Prune Sauce For Meat Or Game Recipes

PEPPERED VENISON WITH BALSAMIC PRUNE SAUCE

Steps:

• Cut meat into 4 serving-size pieces. Spread both sides of meat with the mustard; sprinkle with peppercorns.
• In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Cook meat 3 to 4 minutes per side or until desired doneness. Remove from skillet; keep meat warm. Carefully add broth and vinegar to skillet, stirring to scrape up browned bits. Add sugar and prunes. Boil gently 3 to 5 minutes or until liquid is reduced by half. Whisk in butter to melt. Pour sauce over meat.

PORK LOIN WITH APPLES, PRUNES, AND MUSTARD CREAM SAUCE

Steps:

• Put oven rack in lower third of oven and preheat oven to 375°F.
• Halve pork loin crosswise, then pat dry and sprinkle with 1 teaspoon salt and 3/4 teaspoon pepper (total). Heat oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then brown pork, 1 piece at a time, turning occasionally, 6 to 8 minutes per piece. Transfer to a small flameproof roasting pan as browned (do not clean skillet) and roast pork until thermometer inserted diagonally at least 2 inches into meat registers 150°F, 40 to 50 minutes.
• While pork roasts, peel, quarter, and core apples, then cut into 1/4-inch-thick wedges. Pour off all but 1 tablespoon fat from skillet, then cook onion in skillet over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until softened, 3 to 5 minutes. Add apples, prunes, broth, and water and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until apples are tender, 10 to 12 minutes. Stir in cream and mustard and simmer until sauce is slightly thickened, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from heat and keep sauce warm, partially covered.
• Transfer pork to a cutting board and let stand 10 minutes. Add wine to roasting pan and boil over high heat, stirring and scraping up brown bits, until reduced to about 1/4 cup, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir pan juices into cream sauce along with remaining 3/4 teaspoon salt and remaining 3/4 teaspoon pepper and heat sauce over moderate heat, stirring, until hot.
• Discard string from pork and cut each half crosswise into 4 slices. Serve pork with sauce.

PORK CHOPS WITH PEARL ONIONS IN PRUNE SAUCE (FLAMBE')

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a mini food processor puree prunes with enough apple juice to make a smooth paste.
• Heat a skillet over high heat, season chops with salt & pepper. Sear chops in the oil until well-browned on all sides. Transfer to a baking dish and bake for about 10 minutes.
• Meanwhile, in the same skillet from chops, sweat shallots in pan drippings until tender. Make sure your stove fan is off then carefully add Cognac as it will flame; if not, ignite with a match. Shake pan until flames die out. Continue cooking, scraping bottom of pan too incorporate any browned bits.
• Add veal stock, pearl onions, and prune puree and boil until reduced by half. Stir in butter, just until melted. Plate up pork chops over buttered egg noodles and pour sauce over top. Sprinkle with fresh parsley and serve.

PORK TENDERLOIN WITH SHALLOTS AND PRUNES

Steps:

• To brine the pork: Dissolve the salt and brown sugar in 2 cups cold water in a glass or stainless steel bowl large enough to hold the tenderloin. Add the allspice, peppercorns, bay leaves and thyme. Submerge the meat, cover and refrigerate at least 8 hours (overnight is better). Before cooking, remove the tenderloin, pat dry and bring to room temperature. Heat the oven to 400 degrees.
• To make the sauce and roast: Simmer the prunes in the red wine until slightly softened, about 5 minutes. Turn off the heat, stir in the ginger and orange zest, and steep for 10 minutes
• Heat the olive oil in a heavy stainless steel skillet over medium-high heat. Lightly brown the tenderloin, about 3 minutes per side. (Turn off heat and use the same pan to make the sauce.) Transfer the tenderloin to a small roasting pan. Roast uncovered for about 15 minutes, until an instant-read thermometer registers 140 degrees. Let rest for 10 minutes before slicing. (Residual heat will cause the meat to continue to cook a bit while resting.)
• To finish the sauce, melt the butter in the reserved skillet over medium heat. Add shallots and thyme, and season lightly with salt and pepper. Cook for about 5 minutes, until softened, stirring with a wooden spoon. Scrape up any browned bits to enrich the sauce. Add chicken broth, turn up the heat, and simmer 2 minutes. Stir in the prunes and wine, and simmer for another 2 minutes. Add the Madeira if using. Taste and correct the seasoning, then add the potato starch mixture and cook for another minute to thicken. Spoon sauce and prunes over the sliced tenderloin.