Directions
- Preheat oven to 400 F.
- In a small bowl combine the raisins and cranberries. In a small saucepan bring the 1 cup port to a simmer and pour over the dried fruit. Let sit until plump, about 10 minutes. Drain well and let the fruit cool.
- In a medium skillet heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add shallots and garlic and cook, stirring until soft, about 1 minute. Add thyme, salt, and pepper. Remove from heat and let cool.
- In a medium bowl combine the cool fruit and the garlic shallot mixture. Lay the prosciutto slices over the butterflied pork to cover. Starting about ½ inch from the bottom and leaving ½ inch on either side. Lay the dried fruit mixture in a uniform line across the meat. Pull the bottom edge of meat up and over the filling and roll up into a thick cylinder. Using butchers twine tie the meat to seal. Rub with olive oil on all sides and lightly season with salt and pepper.
- In a large ovenproof skillet or roasting pan, sear the meat on all sides over medium high heat for 3-5 minutes.
- Place in oven and roast until cooked through or until an instant read thermometer registers an internal temperature of 155 degrees, about 90 minutes. Remove from oven and let rest 10 minutes before carving.
- Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan bring the port to a boil. Reduce the heat and cook at a low boil until reduced to a thick syrup (1/3 its original volume). Add the stock and cook until thick and reduced by half. Reduce heat to low and while whisking constantly, add butter several pieces at a time, adding more butter once the previous pieces have been incorporated. Continue until the sauce is emulsified and all the butter incorporated.
- Remove the butcher’s twine from the roast and carve into slices about 1 inch thick. Drizzle with the port wine sauce and garnish with thyme sprigs.
Health Benefits
High in protein, this pork tenderloin won’t just make your mouth water, it will make your muscles happy with all the potassium and minerals from the dried fruit, stock and butter! This is a classic old school recipe that reminds me of Julia Childs. I can almost hear her say, “If you’re afraid to use butter, use cream.” While this recipe is definitely high in fat, all the fat used in this dish is quality fat. Butter for instance, is rich in conjugated linoleic acid which is great for the immune system.
Organic proscuitto and pork tenderloin, while not All-star foods per-say, do not contain growth hormones, antibiotics or other substances found in conventional animal products. And the alcohol in this dish, well, what can I say… Good Decisions… Most of the Time. 😉
