Friday, April 17, 2015

French Fridays with Dorie - Pork Roast with Mangoes and Lychees


Today´s recipe for the French Fridays with Dorie group is Pork Roast with Mangoes and Lychees. A delicious treat on this lovely Spring day - with tons of flavor from the sauce and delightful sweetness from the fruits.




The recipe calls for pork loin roast but I opted for pork tenderloin instead. This is the eye fillet that comes from within the loin. It is a "lazy muscle" and as such is lean and very tender, It is very quick to cook but will soon dry out if overcooked. Remember to remove any tough white membrane or sinew from the outside of the loin before cooking. I browned the fillet first, then transferred it to a pre-heated oven for 15 minutes and then while the sauce reduced in the pan, let the meat rest, covered, then sliced thinly and served with the sauce and the fruit.




Dorie´s recipe call for two fruits to accompany the pork - lychees and mangoes. The lychee is a fruit that originated in China and is now grown in the Far East and the West Indies. In Europe, fresh lychees are only available from November to January, and they are most often sold canned, preserved in sugar syrup. So, although at this time of year no fresh lychees were to be found for this recipe, I used really good-quality, plump canned ones that Í drained prior to using.

Mangoes have a fragrant sweetness, rich flavor and succulent texture. The majority of Asian mangoes have a delicate skin and a short shelf life. They are at their best when enjoyed raw. For that reason, they are flown into Germany (mainly from India and Pakistan), so are more expensive. The thicker-skinned varieties are shipped in by sea year-round, they are more suitable for cooking and baking - and those are the ones I used in this recipe. They held their shape nicely, even in the sauce.




The sauce is a wonderful reduction of pan juices, onion, garlic, red wine vinegar, dry white wine, soy sauce, lime juice, local runny honey, piment d´Esplette (you can also use sweet Spanish smoked paprika here), bay leaf and thyme from the garden and then the added fruit - what a combination of bold flavors and what a success! Served with soba (buckwheat) noodles - this dish made us all very happy eaters!

To see whether the other members of the French Fridays with Dorie group enjoyed this week´s recipe, please go here.

For copyright reasons, we do not publish the recipes from the book. But you can find the recipe for the Pork Roast with Mangoes and Lychees on pages 278-9 in Dorie Greenspan´s cookbook "Around my French Table".


38 comments:

  1. Soba noodles. That's a thought and a good idea with the flavors and spices used in this recipe. I also used a pork tenderloin and appreciated knowing more about pork tenderloins than I ever knew. Unfortunately much of the flavor (and, the fat) has been bred out of our modern-day pigs, thanks to research done at Iowa State University when I was teaching there. (Not dealing with hogs, dealing with aspiring journalists). Pork is now better for our health but probably not as tasty as I remember in my youth. I couldn't even find a can of lychees in town. The preserved lemons were delicious, however. Your platter looks beautiful, as always, and am glad everyone enjoyed the meal. (When do they not?) Thinking of Freya this week-end.

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    1. Dear Mary, thank you for your wonderful comment - well, the pork roast wound have been even more flavorful but there will be a next time and then I might even remember to photograph the Soba noodles and the veg I served alongside. The flavor of pork got a little lost over time, I agree - I remember pork being much more tasty years ago but with a lovely, flavorful sauce like this, it was alllright to go with the pork tenederloin this time.
      I told Freya that we will send you some pictures from her 1. Communion tomorrow - ah, those white dresses, makes me keep my fingers crossed all day...
      Hugs and kisses from the girls,
      Andrea

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  2. The sauce was stellar indeed! Such beautiful pictures my dear! So many of us opted for tenderloin and while it is the cut I most often eat, I also know that the loin, when braised at lower temps, can be more forgiving and the sweet spot easier to find. Pretty thyme blossoms! I sure wish I could grow my own!

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    1. Trevor, a very flavorful sauce indeed. Just so difficult to photograph...I just did not feel like taking a picture but since the recipe was so wonderful, I could not resist. Be that as it may - there are those photogenic dishes and those that are not...
      Thank you for the kind comment,
      Andrea

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  3. I used a tenderloin, too, but no lychees to be found. This was one scrumptious dish---glad it was a hit with your crew! Hope you have a fabulous weekend!!

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    1. Liz, thank goodness, the lychees are always available at the Asian markets around here - alas, the season for fresh ones is long over but really-good quality canned ones were fine here too. The pork tenderloin was actually my second choice - I just did not have the time this week but will definitely try the roast some day.
      This weather looks like it is going to be gorgeous this weekend and we are celebrating Freya´s First Holy Communion tomorrow.
      Andrea

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  4. Your dish looks lovely and the photos are so colorful. We loved this recipe, the fruit made such a delicious topping for the rice
    served with it.

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    1. Nana, I waited three days for the sun to come out for this dish, ran home like a maniac yesterday to prepare this dish and got lucky with the sunshine, that´s all. In my hurry, I forgot to photograph the Soba noodles - well, next time.
      Thank you for your kind words,
      Andrea

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  5. I love the idea of this dish over soba noodles and using smoked paprika would be wonderful in this dish. I want to make this again when lychees are in season, but the canned ones I used worked perfectly well. I agree, they need to be of good quality. I love your photos of the dish and your posts explain the ingredients so well, always.

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    1. Teresa, the Spanish smoked paprika lends a nice umami flavor to this dish. I often use it in my dishes especially when I am looking for an alternative to the French piment d´ Esplette. And I stiill believe that lychees are so much nicer when they are fresh and in season but I was lucky enough to find some really good ones for this wonderful dish!
      Have a fabulous birthday celebration today!
      Andrea

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  6. Wasn't this delish! I always love your sunny photos. We could use some sun here as we are very quickly heading into winter, and it is getting greyer all the time.

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    1. Gaye, it was delicious indeed - and I would gladly share a bit of our lovely sunshine! It looks like it is going to be a gorgeous weekend!
      Andrea

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  7. I, too, prefer pork tenderloin - such a wonderful cut of meat! This looks just delicious - do you like the lychees in it? I would think they are just a nice "added extra." Oh, and when I first saw the photo on Facebook, I thought it was apricots and that make me think... I should try this with apricots! Ich hoffe, dass aller Sie einen wunderschönen Tag in Bonn haben! Liebe Grüße von immer sonnigem Tucson!

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    1. David, funny that you mention those lychees - while we enjoyed them in this dish, we already decided to probably serve them "on the side" next time I made this - as one or two members of my distinguished taste panel were nor too too keen on´them and would have been all too happy with mangoes only. Apricots are a real treat with pork and I think you are really onto something delicious there.
      We will be a bit busy with Freya´s 1. Communion celebration this weekend but I will visit all my favorite blog sin the coming days!
      Liebe Grüße auch an Mark und Danke für deinen lieben Kommentar - das Wetter in Bonn is unglaublich schön und sonnig!
      Andrea

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  8. Such delicious gorgeousness.
    Clicking over here is like a little, sweet prayer. xxx

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    1. Kim, you are such a kind lady - thank you very much! Love all your wonderful comments - they always fell like a hug!
      Andrea

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  9. As always, what a wonderful post! You have a delightful weekend ahead of you - I'll cross my fingers for Freya and all of that white!! I'm sure it will be a lovely day!!

    I thought that this dish was really good. I did use the pork roast - and my finally-procured piment d´Esplette. I didn't have time to get to a sore with lychees, but it would be fun next time - though I just have to switch to lemongrass, and maybe a bit of fish sauce... though I always love using any of the fresh herbs from the garden. All my best wishes to you and your family!!

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    1. Candy, so kind of you - thank you very much, we will take pictures and post one on fb tomorrow. Hopefully all will go well and there will be plenty of sunshine.

      The lychees did not seem to be all that important in the end - I think the sauce was the main player in this dish and it was simply fabulous. I would love to make this recipe again with a pork roast as opposed to the pork tenderloin and sans lychees.

      Thank you also for your kind wishes, I will tell Freya.
      Andrea

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  10. I agree, that pork has lost most of its flavor . I just read an article where the loss of flavor equals the loss of nutrition. I just love the looks of that sauce. Serving them over soba noodles was a brilliant idea.m

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    1. Liebe Gerlinde - herzlichen Dank für deinen netten Kommentar!
      I do believe there is an issue with respect to the flavor of pork these days but be that as it may - pork tenderloin is nice with this boldly flavored sauce which we all adored. Another great recipe form Dorie´s book.
      Liebe Grüße,
      Andrea

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  11. Although I prefer pork tenderloin, I decided to do this one as per Dorie! It came out perfect and was quite delicious! Yours does look fabulous! As always your photos are amazing! Happy weekend, Andrea!
    Sending good wishes to Freya on her First Communion! Wishing you all a blessed day!

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    1. Kathy, many thanks for your wonderful wishes - I will tell Freya about them. She is very much looking forward to her special day tomorrow.
      Next time I make this dish, I will go with the roast as well - usually that is a more flavorful cut of meat than the pork tenderloin which tends to be more tender but somewhat less flavorful. But with this wonderful sauce, pork tenderloin was still a nice choice and we really enjoyed all of it.
      Andrea

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  12. Seriously Andrea- your photos are INSANELY good. I am not kidding. They are consistently like professional shots.It is a utter treat to visit your blog posts. Lovely recipe and lovely results, thanks as always for the background info about the ingredients and the inspiration with those gorgeous shots !!!

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    1. Tricia, how nice of you - you are making me quite the happy blogger on this early (and still quiet) Sunday morning as I did not really want to post these pictures at all, such a hectic week leading up to Freya´s big day today, with so much food to prepare and so makny cakes to bake! But now I am glad that I did.
      Your comments always make me feel great - thank you for that!
      Andrea

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  13. Andrea, this was not a pretty dish, but naturally, your photos make it look beautiful. Best wishes to Freya tomorrow. Oh, and I love the new header on your blog.

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    1. Betsy, then I am quite happy that you enjoy how I changed the header to my blog - decisions, decisions...I just could not settle on a design, it took me forever to make up my mind but rosemary, naturally, won in the end.
      Thank you for your kind wishes for Freya, I am sure to tell her today!
      Andrea

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  14. Who would have thought of pairing mangoes and lychees with pork roast? Sounds like a brilliant idea! And it's a bonus that mangoes are in season now:D Great pics as usual!

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    1. Jeannie, same thought, when I first read through the recipe I was less than taken with the idea of adding those fruits to my pork but the end result was delicious with an incredibly rich sauce.
      Thank you for the nice comment,
      Andrea

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  15. This dish looks delicious:). You did a great job. Love the new look of your blog.

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    1. Thank you so much, Geraldine - I am happy that you also enjoy my "new look" - rosemary being my favorite herb, the header seemed a natural choice for my blog!

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  16. I love the idea to use tenderloin and will definitely be doing so myself when I make this recipe again! Thank you also for the info on lychees. And, I'll echo what others have said: when I sat down to make a comment here and saw your new header, I said, "ooooh! That's beautiful!" and my 2-year-old echoed me. :)

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    1. Katie, thank you for your kind words - your two-year old has good taste...Seriously, am still tinkering around with the design, we shall see where that leads us.
      Usually, I much prefer fresh lychees as I find their texture more appealing than the canned ones but since they are not in season right now, I went with the canned ones. But then make sure they are of really good-quality.

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  17. We loved this one also. I am becoming a fan of the fruit/meat combo.

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    1. Diane, we quite enjoy the combination of meat and fruit - there are so many wonderful recipes out there that combine those components such as duck and orange and many more that are family favorites as well - this was new to us and we loved it too.

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  18. This was a great one and your photos are stunning! Glad you were able to find the lychees! :)

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    1. Arisuchan, thank you very much - if you are looking for lychees around these parts, Asian markets are always a pretty safe bet. So nice to read that you enjoy those pictures! I alwas appreciate your dropping by!

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  19. I was actually a little relieved when the guy at my market told me that fresh lychees are not in season because I was feeling lazy and wasn't looking forward to peeling and de-pitting them. The canned ones were certainly easlier, but I thought mine were lacking a bit of sweetness that the fresh ones usually have. But I may have just gotten a bad batch, who knows.

    Hope you are enjoying the sunny week. My husband is chomping at the bit to start using his grill again so we we're hoping the sun continues into the weekend.

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    1. Rose, thank you for you kind words - lychees are definitely not in season but really good-quality canned ones seemed to be a good substitute for this recipe. But, I still feel that they were not all that necessary in this recipe as the sauce was mighty tasty with the mangoes already.
      And, yes, we are enjoying the very nice weather and the very sunny week - hope you get a chance to do the same.
      Andrea

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