Here are Some Ideas for all Those Frozen Cherries
It seems cherry season is over almost as soon as it’s begun.
Cherries aren’t just for sweet dishes – they shine in savory fare too! A warm compote – made with a heavy dose of wine – cuts through the richness of a beautifully roasted pork loin to create a perfectly balanced dish.
Ingredients
- ½ cup diced white onion
- 2 Tbls brown sugar
- 3 cups pitted, frozen cherries
- 1 ½ cups semi-dry red wine
- ½ Tbls fresh thyme
- 3 pound pork loin roast
- ½ cup lightly packed brown sugar
- 6 Tbls coarse ground mustard
- ¼ cup chopped fresh rosemary
- 1 Tbls minced garlic
- Salt and pepper, to taste
Preparation
Prep Time: 15 minutes • Cook Time: 35 – 45 minutes • Total Time: 50 – 60 minutes
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Line a baking sheet with tin foil and place a cooling rack over top.
In a medium saucepan, heat 2 Tablespoons olive oil (or pork lard!) over medium heat. Add onion, stirring to coat. Cook until onion turns soft and translucent, about five minutes. Add in the brown sugar, cherries, and wine, stirring to combine. When mixture begins to simmer, roughly mash cherries with a potato masher or fork. Continue cooking until compote is reduced by half before stirring in fresh thyme.
While compote cooks, prepare the pork loin: Place pork loin on cooling rack and sprinkle with salt and pepper, to taste. Mix together the brown sugar, mustard, rosemary and garlic to form a paste before rubbing onto pork loin.
Bake in preheated oven for 35 – 40 minutes, or until internal temperature reaches 145 degrees. Remove from oven and allow to rest for 5 minutes before slicing and serving with cherry compote.
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