Fruit and Walnut-stuffed Pork Loin

I love a roulade.  It's like a special surprise wrapped up in the middle.  This one calls for dried fruits, rehydrated in red wine and triple sec (um, YUM!).  Luckily, we found the perfect sized pork loin at Wegman's, so we were on our way.  I had dried cherries and apricots, so instead of the additional dried plums, just added in more of those two fruits.  For the wine, we used Red Diamond Cabernet Sauvignon, a wine you can easily find at your grocery store (if your state permits the sale of alcohol in grocery stores).  Since we had most of the ingredients on-hand, and tag-teamed this recipe, it came together quickly.

Instead of cutting the pork into the recommended 16 slices, we decided to cut into 8 larger slices instead.  Our pork looks pink in the picture but I can assure you as an infectious disease aficionado, we cooked our pork to the appropriate 155 degree temperature.  We served a mint pea puree (not Cooking Light but Claire Robinson from Food Network) and Roasted potatoes with a roasted garlic vinaigrette (recipe in the next post).

In the end, this was delicious.  The combination of fruits and nuts and pork with a crunchy outside was a great combination.  I think we liked it and would definitely make it again.

As of this post, 13 people gave this an average rating of four out of 5.

Recipe by Julianna Grimes, Cooking Light, September 2008

Yield: 8 servings (serving size: 2 slices)

Ingredients

• 1/2  cup  dry red wine
• 1/4  cup  dried sour cherries
• 1/4  cup  chopped dried apricots
• 1/4  cup  chopped dried plums
• 2  tablespoons  Triple Sec (orange-flavored liqueur)
• 1/3  cup  finely chopped walnuts
• 2  tablespoons  chopped shallots
• 1 1/4  teaspoons  salt, divided
• 1/2  teaspoon  grated lemon rind
• 2  (1-ounce) slices French bread
• 1  teaspoon  chopped fresh thyme
• 1/4  teaspoon  freshly ground black pepper
• 2  garlic cloves, minced
• 1  (2 1/2-pound) boneless center-cut pork loin roast, trimmed
• 2  tablespoons  Dijon mustard
• Cooking spray
• Parsley sprigs (optional)

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 400°.
2. Combine first 5 ingredients in a medium microwave-safe bowl; microwave at HIGH 2 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes or until fruit is plump. Drain mixture through a sieve, reserving fruit mixture. Combine fruit mixture, walnuts, shallots, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and rind.
3. Combine 3/4 teaspoon salt, French bread, and next 3 ingredients (through garlic) in a food processor; process until fine crumbs form.
4. Cut pork in half lengthwise, cutting to, but not through, other side; open halves, laying the pork flat. Starting from center, cut each half lengthwise, cutting to, but not through, other side; open halves, laying pork flat. Cover with plastic wrap; pound to an even thickness. Discard plastic wrap. Spread fruit mixture over pork, leaving a 1/2-inch border. Roll up pork, jelly-roll fashion, starting with one long side. Secure with wooden picks. Sprinkle outside of pork evenly with remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt; brush evenly with mustard. Sprinkle breadcrumb mixture over pork; press gently to adhere. Place pork on a broiler pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 400° for 55 minutes or until a meat thermometer inserted in the thickest part registers 155°. Let pork stand 10 minutes. Remove wooden picks. Cut into 16 (1/2-inch-thick) slices. Garnish with parsley sprigs, if desired.

Nutritional Information

Calories: 323 (35% from fat)

Fat: 12.4g (sat 3.7g,mono 4.5g,poly 3.1g)

Protein: 29.7g

Carbohydrate: 18.9g

Fiber: 1.4g

Cholesterol: 79mg

Iron: 1.9mg

Sodium: 573mg

Calcium: 41mg