You made me do it! That's my story anyway...

Okay, okay I gave in and your peer pressure made me do it... yes, I went ahead and made that Blueberry Crumb Cake again! We found a wonderful doctor with a fantastic support staff out here and thought it would be nice to bring them a treat to thank them for everything they did for the short-time we saw them. It also gave me a chance to take another snap of the cake!

Yesterday was a whirl-wind of last minute activities trying to get the house prepared for today, but it was also going to be the last "home cooked in Maryland" meal for us. I had a pork tenderloin thawing in the refrigerator and after I ran to the market to swoop up some fresh plums, I made this Pork Tenderloin with Roasted Plums and Rosemary for dinner last night.

The plums are roasted on a bed of fresh rosemary with a sharp mixture of balsamic vinegar, water, granulated sugar and crushed black peppercorns - this liquid will transform into a syrup-y glaze later on after the plums are done. For an interesting sweet depth to this sauce, a whole vanilla bean is split and added to the roasting liquid before it is added to the baking dish. The plums are also given a light coating of granulated sugar on top that ends up caramelizing and draws out their inherent sweetness. While you wait for the plums to become tender, a lean pork tenderloin is simply seasoned with salt and pepper - it is then seared until golden brown on all sides and then slid into the oven to finish cooking until inside is still slightly pink in the center.

As the porks rests, the plums are removed from the baking dish and the piquant sauce they softened in is brought to a boil to intensify and thicken the liquid. The pork is thinly sliced to serve with the plums on the side - a drizzle of the rosemary-infused syrup down the center of the tender pork is the finishing touch to this appetizing meal. The syrup has an alluring hint of vanilla that is hard to describe - in fact, this was one dish where we both were eagerly trying our best to get any remaining dribbles of the tangy sauce off from the plates and in our mouths!

Recipes
Blueberry Crumb Cake
Pork Tenderloin with Roasted Plums and Rosemary