Roasted Pear, Pork Fillet & Watercress

Ingredients
2 large pears, peeled, halved and core scooped out
1 tablespoon honey
3 tablespoons white wine

6 juniper berries, crushed
2 tablespoons lemon thyme leaves
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 small pork fillets (about 500g), trimmed of any sinew

4 tablespoons sherry vinegar
1/2 cup rich chicken stock
1/2 bunch watercress sprigs
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Method
Preheat the oven to 180ºC. Place the pear halves, cut side down, in a heavy-based roasting dish. Drizzle with honey and pour in wine. Roast 20 minutes or until tender and lightly golden. You may need to add a little liquid (stock or water) throughout cooking if the pears absorb the wine very quickly. Set aside in a warm place or, if not using right away, cool then reheat in the oven just before serving. In the meantime prepare the pork.

Combine juniper berries, thyme, salt, pepper and oil and smear over fillets. Fry in a heavy-based frying pan over a moderate heat, 2-3 minutes each side or until cooked through. Set aside in a warm place to rest for 10 minutes.

Deglaze pan by adding sherry vinegar and chicken stock to pan juices and simmer until reduced by half.

Dress the watercress in the extra virgin olive oil then season with salt and pepper and divide among 4 plates. Add a warm pear, sliced pork fillet and a little sauce from the pan to each plate. Serves 4 as an entrée.



Enjoy!