Roasted Pork Loin with Homemade Grape Chutney and Dehydrated Quince Chips

(by Chef George Ennis)

Homemade chutney paired with the delicate sweetness of quince chips perfectly compliments a savory pork loin (as well as bitter greens tossed in the loin's salty drippings) in this distinctive recipe created for Brod & Taylor by Chef George Ennis.

You'll do double duty with your Sahara Folding Dehydrator for the quince chips as well as dry a variety of grapes to make a medley of sweet and juicy raisins for the homemade chutney. The raisins and quince chips can be dried ahead of time and stored for up to six months. The homemade chutney will keep well in the fridge for four weeks. 

Instructions:

Quince Chips

Ingredients:

• 1 C water
• 1 C sugar
• 1 lemon
• 1 quince, rinsed

Set the dehydrator to 135 °F / 57 °C. Add water and sugar to a pot and bring to a boil. Add strips of lemon zest to the pot to infuse into the syrup. Reduce heat and keep mixture at a low simmer. 

Rinse and core the quince, then cut into ½-inch thick slices. Poach quince slices in syrup mixture for 3 to 5 minutes (you want them to cook but remain intact). Pull out the slices and drain them of any excess syrup. Lay slices onto dehydrator drying racks. Dehydrate for 8 to 10 hours.

Dehydrated Grape Medley

Ingredients:

• 1 lb black grapes
• 1 lb red grapes
• 1 lb green grapes
• 1 lb carnival yellow grapes

Set the dehydrator to 135 °F / 57 °C. Wash and destem the grapes, then blanch to crack the skin before dehydrating. Spread the grapes directly onto drying racks. Dehydrate for 24 to 48 hours (until leathery in texture).

Grape Chutney

Ingredients:

• 1 yellow onion, diced
• ½ oz fresh ginger, crushed
• ½ tsp chili flakes
• 1 tsp yellow mustard seeds
• 1 C sugar
• ¾ C rice wine vinegar
• 1 C dried grapes medley (above)
• 2 sprigs thyme, bundled in string

Heat a pot over medium heat, and add a little oil. Add the diced onion and sweat down, cooking until translucent (5 to 7 minutes). Add the crushed ginger, chili flakes, and mustard seeds and cook for 1 to 2 minutes, until fragrant. Add sugar, rice vinegar, dried grape mixture, bundled thyme, and a pinch of salt. Mix thoroughly to combine.

Allow mixture to come to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer. Cook the mixture down (stirring occasionally) for about an hour, or until the mixture is thick and syrupy. 

Transfer the mixture into a clean storage container. Fish out the thyme bundle and discard. Allow the mixture to cool completely. While not necessary, refrigerating the mixture overnight will allow the flavors to meld together.

Pork Loin

Ingredients:

• 2 to 3 lbs pork loin, tied into a cylinder
• Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 400 °F / 205 °C. Coat the pork loin with oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast the pork loin fat-side up for 15 minutes at 400 °F / 205 °C, then drop the temperature to 350 °F / 175 °C. Cook for another 30 to 40 minutes (depending on the size of your roast), or until the internal temperature reaches 140 °F / 60 °C.

Let the loin rest for at least 5 minutes. Recheck the internal temp again, it should have carried over to or above 145 °F / 63 °C. If the temperature isn’t reached, roast for 5 to 10 more minutes and recheck. 

Frisee

Ingredients:

• 1 head frisee, washed

Chop frisee into 1-inch pieces. Once the pork is pulled out of the roasting pan to rest, add frisee and toss to wilt in the hot pork drippings.

Plating

Cut the roasted pork loin into thick slices. Place wilted frisee onto a plate. Add a couple slices of pork, then top with grape chutney and quince chips. Spoon a little roasting drippings over the plate. Eat and enjoy!