Pork is a favorite dish of mine, so much so that I am always thinking about new ways to prepare it. A lot f what makes a good pork dish is of course how you cook it. Usually I roast my pork at a low temp, for however long it takes….taking the temp often and making sure there is enough liquid in the dish or in the oven as a “bath”. I usually always work with a loin, and always, always with a dry rub of sweet smoked paprika and cumin…….Well, I decided to go a different direction this time.

I wanted to get the pork “drunk” but not so drink that the liquor was the main flavor. I decided to work with a little sake, a beautiful buttery chardonnay, and a bit of bourbon. Mixing all of these liquids together with fresh time, orange rind, the juiced of a fresh orange, and freshly pressed garlic and a touch of apple cider vinegar…..I marinated the pork over night and this is the dish I came up with and it was  DELICIOUS………..

Try this, maybe even for the holidays…..I guarantee you will love it

For the Marinade:

1/2 cup of white wine

1/3 cup sake

1/3 cup apple cider vinegar

1/3 cup of bourbon

½ cup of molasses

The juice of 1 large orange and the rind

3 garlic cloves

½ teaspoon of salt and white pepper

Mix ingredients well, place the pork loin in a deep baking dish, pour the marinade and cover for the next few hours or overnight.

For the Cranberry Sauce

2 pounds of fresh cranberries

1 cup of supar

½ cup of water

½ cup of orange juice

1/3 cup of balsamic vinegar

2 tablespoons of orange rind

In a sauce pan, heat all ingredients until the cranberries are well cooked and the mixture is still a little watery but it has reduced by ½, allow to cool. Press through a strainer to get a real sauce like “puree”.

Vegetables:

In this dish I used baby carrots, Brussels sprouts. I seared these vegetables in butter, a little sugar and a little olive oil.

Baking the Pork:

Pre  heat over to 300

Add to the dish pears, apples, onions, and almost any firm seasonal fruit. I added sliced Asian Pears and Crab Apples. Place the pork and the fruit as well as 2/3 of the marinade in the baking dish with the orange rinds and bake until the inside temp is 140, pull the pork out of the oven  and “baste” the pork with the remaining marinade. Turn the oven up to 350, Paint a bit of the cranberry sauce on top of the pork and put it back in the oven for another 10 mins or so…..let it rest for about 5 mins then serve

Plate and enjoy!