Saturday’s Basket – Pork Tenderloin with Blackberry Reduction

Blackberries always bring back great memories for me. Growing up near the mountains, July 4th would roll around and we knew it was time to go hunting for ripe blackberries that were in the woods all around us.  And while I would like the opportunity to take hours on end to pick blackberries straight from the bush, Agriberry affords me the time to actually make a creative dish out of them rather than hunt all day. I picked up a pint and went for a very adult-like entree for this week’s Saturday’s Basket.

Pork Tenderloin

1 1lb tenderloin, trimmed

salt and pepper

1 tbsp olive oil

10-15 full sage leaves

3 slices thick-cut bacon

Sage, bacon, pork - what else do we need?!

Start by seasoning the tenderloin with salt & pepper. Over medium high heat, add the oil to a skillet. Once ripples form, slowly add the pork to sear on all sides (about 3 minutes each side).  Remove pan from heat but do not discard oil.  Transfer pork to a plate and allow to cool slightly.  Dress the tenderloin with a layer of sage leaves placed over the top.  Next cut the bacon strips into 3 even pieces, lay slices from side to side over the pork and secure with toothpicks.  To finish cooking the pork, transfer to a preheated grill and cook until a thermometer registers an internal temperature of 150°(pink in the center) -165° (well done).

Blackberry Reduction Sauce

2 tbsp butter

1/2 onion, diced

1/2 cup Cabernet Savignon

1 tbsp lemon juice

1 pint blackberries, pureed and strained

1 tbsp blended blackberry pulp (reserved from puree)

1 tbsp honey

salt and pepper

In the skillet used to brown the pork, add 1 tbsp butter and onions to sauté until translucent (about 6-8 minutes) over medium heat. Next add wine and lemon juice and stir, bring to boil and reduce to simmer until liquid is reduced to half.  Add blackberry puree and increase heat back to medium to bring to boil.  Reduce heat to simmer again for about 5 minutes. Stir in blackberry pulp and honey until thoroughly incorporated.  Add salt and pepper to flavor and keep over low heat until ready to serve.  Just prior to serving, add last tbsp butter until melted to add a bit more richness and give the sauce a nice sheen.

Pork Tenderloin with Blackberry Reduction

Spoon generously over sliced pork and dig in!  The blackberry reduction complements the pork perfectly and the saltiness of the bacon enhances the sweetness of the sauce.  It’s a versatile sauce that would be decadent over a variety of desserts – pound cake, vanilla ice cream, lemon pie…but I digress.  It’s just bold enough to stand up to a nice beef tenderloin, too.  What will you top?

Saturday’s Basket is written by a Forest Hill resident and is a weekly review of South of the James Market purchases and the recipes she creates with her market finds. View these and more recipes at Pantry2Plate, a food blog with stories of cooking as best as she knows how.