Lunch break visits to Scotts’ Farms are my favorite getaway from cube life. The native blueberries are out and were irresistible today. Usually I like to roast them until their juices start to flow, and pour while still warm over ice cream… not today. Today, I had a different plan.
Actually, that’s not true at all. I had no plan, just a pint of perfectly ripe blueberries in a plastic bag flopped in the back seat of my car. It was on my way home that dinner plans started falling into place. You know: my 40 mile commute. That sweet time of day when, undoubtedly, I will be cut off at least once, or stuck behind some comatose driver on her or his #@&$%#! cell phone, or be witness to countless broken turn signals… I mean, they must be broken because no one is using them, right? I don’t have road rage or anything. Wait, that’s not true either.
My sage plant is out of control. For some reason the thing is flourishing and the basil right next door looks emaciated. Really, it’s quite sad. I mentally paired the sage with the faint memory of a blueberry sauce I had made last fall to go with hanger steaks. Perfect.
We weren’t having beef for dinner, however. Tonight I wanted pork tenderloin. I love this recipe from Kitchen Confidante (kitchenconfidante.com/if-you-cant-stand-the-heat-part-ii) and happened to have one sitting in my fridge. It only requires a few ingredients that I always have on hand and comes out perfect every time. In the Fall I like to season pork with sage and serve with apples but it’s the dead of summer. Seriously, I haven’t worn my hair down in weeks because of this dreadful humidity. Hateful, evil curls.
Needless to say, pork needs a sauce of some kind in my book.
Here is what I came up with.
Blueberry & Sage Savory Summer Sauce
Ingredients:
1 tbsp of organic olive oil
1 pint of native blueberries
2 small shallots minced – you want them to dissolve
1 small bunch of fresh sage – finely chopped
1/2 cup low sodium chicken stock
2 tablespoons organic butter
1 tsp + organic cane sugar
1 tsp + corn starch
sea salt and cracked pepper to taste
To prepare:
Heat the olive oil in a small sauce pan, sauté the shallots until they are soft. Next add the balsamic and let it cook off, stirring if necessary. Now the blueberries, sage, and stock. Gently simmer until the berries start to break down and release their juices. Stir in the corn starch and allow to thicken. Season with salt, pepper, & sugar to taste. Lastly, swirl in the butter and take off the heat.
The sauce came out just barely sweet with pronounced sage and a slight acidity from the balsamic. It paired perfectly with the tenderloin which I prefer to prepare in the oven using a cast iron skillet and substituting organic grapeseed oil where the recipe calls for canola. Remember if you make this to adjust to your own liking.
In other news, I start a brand new job outside of the world of plastics in under two weeks! Wish me luck 🙂
Stay cool guys ~
LUCK!!!!!
Thanks Jill!