I was given a single pork loin, and I had to come up with what to do with it. And, I was thinking about a raspberry pear jam from my neighbor Kathy…What could I do with both of these items given to me to make a luscious dinner?
I went on a quick trip up to Boa Vista Orchards in search of pears. The season of these being available from the farm was over. But I did spy some Granny Smith apples, so I grabbed one of those. Then nearby I saw really good looking oranges, so I grabbed one of those too! Then I found the treasure of the day: fresh asparagus!
So what can I do with these ingredients? Here is what I put together:
Ingredients
1 single pork loin
1 russet potato, peeled and cut into small chunks
1 Granny Smith apple, peeled, cored and cut into small chunks
Zest from one orange
2 shakes of Saigon cinnamon
4 twists of fresh ground salt and pepper
1 1/2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
1 dash of cumin
—
Sauce
1/2 cup of raspberry pear jam
1 cup of Chardonnay (You can substitute Merlot for the Chardonnay, but the Chard was really, really good!)
Take the pork loin out of the refrigerator to warm up. Take the next 7 ingredients and combine them. In a greased baking pan, add the potato and apple mixture.
Apples and potatoes
Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. While this is cooking, take the raspberry pear jam and add this to a saucepan and blend with the Chardonnay. Heat on medium high, and bring to a boil.
Jam and wine sauce
Reduce the heat to medium low, and stir every five minutes, until the mixture is reduced by half. Remove from the heat, and strain the seeds from the mixture into a bowl. Be sure to push on the solids with the backside of a spoon. Rinse the pot and return the mixture to the pot.
About this time the timer should be going off on the potato apple mixture. Remove this from the oven, stir the potatoes and apples, and then split the mixture so that they are split in half with a trough in the middle. In the open area, lay in the pork loin.
Pork loin added to the apples and potatoes
Even the potatoes and apples around the loin, and then with a paint brush, baste the loin with the raspberry pear chardonnay sauce. Just a bit, because the rest will be used for a drizzle over each serving! Put this back in the oven and cook for 35 to 40 minutes, or until a thermometer reads 135 degrees. While it is baking I got the fresh asparagus ready.
Asparagus is ready to go
At the 25 minute mark I basted the meat again with some of the jam sauce, and again at the 30 minute mark. When the pork is done, remove the pan from the oven.
Right out of the oven
Transfer the pork to a cutting board and cover. Stir up the apples and potatoes and cover. Get the asparagus going. Let the meat sit for 10 minutes. Reheat the wine and jam sauce. Slice up the meat,
Slice the meat
and serve it up with the apples, potatoes and asparagus. Drizzle the jam sauce over the meat
Dinner is served!
and dinner is served! This dish was incredible blend of flavors and it was so yummy that we ate the whole thing! This recipe is a keeper, and Kathy, I will need more of your terrific jam!
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Life in the Foothills 
Are These Signs of an Early Fall?
Posted in Commentary, Life in the Foothills, Photos, tagged Beauty, Fall, Gardening, Life, Life in the Foothills, Nature, Photography, Photography (2), Photos, Placerville, Seasons, Sierra Foothills, Weather, Whimsy on July 25, 2013| 33 Comments »
This has been a strange year indeed. The world around is not behaving as it has over our time living here. We have signs all around us that may indicate an early fall. Tell me what you think, and look around your neck of the woods and see if you see what I see! Then please do comment if you see signs too!
By this time I would be posting photos of huge plants in my vegetable garden, but this year my tomatoes: One is still 6″ tall, and the other two, are maybe a foot tall. My corn (do you remember the photos from last year?) are maybe a foot and a half tall and are flowering. The zucchini plants are maybe one foot in circumference, and the acorn squash are still 6 inches. The peppers are no bigger than they were at the end of May, and reach 6″ high. Yes this is in the lasagne garden! No garden photos as it is a bit embarrassing!
One of the first things I noticed is that the Chinese Maple is turning color. Here we are at the end of July and this tree does not change color until late September, early October.
The Chinese Maples are turning color
My Virginia creepers are turning red. They do not turn red, in normal conditions, until October as well.
The Virginia creepers are turning red
As we hit September, the Digger Pines start to shed, which means needles start to turn brown. When the rains and winds hit in late October early November, they fall and create a lot of work for us. Here is a shot of one of the many Digger Pines in our yard. They are ready to shed needles.
The Digger Pines are shedding two months early
Our Poplar is turning gold and so are others in the neighborhood.
Poplars going gold!
There is a plant in the garden at the winery, and the name of this plant is Spirea. It turns beautiful shades of red in the fall. The leaves are starting to turn as this photo shows.
Spirea are starting to change color
The black walnut trees are dropping leaves and the fruit seems to be starting to dry out, which they need to do before the nuts fall. What do you think about the leaves on this tree?
The Black Walnut leaves are going gold
One of the typical sights that we see here in late September are the tent moths forming their webs in the black walnut trees. They showed up this week. This is not the best photo, and the web looks like a face, but here is a tent moth web. There are already at least a dozen on the road on my way to work.
Tent moth webs are early
So, I have already mentioned that the Digger Pines are shedding, but did I mention that the Redwoods are too?
The Redwoods are shedding too!
Here is one final shot for you. This one is in the American River Canyon. The leaves on these trees are turning a golden brown!
Trees in the canyon are changing color
We also have flowers here that are called Naked Ladies. In some areas these are past their prime in blooming and starting to fade. These do not come up until the end of August! As I said in a previous post, we are anticipating harvest of the wine grapes to begin two weeks earlier than in a normal season. Are these signs that fall is coming early? You tell me!
Thank you for visiting today and have a fantastic Thursday!
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