Pork with Poached Plums

I decided to try this recipe when I came across a plum stand at the St. Helena Farmers Market last Friday. However, in a very rookie move, I chose plums that were too ripe to serve as you see above from Epicurious.com. I ended up straining out the skins, pits, etc and just serving it as a sauce on top. We quickly made a peach and blackberry cobbler to add fruit back to the menu which ended up being an overall success on both ends.

Per my mom's request, I didn't use star anise and used cheap dry wine I had on-hand because I didn't want to drive 15 minutes down the hill to the valley floor to buy different wine. No one seemed to notice...

Pork with Poached Plums

Bon Appetite

At 26 Brix in Walla Walla, Washington, chef Mike Davis takes plums to the savory side—where they bring a bit of acidity to a spicy sauce for pork.

Servings: Makes 6 servings

ingredients
sweet firm red or black plums (such as Burgundies, Satsumas, or El Dorados; about 2 pounds), quartered, pitted

2 cups Pinot Gris or Viognier

1 cup dry red wine

2 whole star anise*

§ cinnamon stick

1/4 cup plus 1 1/4 teaspoons sugar, divided

2 cups low-salt chicken broth

5 fresh thyme sprigs plus 1 teaspoon finely chopped thyme, divided

2 tablespoons chopped shallot

2 1 1/4-pound pork tenderloins

3 tablespoons olive oil, divided

2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme

2 garlic cloves, minced

Chopped fresh chives

Preparation
For Plums:Combine first 5 ingredients and 1/4 cup sugar in heavy large saucepan; bring to boil, stirring until sugar dissolves. Reduce heat; simmer until plums are tender, about 20 minutes. Transfer plums to platter. Strain wine mixture.Return strained liquid to same saucepan. Add broth, thyme sprigs, and shallot. Boil until mixture is reduced to 1 cup, about 25 minutes. Strain sauce; stir in 1 1/4 teaspoons sugar and chopped thyme. Season with salt and pepper.DO AHEAD:Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover plums and sauce separately; chill. Bring plums to room temperature; rewarm sauce over medium heat.

For Pork:Preheat oven to 400°F. Brush pork with 1 tablespoon oil; sprinkle with thyme, garlic, salt, and pepper. Heat remaining 2 tablespoons oil in large ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Add pork and cook until brown on all sides, turning often, about 5 minutes. Transfer skillet to oven, and roast pork until thermometer inserted into center registers 140°F, about 20 minutes. Remove skillet from oven and let pork stand 10 minutes. Cut pork crosswise into 1/2-inch-thick slices. Serve with poached plums and sauce. Sprinkle with chopped chives.*Available in the spice section of some supermarkets and at specialty foods stores and Asian markets.

Makes 6 servings

Pork with Poached Plums