Pecan Encrusted Pork Loin with Strawberry Balsamic Sauce

The grocery stores are full of Danish strawberries.  They are small, but sweet.  Instead of cooking yet another strawberry dessert, I searched for a way to incorporate them into the main meal.  I found the perfect recipe on The Food Network website.  It was for a Pecan Encrusted Pork Loin with a Strawberry Balsamic sauce.   Since moving here, I have been in search of the perfect pork loin recipe, so it was quite great to find a recipe combining the two!

I deviated very little from the recipe as published on Food Network.  I mean, it is a Paula Deen recipe after all!  I grinded up some old stale bread to make the bread crumbs and used walnuts instead of pecans (pecans aren’t available at every grocery store).   I skipped the crostini and herb cream cheese and just served the pork and strawberry sauce.  After coating the pork loins, I had leftover breadcrumb/walnut mixture, so I dredged a few chicken breast with the mixture as well.  The chicken was just as good as the pork.

For sides we had a wonderful beet, spring onion salad (which I will post a recipe for later), garlic rice pilaf, and steamed fresh asparagus.  The meal was simply amazing!

Pecan Encrusted Pork Loin 

Ingredients

• 1 cup ground pecans
• 1 cup bread crumbs
• 1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon ground red pepper flakes
• 2 large eggs
• 2 (1-pound) pork tenderloins, trimmed
• Balsamic Strawberry Sauce, recipe follows

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with heavy duty aluminum foil. Lightly grease foil.

In a shallow dish, combine the pecans, bread crumbs, brown sugar, salt, pepper, and red pepper.

In a separate shallow dish, lightly beat the eggs. Dip the tenderloins in the eggs to coat. Dredge them in the pecan mixture, completely covering the tenderloins. Arrange them on the prepared baking sheet, and bake until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest portion registers 155 degrees F, about 18 to 20 minutes. Remove the tenderloins from the oven to a cutting board and let rest for 10 minutes. Cut into 1/4-inch thick slices and serve with Balsamic Strawberry Sauce.

Balsamic Strawberry Sauce:

• 2 cups chopped fresh strawberries (about 1 pound)
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1/4 cup chicken broth

In a medium saucepan, combine the strawberries, sugar, and vinegar. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat, and simmer for 5 minutes, stirring frequently.

In a small bowl combine the cornstarch and chicken broth, stirring until smooth. Add it to the strawberry mixture, stirring to combine. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Boil for 1 minute, stirring frequently. Remove from heat, and let cool. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.

Recipe adapted from Paula Deen at www.foodnetwork.com.