Fall Foods: Apple Inspired

This post comes to courtesy of one of my favorite things (EVER!!), the apple. These American fruit are especially top of mind these days… what with the passing of Steve Jobs (I’m not ashamed to say the news put me in a total funk yesterday and I’m experiencing a bit of a hangover from it today), and for all the happy reasons – like fall, crimson reds, bold flavors, ciders, hard ciders (my fav alcoholic bev), crisp crunching and amazing food stuffs.

I did a little searching on etsy (what’s new?) and put together a quick cache of some lovely apple art. Great for hanging in the kitchen if you like to display seasonal art or food inspired art.

LEFT | CENTER | RIGHT

Now, my real gift to you though is my Roasted Pork Tenderloin with Apple Cider Glaze recipe. Now I’ve been making this for years, so my apologize to the originator of this recipe (be it friend, family, or cook book). I’ve long since lost that detail. But what I do have is a delicious entrée that will certainly stay in my cool-weather cooking rotation.

ROASTED PORK TENDERLOIN with APPLE CIDER GLAZE

Ingredients:

2              1lb pork tenderloins, trimmed

6              shallots, quartered

1/2 c        golden raisins

3 tbsp      fresh thyme leaves (5-6 sprigs)

Pinch       ground cloves

3/4 c        apple cider

1/3 c        dry white wine

1/2 tsp     salt

1/2 tsp     ground pepper

1 tbsp      olive oil

1 tbsp      unsalted butter

2              mcintosh apples, peeled & chopped

Directions:

1.     Rinse pork, pat dry, and place in a large zip-top heavy-duty plastic bag or shallow dish

2.     Stir together shallots and next 5 ingredients in a medium bowl. Pour over pork, cover or seal, and chill at least 4 hours, turning occasionally.

3.     Preheat oven to 375*. Remove pork from marinade, reserving marinade. Sprinkle pork evenly with ½ tsp salt and ½ tsp pepper. Cook in hot oil in a large ovenproof skillet over medium heat 2-3 minutes on each side or until browned. Remove pork, and add butter to skillet, stirring until melted. Add apples, and sauté 2 minutes. Stir in reserved marinade. Bring to a boil, and boil 2 minutes, stirring often. Return pork to skillet.

4.     Bake for 20-30 minutes, basting occasionally. Slice pork, and serve immediately with glaze.

You’re welcome.

--Kate