Dinner: Grilled Pork Tenderloin with Blackberry Sauce

The roasted pork tenderloin I grew up on was easy and tasty but a bit ordinary. This sweet, slightly tangy sauce makes a weeknight pork meal taste like a fancy dinner out. I have fond food memories of eating chef creations of blackberry sauce on beef medallions and elk tenderloin, and this easy dish ranks with those.

Rum, orange zest, dijon mustard, and ginger add zesty flavor to simple fruity preserves. Best all, the sauce only requires dumping five ingredients in a pot and letting it cook 5 minutes-- doable, right?

We ate it with wild rice and acorn squash because it's winter, but I want to try it in the spring with a fruit-filled green salad.

Grilled Pork Tenderloin with Blackberry Sauce
Southern Living, May 2010

2  (3/4-lb.) pork tenderloins

1  tablespoon olive oil

1 1/2  tablespoons Caribbean jerk (or other spicy) seasoning

1  teaspoon salt

2/3  cup seedless blackberry preserves

1/4  cup Dijon mustard

2  tablespoons rum or orange juice

1  tablespoon orange zest

1  tablespoon grated fresh ginger or 1 teaspoon dried ginger

Preheat grill to 350° to 400° (medium-high) heat. Remove silver skin from tenderloins, leaving a thin layer of fat. Brush tenderloins with oil, and rub with seasoning and salt.

Grill tenderloins, covered with grill lid, 10 minutes on each side or until a meat thermometer inserted into thickest portion registers 155°. Remove from grill, and let stand 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, whisk together blackberry preserves and next 4 ingredients in a small saucepan, and cook over low heat, whisking constantly, 5 minutes or until thoroughly heated.

Cut pork diagonally into thin slices, and arrange on a serving platter or individual plates; drizzle with warm sauce.