41. Fruit Stuffed Pork Loin (the results)

Ah, card #41. You took almost an entire day to make.

So one of the big elements of this project is modification and improvisation and I did have to improvise with this one. The pork loin used in the original card was one big hunk of meat that you sliced into from each end and then shoved apples and prunes into the cavity. What I purchased happened to be 2 boneless pork tenderloins.

See what I mean? My meats look nothing like their meats! But I solved the problem by cutting what I called a “channel” into each half, inserted the prunes and apples, and then used toothpicks to hold it all together.

Browning the loin(s) in butter (light butter) was quite precarious (thank you, Cleveland for your help in the flipping process), but it held together quite well. So after the browning, I poured in the boiling water and put the entire skillet, topped with foil, into the oven for 2 or so hours. When the meat thermometer read “pork” I knew it was done.

While the pork was in the oven I made the Lemon-Cream Dressing. I found that recipe here.

It couldn’t have been easier, but I did sub a lighter cream for the heavy whipping cream.

I did 2 shortcuts in this meal. I used canned white potatoes and pre-made jarred red cabbage. The glazed white potato recipe was very easy and quick (I did sub margarine for the butter) and I began it shortly before I took the pork out of the oven and placed it on the platter.

The aforementioned short cuts were a wise move considering that I had to make the Medaillons.

The dinner part wasn’t a beast, it was the Medaillons! So many steps! Making the dough, chilling the dough, rolling the dough, baking the dough, making the icing, making the custard. Ugh. They were really tasty, although if I were to make this again I would just use refrigerated sugar cookie dough. The custard and the glaze were relatively easy, but since this was my first custard it was rather gloppy. Tasty, but gloppy. For the jelly part I used Smuckers Squeeze reduced sugar strawberry.

A recipe for the cookie glaze wasn’t provided so I went to the interwebs and used this easy recipe. I found that it wouldn’t smooth onto the cookies with a knife so I ended up rolling bits of the glaze into balls and then smoothing it over the cookie tops like a fondant.

This is the Medaillons recipe:

I cannot make a nice gravy, so let’s just say that I tried and I failed.

Regardless, Dinner was served!

I must admit that the pork loin was really good. Very juicy. The fruit added just enough sweetness. I enjoyed the potatoes. I think it would be even better to glaze them and then put them in the oven to brown a bit. Overall, If I were to make this again I would change the sides to sauerkraut and dumplings and a braised kale or collard green. There would be no gravy. Because I cannot make gravy.