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Dried Cherry-Port Sauce with Onions and Marmalade

By America's Test Kitchen

Published on October 13, 2011

Time

20 minutes

Yield

Serves 4 (Makes enough to sauce 2 tenderloins)

Dried Cherry-Port Sauce with Onions and Marmalade

Ingredients

1 teaspoon vegetable oil 1 large onion, halved and sliced ½ inch thick (about 1 ½ cups)¾ cup port ¾ cup dried cherries 2 tablespoons orange marmalade 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 3 pieces

Instructions

  1. Immediately after placing pork in oven, add oil to still-hot skillet, swirl to coat, and set skillet over medium-high heat; add onion and cook, stirring frequently, until softened and browned about the edges, 5 to 7 minutes (if drippings are browning too quickly, add 2 tablespoons water and scrape up browned bits with wooden spoon). Set skillet aside off heat.
  2. While pork is resting, set skillet over medium-high heat and add port and cherries; simmer, scraping up browned bits with wooden spoon, until mixture is slightly thickened, 4 to 6 minutes. Add any accumulated pork juices and continue to simmer until thickened and reduced to about 1/3 cup, 2 to 4 minutes longer. Off heat, whisk in orange marmalade and butter, one piece at a time. Adjust seasonings with salt and pepper.
Dried Cherry-Port Sauce with Onions and Marmalade

Dried Cherry-Port Sauce with Onions and Marmalade

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By America's Test Kitchen
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Time

20 minutes

Yield

Serves 4 (Makes enough to sauce 2 tenderloins)

Ingredients

1 teaspoon vegetable oil
1 large onion, halved and sliced ½ inch thick (about 1 ½ cups)
¾ cup port
¾ cup dried cherries
2 tablespoons orange marmalade
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 3 pieces

Ingredients

1 teaspoon vegetable oil
1 large onion, halved and sliced ½ inch thick (about 1 ½ cups)
¾ cup port
¾ cup dried cherries
2 tablespoons orange marmalade
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 3 pieces

Ingredients

1 teaspoon vegetable oil
1 large onion, halved and sliced ½ inch thick (about 1 ½ cups)
¾ cup port
¾ cup dried cherries
2 tablespoons orange marmalade
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 3 pieces

Why This Recipe Works

A marriage of stovetop and oven cooking produced a flavorful and juicy pork tenderloin recipe. A pan sauce was a natural way to add flavor to the roast; the browned bits, or fond, left behind in the pan from the roast made the perfect base for the sauce. The 10 or so minutes that the meat spent in the oven gave us time to reduce vinegar or wine down to a glaze or to caramelize onions and garlic in the empty pan. While the meat rested, we could finish the sauce with fresh herbs or mustard or butter. The entire dish took us less than 30 minutes to complete.

Instructions

  1. Immediately after placing pork in oven, add oil to still-hot skillet, swirl to coat, and set skillet over medium-high heat; add onion and cook, stirring frequently, until softened and browned about the edges, 5 to 7 minutes (if drippings are browning too quickly, add 2 tablespoons water and scrape up browned bits with wooden spoon). Set skillet aside off heat.
  2. While pork is resting, set skillet over medium-high heat and add port and cherries; simmer, scraping up browned bits with wooden spoon, until mixture is slightly thickened, 4 to 6 minutes. Add any accumulated pork juices and continue to simmer until thickened and reduced to about 1/3 cup, 2 to 4 minutes longer. Off heat, whisk in orange marmalade and butter, one piece at a time. Adjust seasonings with salt and pepper.

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