Chef Todd Richards: Blackberry-Balsamic Roasted Pork Tenderloin

Summer 2020 Cookbook of the Month, Soul from Chef Todd Richards

In Chef Todd Richards's cookbook, Soul, this delicious roasted pork tenderloin is basted with a blackberry-balsamic vinegar reduction and finished off with blackberry-bourbon maple syrup.

This showstopper recipe is perfect for entertaining!

This recipe is originally made with venison, but one of the many things I love about this cookbook are the substitutes Chef Richards offers for specific ingredients. For example, in this recipe, he suggests using pork tenderloin in place of venison.

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Ingredients 

• 2 tablespoons olive oil

• 1 pound pork tenderloin

• 2 teaspoons ground black pepper

• ½ teaspoon kosher salt

• 1 shallot, cut into ⅛-inch rings

• 1 oregano sprig 

• 2 garlic cloves

• 3 tablespoons Blackberry - Balsamic Vinegar Reduction

• 1 tablespoon Blackberry Maple Syrup

• 1 teaspoon sea salt 

Blackberry-Balsamic Vinegar

• 2 cups balsamic vinegar 

• ½ cup packed light brown sugar

• 1 tablespoon orange zest 

• 1 thyme sprig 

• 1 pint plus 12 whole fresh blackberries

Blackberry Maple Syrup for Game Meats

• 1 pint fresh blackberries

• 2 cups pure maple syrup 

• 2 cups bourbon

• 1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar

• 1 ½ tablespoons lemon zest

• 1 tablespoon orange zest

• 8 black peppercorns 

• 1 thyme sprig

Recipe

Blackberry-Balsamic Vinegar

1. Bring balsamic vinegar, brown sugar, orange zest, thyme sprig and 1 pint of the blackberries to a simmer over medium heat. Cook until mixture is reduced by half, about 20 minutes. 

2. Remove the saucepan from heat, and let it stand for 15 minutes. Cut the remaining 12 blackberries in half.

3. Pour syrup though a fine wire-mesh strainer into a 1-pint glass; discard solids. Add the halved blackberries to the jar. Serve immediately, or cover with a lid and store at room temperature up to 3 says. Makes 3 cups.

Blackberry Maple Syrup for Game Meats

1. Bring all ingredients to a summer in a  saucepan over medium heat. Cook until the syrup is reduced by about half, about 20 minutes.

2. Remove the saucepan from the heat, and let stand for 1 hour.

3. Pour the syrup through a fine wire-mesh strainer into a 1-pint glass jar; discard solids. Serve immediately, or cover with a lid and store at room temperature up to 3 days. Makes about 2 cups. 

Pork Tenderloin

1. Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat.

2. Sprinkle the pork tenderloin with pepper and kosher salt. Sear the pork in hot oil until golden brown.

3. Add the shallot to the skillet. Cook until the shallot is golden brown, about 2 minutes.

4. Arrange the orange slices, oregano, and garlic around the meat in the skillet, and cook for 4 minutes, turning the oranges after 2 minutes. Spoon the Blackberry-Balsamic Vinegar Reduction over the pork, and cook, basting with reduction mixture in skillet until the pork is cooked through, registering at 145°F. Transfer to a cutting board, and let it rest for 10 minutes.

5. Meanwhile, add the Blackberry-Maple Syrup to the skillet's drippings and stir until combined. Slice the tenderloin and sprinkle with salt. Pour the pan sauce over the tenderloin and serve immediately.

Recipe by Chef Todd Richards