Sometimes I forget about pork. We eat our fair share of chicken in this house, pull out my very favorite steak on Friday nights, and add in pops of seafood when I am feeling a bit more variety, but pork usually comes home with me in cured forms, such as bacon, pancetta, and prosciutto.
This year, I want to bring a bit more pork into my weekly menus, and now I have the perfect recipe - one that we certainly won’t mind having on repeat.
How do you feel about marmalade? I cannot get into it, which is ironic, because I LOVE texture. Mr. Pedantic, on the other hand, is a texture purist, yet he will eat toast merely for the sake of slathering it in a pile of sticky, orange paste.
That being said, even though marmalade is the base, I am obsessed with this glaze. Somehow the small bites of peel are completely unnoticeable atop the pork, and the sugar and tang of the marmalade make this pork almost candy-like.
This is my new favorite way to eat pork (well, other than these tacos which will forever be one of my proudest creations).
In addition to the marmalade, a bit of fresh orange juice, garlic, and rosemary join a small saucepan to form our syrup-y glaze.
This dish is also astoundingly fast to make. With a cool 45-minute turnaround, this definitely classifies as a weeknight dinner.
It is important to note that while the sugars in the marmalade contribute an irresistible flavor to our pork, they will also burn quickly. This just cannot be avoided, but not to worry, though the edges of the glaze will become somewhat dark, this will have no negative affects upon your pork!
After it has had ample chance to rest, slice on a bias and drizzle with the pan drippings for an extra dose of flavor.
I think we all just solved the question of what we should make for dinner tonight.
Sincerely,
Pedantic Foodie
PORK TENDERLOIN LOIN GLAZED with ORANGE MARMALADE & ROSEMARY
serves 2-4
1 small pork loin (about 3/4-1 lb)
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup orange marmalade
2 sprigs rosemary, leaves stripped from stems
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/3 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Drizzle olive oil into a 9x13 baking pan. Season both sides of your pork loin with salt and pepper and lay in the center of the pan.
Prepare the glaze by combining marmalade, rosemary, garlic, and orange juice in a 2-quart saucepan and set over medium high heat. Cook stirring constantly, until the mixture is simmering and fragrant.
Remove from heat and pour half of the glaze over the pork loin and bake for 15 minutes. Pour the remaining glaze over the pork and cook for an additional 10-15 minutes, until the center of the pork reaches 145-150 degrees F.
Allow the pork to rest for five minutes before slicing. Use a spoon to drizzle the pork with the glaze from the baking pan and serve immediately.
Enjoy!
