Pork with Cherries

I would like to credit Erik Keilholtz with this recipe. I had asked him some time ago for any ideas on a recipe with Rainier Cherries. The reason I asked was that the first time I came across them, I was excited by their presentation possibilities.

Rainier cherries, if you don't know, are sweeter than bing cherries. They also have beautiful coloring of red and yellow. You can find this recipe on Erik's blog, but I'm going to post it here too.:

First, you will need to pit a bunch of cherries. It is tedious, and there are gadgets that make it go better, or you can use household indentured servants (children) to do the task, provided they are old enough to use a knife properly.

Rub a pork loin with salt and pepper.

Then, brown your pork loin in butter. Transfer to a plate.

Add a finely chopped onion, a couple of peeled cloves of garlic, and fry gently in the fat.

Add the cherries and a pinch of carraway seeds and fry for a minute.

Return the pork to the pan, add a splash of white dry vermouth, cover and cook over low heat until the pork is done to your liking.

Let the pork rest 10 minutes before slicing. Meanwhile, reduce the cooking liquid, remove the garlic, finish with port and softened butter.

Slice the pork, and cover with the sauce. If you want to be fancy, you can puree and strain the sauce before the butter enrichment, but I like the chunks of fruit and cooked onion in mine.

Serve with good bread, a good pinot noir, and a green salad.