Fruit Stuffed Pork Loin With a Brandy Sauce : Gourmet Recipes

dried fruit

🥗Healthier: fresh fruit

💰Cheaper: raisins

Fresh fruit adds natural sweetness and moisture.

brandy

🥗Healthier: apple juice

💰Cheaper: white wine

Apple juice provides sweetness without alcohol.

butter

🥗Healthier: olive oil

💰Cheaper: margarine

Olive oil is a healthier fat option.

chicken broth

🥗Healthier: vegetable broth

💰Cheaper: water with seasoning

Vegetable broth is lower in calories.

Start by taking a quarter of a pound of black figs, cut them, and place them in a glass jar.

Add a cup of brandy to the jar and cook in the microwave for 2 minutes to soften the figs and allow them to absorb the liquid.

Leave the figs to soak overnight in the brandy, then drain the remaining cognac.

Sauté two shallots in a tablespoon of butter until softened, then add them to the figs.

Add half a cup of fig jam to the fig and shallot mixture and combine well.

Cut a slit in the center of the pork loin roast to create a pocket for stuffing.

Stuff the pocket with the fig stuffing, ensuring it's filled but not overflowing.

Grind half a teaspoon of dried sage, half a teaspoon of dried rosemary, and salt and pepper in a mortar and pestle to create a rub for the pork.

Rub the herb mixture over the outside of the pork loin.

Brown the pork loin in a skillet over medium-high heat for 4 minutes, starting fat side down, adding more fat or oil as needed.

Prepare root vegetables: dice one yam, two carrots, one celery stalk, and one parsnip, and trim a few brussels sprouts, cutting an X on the stem end of the sprouts.

Form a bed of the prepared vegetables in a roasting pan for the pork to rest on top.

Place the pork loin in a 375°F oven and roast for 40 to 50 minutes, checking with a meat thermometer for an internal temperature of 150°F.

While the roast is cooking, prepare the sauce using the reserved brandy from the figs, bringing it to temperature to burn off the alcohol.

Add the remaining fig jam to the brandy and heat through.

Pour in one and a half cups of homemade chicken stock and let it reduce by half.

Add a tablespoon of balsamic vinegar to the sauce for acidity.

Once the sauce has reduced, add cream and reduce by half again to finish the sauce.

Remove the roast from the oven, slice it, and serve it with the sauce drizzled over the top.

Cooking Techniques

Equipment Needed

Spice Level:

Allergens