Roasted Pork Loin with Apple Compote

Weekend dinners are important for us.  We travel so much during the week that lately our only dinners together fall on the weekends.  And although it is nice to dine out for date nights, we get a lot of enjoyment from cooking together. 

During my travels last week I was reading the book "Immovable Feast: A Paris Christmas" by John Baxter.  In the book an Australian has to make the Christmas dinner for his French wife's family. As he goes about his preparations he mentions pork and apples as a possible option.

French can get all fancy with their sauces, etc but the French also like to prepare meals with common ingredients and simple instructions.  The true flavor of the food is what stands out. When planning our meals for last weekend I couldn't get away the idea of pork and apples.

This recipe is exactly that, the pork is seasoned lightly and then rests as it absorbs the flavors.  The apples are also cooked so the apples themselves are what you taste. The combination works great together with the savory pork and sweet apples. 

We agreed that this dinner was one of the best recipes we put together for a while.  

Note: We used pork tenderloin.

Pork Loin Roast With Apple Compote

by Emily Morris, Southern Living

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 60 minutes

Keywords: saute bake entree apple pork fall

6036483

Ingredients (serves 8)

• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 3 teaspoons dried Italian seasoning
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1 (3-lb.) boneless pork loin roast
• Kitchen string
• 2 teaspoons canola oil
• 2 pounds Gala apples, unpeeled
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 cup apple cider
• 5 tablespoons sugar
• 2 1/2 teaspoons orange zest
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• Pinch of ground cloves
• 1 tablespoon butter

Instructions

Combine first 4 ingredients. Rub mixture on all sides of pork roast. Tie pork with kitchen string, securing at 1-inch intervals. Cover and chill 2 hours.

Preheat oven to 375°. Brown roast in hot oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat 2 to 4 minutes on all sides. Place pork on a lightly greased rack in an aluminum foil-lined roasting pan.

Bake at 375° for 1 hour or until a meat thermometer inserted into thickest portion registers 150°. Cover roast with foil, and let stand 15 minutes before slicing.

Meanwhile, cut apples into bite-size pieces; sprinkle with lemon juice.

Add cider and next 4 ingredients to skillet. Cook, over medium heat, stirring occasionally, 10 minutes or until slightly thickened. Add apples, and cook, stirring occasionally, 20 minutes or just until apples are tender and liquid is absorbed. Stir in butter until melted, and remove skillet from heat. Stir any accumulated pan juices from roast into compote. Serve compote immediately with pork.

Powered by Recipage