Cooking up a storm

Dried Fruit Stuffed Pork Loin
Copyright 2000 Television Food Network, G.P. All rights reserved
Show:
Food 911
Episode:
Tyler's Hometown Church Buffet

1/4 pound dried apricot halve

1/4 pound dried figs

1/3 cup golden raisins

1/2 cup apple juice

1 cup chicken broth, low sodium

4 fresh sage leaves

2 tablespoons butter

1 teaspoon ground ginger

2 garlic cloves

1 tablespoon lemon juice

Salt and pepper, to taste

3 pounds pork loin, boneless

Vegetable oil

Fresh herbs, such as parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme

In a saucepan, combine apricots, figs and raisins over medium heat. Add apple juice and chicken broth. Add sage, butter, ginger, garlic, and lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper. Cook until the fruits are reconstituted and the liquid is reduced by half, about 25 minutes. Transfer the fruit mixture to a blender or food processor and puree until thick and smooth. Carve a tunnel through the center of the loin with a sharpening steel or wooden dowel. Widen the tunnel using your fingers. Inject the sauce into the opening using a pastry bag fitted with a metal tip. The filling should go all the way through the loin. Rub the pork all over with oil, herbs, salt and pepper. Sear the pork on a hot grill on all sides then transfer to a large baking pan. Bake in a preheated 375 degrees F oven. Roast until a meat thermometer inserted into the center of the roast registers 160 degrees F, about 35 to 45 minutes. Transfer pork roast to a cutting board; let stand 10 minutes before carving into pinwheels. Serve with pan juices.

We enjoyed the roast but found the figs over powered the taste of the apricots and raisins. I also added dried cherries. This did not take too long to make and having the new food processor sure makes cooking a breeze now. Next time we will try a different stuffing but this was a tasty dish.