Pork Cutlets with Pear and Maple Sauce

I know that the tradtion is to serve Apple Sauce with pork dishes especially Roast Pork but pears are becoming a very popular replacement. 

Many recipes have roasted pears, using the nice Beurré Bosc pears which become very soft and creamy flavoured when roasted.  I saw this recipe which combined pears, maple syrup and fresh thyme and was immediately excited by the thought of combining all three flavours - three of my favourite flavours.

 

The pork cutlets, were easy to cook so the hero of the dish was the Pear and Maple Sauce.  And a hero it was... tasty and also very easy to make.  The recipe called for the sauce to be blended at the end of the cooking time but I was impressed with the chunky rustic look and left it that way.

 

 

Pork Cutlets with Pear and Maple Sauce

(Recipe adapted from Weight Watchers Cook The Classics Cookbook)

 

Serves: 4

ProPoints per Serve: 8

 

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 brown onion, finely chopped

1 garlic clove, crushed

2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves

3 pears, peeled and chopped

1 tablespoon maple syrup

1/2 cup chicken stock

cooking spray

4 x 150 gram pork cutlets, fat trimmed

4 carrots, cut into batons

2 cups frozen peas

 

Heat oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat.  Add onion, garlic and thyme leaves and cook, stirring, for 5 minutes or until softened.  Add pears, maple syrup and stock and bring to the boil.  Reduce heat and simmer, covered, for 10 minutes or until pears have softened.  If desired, process pear mixture in a food processor until smooth.

 

Lightly spray a large non-stick frying pan with cooking spray and heat over a medium heat.  Cook pork for 5 minutes each side or until browned and cooked through.  Remove from pan and allow to rest.

 

Meanwhile, boil, steam or microwave peas and carrots until tender.  Drain.  Serve pork with carrots, peas and pear sauce.  Add an addition 3 propoints if served with a medium baked potato.

 

(click here for a printable version of this recipe)

 

Pork with Caramalised Pear and Blue Cheese

Honestly I love blue cheese even though I know I shouldn't so the chance to serve it as a component of a dinner meal was too hard to resist especially as we had some Roquefort in the house.  I have refrained from eating it straight from the fridge so at least I had a little will power I guess.

Beurre Bosc pears are also becoming a favourite of mine especially when roasted. The soft buttery sweetness of roasted pears compliment pork beautifully.  These served pan fried pork and a simple green leaf salad scattered with crumbled blue cheese was a delicious and quick mid week dinner.

Pork with Caramalised Pear and Blue Cheese

(recipe adapted for www.Taste.com)

Serves: 4

ProPoints per serve: 10

cooking spray

4 Beurre Bosc pears, quartered

800 grams pork scotch fillet, sliced

green salad leaves

200 grams roquefort blue cheese or similar

Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius.

Line a baking tray with foil and spray with cooking spray.  Place pears on tray and spray with cooking spray.  Bake in oven for 20 - 25 minutes, turning once, until caramalized and tender.  Remove and keep warm.

Meanwhile spray a frying pan with cooking spray.  Cook pork steaks for 3 - 5 minutes on each side or until cooked to your liking.  Remove from heat and allow to rest for 5 minutes.

Divide salad pears and pork amongst serving plates and sprinkle with crumbled blue cheese. Drizzle pork with pan juices if desired.

(Click here for a printable version of this recipe)

Honey Mustard Pork with Roasted Pear Salad

I was always brought up thinking that Apple Sauce was the perfect condiment for pork but I can tell you know that pears are a pretty good match also especially with this dish.

Beurre bosc pears are the pears that you find with the rough brownish skin but the white flesh inside is sweet and really great when roasted as they didn't mush as I would imagine normal pears to do.

A brilliant cooking tip with this recipe is to line your frying pan with baking paper as this will stop the marinade on the pork from burning. This recipe from the marinaded pork to the roasted pear salad and the sticky gooey sauce went down a treat.

Honey Mustard Pork with Roasted Pear Salad

 (recipe sourced from WW Programme Cookbook)

Serves: 4

ProPoints per Serve: 8

3 beurre bosc pears, quartered and cored

500 grams baby (chat) potatoes, halved

cooking spray

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 tablespoons honey

1 tablespoon wholegrain mustard

1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves

500 grams lean pork fillet, fat trimmed

100 grams cherry tomatoes, halved

2 cups baby spinach leaves

Preheat oven to 200 degrees Celsius.

Place pears and potatoes in a large baking dish. Lightly spay with cooking spray and toss to coat. Roast for 40 - 45 minutes or until golden and tender.

Meanwhile combine oil, honey, mustard and thyme in a large shallow bowl. Add pork and turn to coat.

Line a frying pan with baking paper and heat over medium to low heat. Cook pork, turnin, for 12 - 15 minutes or until cooked through. Transfer to a plate and cover to keep warm.  Rest pork for 5 minutes before slicing thickly.

Place tomatoes and spinach in a medium bowl. Add roasted pears and potatoes and toss to combine.

Drizzle pork with pan juices and serve with the roasted pear salad.

(Click here for a printable version of this recipe)

Pork, Pear and Fennel Sausage Rolls

This recipe was inspired by this month's Royal Foodie Joust at the Leftover Queen Forum. The ingredients for this month's challenge decided by last month's winners, Joanne and Adam of Inspired Taste, are Pear, Ginger and Fennel. What an amazing combination!!! These ingredients could mean either a sweet or a savoury dishes and of course, with a bit of though, the potential was endless.

We however went savoury and came up with Pork, Pear and Fennel Sausage Rolls. With freshly grated ginger, grated pear and of course ground fennel as part of the challenge mixed with some other grated vegetables, pork mince and sausage mince the flavour was intense but not overpowering, even Miss Alex who detests sausage rolls ate two large ones for dinner tonight.

Pork, Pear and Fennel Sausage Rolls

Makes: 24 large or 72 small

Points per serve: large 4.5 or small 1.5

6 sheets frozen reduced fat puff pastry, 25cm x 25cm

500 grams pork mince

500 grams sausage mince

3 pears, peeled and grated

1 onion, finely diced

2 carrots, grated

1 large zucchini, grated

1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger

1 teapsoon crushed garlic

1 1/2 tablespoons ground fennel

1 tablespoon dried parsley

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/2 cup plain flour

2 eggs, beaten

cooking spray

2 tablespoons fennel seed, for garnish

Preheat oven to 200 degrees celsius.

Remove pastry from freezer and allow to come to room temperature. Cut each sheet in half to make two rectangles.

In a large bowl combine pork mince, sausage mince, pears, carrots, zucchini, ginger, garlic, ground fennel, parsley, salt and pepper. Mix really well using hands.

Cover baking trays with foil or baking paper. Spray each tray with cooking spray.

Sprinkle board and hands with flour. Divide mixture into 10 pieces. Roll each piece into a sausage the length of the pastry. Take one piece of pastry and place one length of sausage mixture in the middle of on the pastry. Brush either side with beaten egg. Roll to enclose. Cut into desired lengths (cut into two for large or into six for small) and place on prepared trays. Continue until all pastry and mixture is used. Coat with remaining beaten egg and sprinkle with fennel seeds, if using.

Place in oven and cook for 25 - 40 minutes until cooked through and pastry is golden.

(click here for a printable version of this recipe)