Thyme Maple Pork Stacks With Bleu Cheese and a Cranberry Topping

Name: Thyme Maple Pork Stacks With Bleu Cheese and a Cranberry Topping
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 40 min
Yield: 4 Pork Stacks, 4 serving(s)
Ingredients: 8 (3/4-inch thick); 1 medium onion (cut in quarters and thin sliced); 2 tablespoons butter; 2 tablespoons maple syrup; 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme; 1/2 teaspoon salt; 1/4 teaspoon pepper; 1 tablespoon olive oil to saute the pork; 1/4 cup walnuts, chopped fine; 1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese (gorgonzola works fine as well); 3 fresh figs, diced fine; 1 1/2 cups cranberry sauce; 1/3 cup white wine; 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme; salt; pepper

Submitted by SarasotaCook

"This takes everyday ingredients and makes an amazing dish. I serve this all the time for catering events, dinner parties and just for a quick dinner at home. It takes minutes to cook and is easy on the budget for an elegant dish. This is a wonderful holiday party dish as well. Serve with some wild rice and either a nice green vegetable or grilled romaine or endive salad with a balsamic vinaigrette. Simple and easy. Three parts to this, but one at a time. Make the filling ahead of time 3 minutes and 3 ingredients; then season, grill and baste the pork as it cooks, then as the pork rests, make the topping in just 2 minutes. Delish!"

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Ready In:: 40mins
Ingredients:: 16
Yields:: 4 Pork Stacks
Serves:: 4

ingredients

Pork
8 (3/4-inch thick)
1 medium onion (cut in quarters and thin sliced)
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons maple syrup
¹⁄₂ teaspoon dried thyme
¹⁄₂ teaspoon salt
¹⁄₄ teaspoon pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil to saute the pork
Cheese Filling
¹⁄₄ cup walnuts, chopped fine
¹⁄₂ cup crumbled blue cheese (gorgonzola works fine as well)
3 fresh figs, diced fine
Cranberry
1 ¹⁄₂ cups cranberry sauce
¹⁄₃ cup white wine
¹⁄₂ teaspoon dried thyme
salt
pepper

directions

Cheese Filling -- Add the figs, bleu cheese crumbles and walnuts to a small bowl and mix well. I like to use a fork to make sure everything is well combined. You can easily make this ahead, but I do take it out to let it soften a little before I use it.
Butter Sauce -- In a small sauce pan or you can use a small microwave safe cup, melt the butter, maple syrup and the thyme - thats it. This is what you will baste the pork with as it cooks.
Pork -- Bring your pork loin slices to room temperature and season well on both sides with salt and pepper.
Saute -- In a large saute pan (I prefer cast iron or stainless, not non-stick if possible) heat the olive oil to medium high to high heat and add the pork slices. I also add the onions around the pork. Brush the pork on both sides with the maple butter as the pork cooks. Cook 3-4 minutes on the first side and then flip. Cook just another 3 minutes or so until brown and then we need to stack the pork. Remove from the stove.
On one pork slice, brush with any remaining maple butter and then top with a mix of the bleu cheese, figs and walnuts and top with another chop. Do that with all chops until you have 4 stacks. Put back on the stove - medium high to high heat like before and cover with a lid or foil and cook just another minute, then flip the stack so the top slice of pork can cook for another minute. Done! Remove the pork to a serving platter and cover to let it rest while you make the cranberry sauce. Keep the onions in the pan.
Cranberry -- In the same saute pan that you cooked the pork in, add the white wine to deglaze on medium heat and cook 1 minute, then add in the thyme, cranberry sauce and season with a pinch of salt and pepper and cook 1-2 minutes until heated through.
Serving -- I like to serve this over wild rice, but you can use any of your favorites. 1 stack per person and drizzle the warm cranberry onion sauce over the pork. Elegant easy, quick and worthy of a dinner party or just a great family dinner. Pork tenderloin works equally as well for this. A great dinner.

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RECIPE SUBMITTED BY

SarasotaCook

Sarasota, Florida

Growing up in Michigan, I spent my summers at my cottage in the Northern part up by Traverscity. On a lake, big garden which had all the vegetables you could imagine. My mom taught school, so summers were our vacation time. Gramps and I fished all the time so fresh fish was always on the menu, perch, blue gill, walleye and small and large mouth bass. At age 5 I learned how to clean my own fish and by 10 I was making dinner, canning vegetables and fruits, making pies and fresh breads. Apples fresh picked every fall, strawberries in June and July, Cherries at the Cherry Festival in Traverscity. So fresh foods always were a big part. Mom worked as a teacher during the year so dinner was more traditional with pot roasts, meatloaf, etc, but it seemed we always had fresh fruits and vegetables as part of the meal. Mom also didn't use as many spices as I do, but times were different back then. So ... My motto is ... There is NO Right and NO Wrong with cooking. So many people thing they have to follow a recipe. But NO ... a recipe is a method and directions to help and teach someone. Cooking is about personal tastes and flavors. I love garlic ... and another person may not. I like heat ... but you may not. Recipes are building blocks, NOT text ground in stone. Use them to make and build on. Even my recipes I don't follow most times --They are a base. That is what cooking is to me. A base of layer upon layer of flavors. I still dislike using canned soups or packaged gravies/seasoning ... but I admit, I do use them. I have a few recipes that use them. But I try to strive to teach people to use fresh ingredients, they are first ... so much healthier for you ... and second, in the end less expensive. But we all have our moments including me. So, lets see ... In the past, I have worked as a hostess, bartender, waitress, then a short order cook, salad girl in the kitchen, sort of assistant chef, head chef, co owner of a restaurant ... now a consultant to a catering company/restaurant, I cater myself and I'm a personal chef for a elderly lady. I work doing data entry during the day, and now and then try to have fun which is not very often due to my job(s). I have a 21 year old who at times is going on 12, aren't they all. Was married and now single and just trying to enjoy life one day at a time. I'm writing a cookbook ... name is still in the works but it is dedicated to those people who never learned, to cook. Single Moms, Dads, or Just Busy Parents. Those individuals that think you can't make a great dinner for not a lot of money. You can entertain on a budget and I want people to know that gourmet tasting food doesn't have to be from a can of soup or a box, and healthy food doesn't come from a drive through. There are some really good meals that people can make which are healthy and will save money but taste amazing. So I guess that is my current goal. We all take short cuts and I have no problem with that - I do it too. I volunteer and make food for the homeless every couple of months, donating my time and money. I usually make soup for them and many times get donations from a local grocery stores, Sams Club, Walmart etc, with broth, and vegetables. It makes my cost very little and well worth every minute I spend. Like anyone, life is always trying to figure things out and do the best we can and have fun some how along the way.

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