Herb Crusted Pork Loin with Plum Chutney

September 04, 2012

Herb Crusted Pork Loin with Plum Chutney

Herb Crusted Pork Loin with Plum Chutney

I have been working pretty long and ridiculous hours recently, which makes it so that I really have no time to catch up on my magazines. I had a stack of about ten magazines to catch up on, including trashy ones, fashion ones, and cooking ones. I was headed to New York City to visit my family for the long weekend, so I decided to grab only one In Style, one Rolling Stones, and a few cooking magazines. As I sat on the airplane flipping through my latest Bon Appétit, I discovered a plethora of amazing in-season recipes that allowed me to play on the summer fruits and vegetables.

We had several people over for dinner on Friday night, including a girl from Paris, a dear old family friend from Denmark, and also my aunt, uncle, and cousin who were leaving for Scotland the following day to take my cousin Angus to school at the University of Edinburgh. My aunt is an amazing cook, and we had international guests, so I wanted to impress. Around noon, I started brainstorming. I split an heirloom salad with my sister, Alice, at Eric Kayser's restaurant on the Upper East Side called Maison Kayser for brunch, and I was inspired immediately to add delicious summertime heirloom tomatoes in my menu for the night.

As we walked and talked in Central Park, I had decided I would really go all out on the menu. I would have several appetizers, a few sides, and then a main dish. We headed to local gourmet grocer Dean and Deluca, where we picked up several French cheeses, about 6 heirloom tomatoes, 4 pounds of pork loin, and some delicious black plums. We also picked up some high end herbs de Provence, which can be found at gourmet food stores, or in the spice section at supermarkets.

When we headed home, it was go time. I was lucky enough to have my sister in the kitchen with me to help, so as she chopped and diced the tomatoes, I started on the plum chutney. While I worked on the pork, she continued to impress the guests with all of her French cheese selections. We continued on with the meal and also cooked a Parmesan asparagus risotto, a kale salad, and a tomato crostini as another appetizer.

As the night went on, things to just fall into place. I have to say, the more I cook, the better my timing on the menu gets. As they all say, practice makes perfect.

At the end of the meal, we all cracked jokes about being rolled out of the dining room, as Violet Beauregard was in the fabulous Charlie and The Chocolate Factory as a giant blueberry. Thirds, anyone?

Herb Crusted Pork Loin with Plum Chutney

Ingredients:

Plum Chutney:

4 red or black plums
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large shallot, sliced lengthwise
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1/4 cup Sherry vinegar or apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Kosher salt

(The original recipe also calls for 1 bay leaf, 1 tablespoon mustard seeds, and 2 teaspoons grated peeled ginger. I was feeling apathetic about these additions, so I didn't bother to purchase these items just for one recipe. No one really cooks at my grandmother's house anyways).

Pork:

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons minced fresh rosemary
4 teaspoons herbs de Provence

4 teaspoons olive oil

4-5 pounds pork loin (The original calls for 2 pork tenderloins, about 2 pounds)

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

16 thing slices pancetta or prosciutto

Kitchen twine (Can be found at most supermarkets or any specialty kitchenware store)

Directions:

Plum Chutney:

1. Half and pit plums. Cut into 1/2 inch wedge

2. Heat oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add shallot and cook, stirring occasionally, until the shallot begins to soften, about 2 minutes

3. Add brown sugar, next 6 ingredients, and 1/4 cup water. Cook, stirring occasionally, until mixutre is fragrant, about 2 minutes

4. Stir in plums. Cover and simmer over medium heat, stirring occasionally, for 8 minutes.

Uncover and continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until fruit is soft and juices have thickened, 20-25 minutes. Season to taste with salt. Let cool slightly. Side note: Chutney can be made 1 week ahead. Rewarm slightly before serving.

Pork:

1. Stir rosemary, herbs de Provence, and oil in a small bowl. Rub all over pork; season with salt and pepper.

Wrap pancetta slices around pork and tie at 2 inch intervals with kitchen twine to hold together. Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and chill

2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees, and grill loin for about 1.5-2 hours. If you have an instant-read thermometer, the middle of the loin should register to 145 degrees
3. Transfer tenderloins to a cutting board. Let rest for 10 minutes. Slice thinly and serve with plum chutney on top or on the side

The original recipe calls for this to be made on a grill, but I don't have a grill in San Francisco, so I just looked up times and oven degrees per pound for a pork loin. It's roughly 20-30 minutes per pound.

Tomato Crostini

Ingredients:

6 different colored heirloom tomatoes (ranges from orange, yellow, green, red, purple), cored, halved, seeded, chopped into cubes

3 garlic cloves, 2 minced, 1 halved

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling

1 tablespoon red wine vinegar (Honestly, I just used a splash of actual red wine)

1 loaf ciabatta or baguette, cut on a diagonal into 1/3 inch pieces

1/4 cup packed fresh basil leaves, coarsely chopped

Directions:

1. Combine tomatoes and minced garlic in a large bowl. Season generously with salt and pepper. Add 3 tablespoons oil and vinegar, toss to mix well. Cover and let tomatoes marinate at room temperature, stirring occasionally, for 2-3 hours to allow flavors to develop

2. Rub one side of toasted bread with cut sides of remaining garlic clove; drizzle bread with oil and cut in half crosswise. Add basil to tomato mixture in bowl and toss well. Season to taste with salt and pepper

3. Arrange crostini (a smancy word for bread...) on a platter. Spoon some tomato mixture on top of each crostini

I found this original tomato crostini recipe in my Bon Appétit magazine under an article about summers in Tuscany. This recipe is described as being so easy you could do it in your sleep if you have fresh tomatoes, fresh basil, and some olive oil.