My Monday Night Supper Club had been on break for a while during my Top Chef Canada ventures. Last week, we regrouped for our first potluck of the summer and had an enjoyable evening in Sandy Beach Park (which, I should note, has neither sand, nor beach…). In regards to the pickled cherries, I’m not sure why exactly I decided to quick pickle them but I did and they were a tasty topping for the roast pork. Pork is so under-rated and always delicious! Make some this week! That is an order!

Serves 5-6

Total cook time: 1 hour, 25 minutes

What you’ll need:

Roast Pork:

1 pork tenderloin (approx. 2 lb)

salt and pepper

olive oil

Balsamic Fig Reduction:

2 shallots (thinly sliced)

1 garlic clove (minced)

3 mission figs (ends trimmed, loosely chopped)

1 1/2 cups balsamic vinegar

2 TSP white sugar

salt and pepper

olive oil

Pickled Cherries:

1 1/2 cup white vinegar

3 TSP salt

2 TSP sugar

1 TSP pickling spice

1 cup fresh cherries (pitted and halved)

Directions:

Start off by pre-heating your oven to 250 degrees. Rub the pork tenderloin with some olive oil and season all sides with salt and pepper. Pop it into a prepared baking dish and let cook in the oven for 1 hour, 15 minutes.

While that’s cooking, move onto the reduction. Place the shallots and garlic in a small pot with some olive oil and cook until softened, about five minutes. Add the figs to the pot and let cook for another five minutes, stirring occasionally. Next, pour in the vinegar and sugar. Once the mixture comes starts to bubble, reduce to low heat and let the liquid simmer until it reduces by two thirds. Season with salt and pepper to taste and leave warm on the stove until ready to serve the pork.

The pork is still cooking, right? Okay, time to quick pickle cherries! Combine the first four ingredients in a small pot, bring to a boil and pour over sliced cherries. Strain liquid while pouring to catch the small bits of pickling spice. Let sit for 15 minutes, drain, and set aside until ready to serve.

Remove pork loin from oven. Finish by searing on all sides in a large, hot pan to form a crust. Let sit for at least five minutes before slicing. To plate, serve sliced pork over a bed of wilted greens (like spinach or swiss chard), top with balsamic fig reduction, and a small spoonful of pickled cherries.

That’s it, that’s all!

 Dan Clapson is a food writer and culinary instructor based out of Calgary. He is constantly creating new recipes and striving to expand his culinary horizons. He thinks yam fries are overrated.