Plums, pork grilled to perfection
Published 9:00 pm Tuesday, July 4, 2006
Fresh, fast and tasty. Those are words to make a cook happy, especially when they introduce a main-course dish that can be on the table in less than 20 minutes, like this smart combination of pork steaks with plum glaze, nicely browned on the grill.
The recipe from Good Housekeeping’s Favorite Recipes “Grill It!” ($14.95) includes both the fresh plums you’ll find in your local market and plum jam or preserves. These effortlessly add flavor layers to the other seasonings, the touch of ginger, lemon, garlic and cinnamon.
As its cover announces, this handy cookbook is full of reliable Good Housekeeping “Favorite Recipes” to spice up grilling menus. Each of the 150 recipes comes with cooking times and nutrition figures, head notes and tips.
The sturdy ringbound volume has an introduction that summarizes basic grilling information – leaving cooks well grounded in everything from appetizers to vegetables, with a selection of rubs, sauces and salsas.
Pork steaks with plum glaze
1pork tenderloin (about 1 pound), trimmed
1teaspoon salt
1/4teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
1/2cup plum jam or preserves
1tablespoon brown sugar
1tablespoon peeled, grated fresh ginger
1tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/2teaspoon ground cinnamon
2garlic cloves, crushed with garlic press
4large plums (about 1 pound), each cut in half and pitted
Prepare outdoor grill for direct grilling over medium heat.
Cut pork tenderloin lengthwise, almost in half, being careful not to cut all the way through. Open and spread flat. Place tenderloin between two sheets of plastic wrap; with meat mallet or rolling pin, pound to about 1/4-inch thickness. Cut tenderloin into 4 pieces; sprinkle with the salt and the pepper.
In small bowl, mix plum jam, brown sugar, ginger, lemon juice, cinnamon and garlic. Brush one side of each pork steak and cut side of each plum half with plum-jam glaze.
Place pork and plums, glaze side down, on hot grill rack over medium heat, and grill 3 minutes. Brush steaks and plums with remaining glaze; turn and grill until steaks are lightly browned on both sides, have just lost their pink color throughout, and plums are hot, about 3 minutes longer.
