Discard string from pork and cut each half crosswise into 4 slices. Serve pork with sauce.

SAUTéED PORK TENDERLOIN WITH PRUNES

Steps:

• In a small bowl, pour the wine over the prunes and let soak for at least 1 hour or up to overnight.
• Trim the silver skin off the tenderloins. Cut the tenderloins into rounds about 3/4 inch thick. Season the rounds on both sides with salt and pepper.
• In a sauté pan just large enough to hold the rounds, heat the olive oil over high heat. When it smokes, add the pork rounds and brown, turning once, for about 3 minutes on each side, or until they feel firm to the touch. If they start to get too brown, turn down the heat. Transfer the pork rounds to a warmed platter and set aside in a warm spot. Pour the fat out of the pan.
• Drain the prunes, reserving the wine and prunes separately. Measure out 1/2 cup of the wine. Return the pan to high heat and add the 1/2 cup wine and the prunes. Deglaze the pan, scraping up any brown bits on the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon, then stir in the meat glaze, if using. Boil until the wine is reduced by about half; if you have added the glaze, the sauce will develop a lightly syrupy consistency. Add the cream and boil until reduced to a light sauce consistency. Season with salt and pepper.
• Arrange the pork rounds on warmed plates and spoon the sauce and prunes over the top.

PORK TENDERLOIN WITH SHALLOTS AND PRUNES

Steps:

• To brine the pork: Dissolve the salt and brown sugar in 2 cups cold water in a glass or stainless steel bowl large enough to hold the tenderloin. Add the allspice, peppercorns, bay leaves and thyme. Submerge the meat, cover and refrigerate at least 8 hours (overnight is better). Before cooking, remove the tenderloin, pat dry and bring to room temperature. Heat the oven to 400 degrees.
• To make the sauce and roast: Simmer the prunes in the red wine until slightly softened, about 5 minutes. Turn off the heat, stir in the ginger and orange zest, and steep for 10 minutes
• Heat the olive oil in a heavy stainless steel skillet over medium-high heat. Lightly brown the tenderloin, about 3 minutes per side. (Turn off heat and use the same pan to make the sauce.) Transfer the tenderloin to a small roasting pan. Roast uncovered for about 15 minutes, until an instant-read thermometer registers 140 degrees. Let rest for 10 minutes before slicing. (Residual heat will cause the meat to continue to cook a bit while resting.)
• To finish the sauce, melt the butter in the reserved skillet over medium heat. Add shallots and thyme, and season lightly with salt and pepper. Cook for about 5 minutes, until softened, stirring with a wooden spoon. Scrape up any browned bits to enrich the sauce. Add chicken broth, turn up the heat, and simmer 2 minutes. Stir in the prunes and wine, and simmer for another 2 minutes. Add the Madeira if using. Taste and correct the seasoning, then add the potato starch mixture and cook for another minute to thicken. Spoon sauce and prunes over the sliced tenderloin.

BRAISED PORK LOIN WITH PRUNES

Steps:

• Heat 2 tablespoons oil in 5-quart pot over moderate heat until hot but not smoking, then cook onions, garlic, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper, stirring occasionally, until onions are soft and golden, about 20 minutes. Transfer onions to a bowl and reserve pot.
• Simmer prunes and Armagnac in a 1- to 2-quart saucepan 5 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.
• Make a hole for stuffing: Insert a long thin sharp knife into middle of one end toward center of loin, then repeat at opposite end to make an incision that runs lengthwise through roast. Enlarge incision with your fingers, working from both ends, to create a 3/4-inch-wide opening.
• Pack about 20 prunes into pork, pushing from both ends toward center (reserve remaining Armagnac and prunes). Pat pork dry and season with 1/2 teaspoon salt and remaining 1/4 teaspoon pepper.
• Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 375°F.
• Wrap parsley, thyme, sage, bay leaf, peppercorns, and cloves in cheesecloth and tie into a bundle with kitchen string.
• Brush pork with mustard, then evenly coat with brown sugar. Heat remaining 2 tablespoons oil in reserved pot over high heat until hot but not smoking, then brown meat on all sides (not ends), reducing heat if necessary to keep from burning, about 6 minutes total.
• Transfer pork with tongs to a plate, then add white wine and reserved Armagnac (but not prunes) to pot. Bring to a boil, then remove from heat.
• Add broth, onions, and cheesecloth bundle to pot with Armagnac mixture, then add pork with any juices accumulated on plate and turn pork fat side up. Bring to a boil over high heat, covered, then transfer to oven and braise 30 minutes.
• Add remaining prunes and braise until thermometer inserted diagonally 2 inches into meat (avoid stuffing) registers 150°F, about 15 minutes.
• Transfer pork to a cutting board and cut off and discard string, then cover with heavy-duty foil (temperature of pork will rise as it stands).
• While pork stands, skim fat from surface of sauce (if necessary) and remove and discard cheesecloth bundle, then stir in vinegar and remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt and pepper to taste.

PORK WITH PRUNES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Pat chops dry and season with salt. Dredge in flour, shaking off excess. Heat oil in a 3 1/2- to 4-quart wide heavy pot over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking. Brown chops in batches, turning over once, about 5 minutes per batch. Transfer to a plate. Add shallot to pot and sauté until golden, 2 to 3 minutes. Add vinegar and boil, scraping up brown bits, until reduced by half. Stir in water, broth, and allspice and bring to a simmer. Return chops to pot with prunes. Braise, covered, in middle of oven until chops are very tender, about 45 minutes. Transfer to a platter using a slotted spoon. Boil sauce until reduced to 1 cup, about 20 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and pour over chops.