Pork Medallions With Red Berry Sauce

This festive entree calls for pork medallions, made by cutting 1-inch slices from a tenderloin, topped with a red berry sauce and served over herbed angel hair pasta.

The sauce is thickened by pureeing cranberries, which are abundant now, in a blender or food processor.

Fresh angel hair pasta is delicate and takes only a minute to cook. If it cooks too long, it will clump together and taste pasty. The secret is to bring water to a rolling boil in a large pasta pot and then add the angel hair. Lots of fresh herbs give the dish a fresh, garden flavor.

Pork Medallions With Red Berry Sauce

Makes 2 servings

3/4 pound pork tenderloin

1 teaspoon olive oil

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

1/2 cup cranberry juice

1 tablespoon honey

1/2 cup fresh cranberries

1. Remove visible fat from pork. Cut pork into 1-inch slices to form round medallions. Heat oil in a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until smoking. Brown pork medallions for 2 minutes. Turn and brown second sides for 2 minutes. Sprinkle salt and pepper to taste on cooked sides. Remove from pan.

2. Lower heat to medium and add vinegar. Let simmer about 30 seconds, scraping up all of the brown bits in the pan while the liquid reduces. Add cranberry juice and honey. Thoroughly combine. Add cranberries and return pork to pan. Gently simmer for 2 minutes. Turn pork and simmer another 2 minutes. Remove pork to individual plates.

3. Pour sauce into a blender or food processor and blend until smooth. This takes a few seconds. Spoon the sauce over the pork.

Per serving: 295 calories, 36 grams protein, 21 grams carbohydreates, 6 grams fat, 108 milligrams cholesterol, 93 milligrams sodium, 1 gram dietary fiber.