Sautéed Pork Medallions

Serves 4

Recipe from Martha Stewart’s Cooking School

Husband-Tested in Alice’s Kitchen

This is one delicious dish (good enough for company) and one that comes together quickly. Serve it with brown rice or whole-wheat couscous to soak up the sauce.  A bright colored, crispy salad would be a nice addition to this meal.

2 Tablespoons olive oil

1 medium pork tenderloin (about 1 lb.) cut crossways into medallions and pounded thin

Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

2 Tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

2 medium shallots, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced crosswise

1 apple, peeled, cored and cut into ½ -inch dice

3 Tablespoons raisins (plump them up by pouring hot water over them and allowing them to soak in hot water for about 10 minutes, drain)

Water

1/3 cup brandy (white wine, apple cider or chicken broth would work too.)

1/3 heavy cream

1 Tablespoon fresh sage, minced or 1 teaspoon dried thyme

Heat a large sauté pan over medium-high heat.  Add the oil and heat until shimmering.  Meanwhile, pat the medallions dry with paper towels and season both sides with salt and pepper. Cook (in batches if necessary to avoid crowding the pan) until golden brown, 1 to 1½ minutes per side. Transfer pork to a plate and cover to keep warm.

Add butter to the pan and reduce heat to medium.  Add the shallots, apple, and raisins.  Cook for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally so the apple browns evenly.  Deglaze the pan with 2 Tablespoons water, cooking and scraping up the browned bits from the bottom of the pan, until the water has evaporated.  If after 2 minutes the apple is not yet tender, add additional 2 Tablespoons water and continue cooking a few minutes more.  Pour in the brandy and cook until reduced by half, about 30 seconds, then add heavy cream and any juices from the pork that have collected on the plate.  Simmer until the sauce has thickened enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 1 minute.  Stir in sage (or dried thyme) and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Spoon pan sauce over the medallions and serve.