Spiced Pork Tenderloin with a Cherry Sauce with an Affordable Bottle of Bordeaux: Château des Mille Anges 2016 #Winophiles

This month the French Winophiles are getting into the holiday spirit with posts about affordable Bordeaux wines. You can read Linda's preview and prompt here: Holiday Bordeaux on a Budget? Get Ready to Share Ideas.

If you are reading this early enough, feel free to join in on our Twitter chat Saturday, November 20th at 8am Pacific time. Follow the hashtag #Winophiles and be sure to add that to anything you tweet so we can see it.

Here's what the French Winophiles are sharing...

• Sparkling Wine Secrets: Cremant from Bordeaux Paired with Bisque, Gourmet Grilled Cheese | Gwendolyn at Wine Predator
• How to Balance Quality vs. Price in Bordeaux Starting with Saint Émilion | Jeff at Food Wine Click!
• Cru Bourgeois: Welcoming Wines for Experts and Novices Alike |  Susannah at Avvinare
• Château Roc de Candale Saint-Émilion with Skirt Steak and Roasted Leeks and Mushroomss | Nicole at Somm’s Table
• Chateau Haut Guillebot with Mini Cheeseball Truffles for Thanksgiving | Terri at Our Good Life 
• Bay Scallop Chowder and a White Bordeaux Wine | Wendy at A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Spiced Pork Tenderloin with a Cherry Sauce with an Affordable Bottle of Bordeaux: Château des Mille Anges 2016 | Camilla at Culinary Adventures with Camilla
• Getting Good Bang for Your Bordeaux Buck | Cathie at Side Hustle Wino
• Bargain-hunting for a Côtes de Bordeaux celebration wine | Linda at My Full Wine Glass

In My Glass

Bordeaux wines have made appearances on my blog before. Back in May 2018, I went Exploring the Côtes de Bordeaux with Simple, Salty, Spicy Nibbles. About a year ago, we explored Sweet Bordeaux. So, I was excited to see Linda's prompt of affordable Bordeaux and this bottle - Château des Mille Anges 2016 - had a suggested retail price of less than $20. Perfectly affordable for a holiday meal, right? And I love that this translates to the Château of a Thousand Angels.

The wine poured an inky garnet color with a ruby rim. On the nose, the wine had strong fruit aromas along with hints of chocolate. This was a full, well-balanced wine with a hint of spice, long on the fruit, and a tinge of oak.

On the Plate

I decided to make a roasted pork tenderloin with a cherry sauce made savory with roasted garlic and fresh thyme.

Ingredients serves 4 to 6

• 2 Tablespoons fennel seeds
• 1 teaspoons fennel pollen
• 1 Tablespoon coarse salt
• 2 teaspoons black peppercorns
• 1-1/2 to 2 pounds pork tenderloin
• 2 whole heads of garlic
• 2 Tablespoons olive oil + more for brushing
• sprigs of fresh thyme
• 1/2 C broth (I used chicken bone broth)
• 2 cups cherries (I used frozen)
• 1 Tablespoon sour cherry jam
• 1 Tablespoon butter
• Also needed: braiser or Dutch oven, meat thermometer is optional, mashed potatoes for serving

Procedure

Stir fennel seeds in small skillet over medium-high heat until slightly darker in color and aromatic, approximately 4 to 5 minutes. Transfer seeds to spice mill and cool. Add coarse salt and peppercorns. Grind to coarse powder.

Place pork in lidded dish and massage in the spice mixture. Cover and refrigerate overnight. When you are ready to cook remove the pork to the counter and preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

In a lidded braiser or Dutch oven, heat 2 Tablespoons olive oil and add the pork. Brown on all sides for about a minute each. Place 2 thyme sprigs and 2 whole heads of garlic, sliced in half in the pan with the pork.  Drizzle with 2 T oil and cover with the lid. Place the pan in the oven and roast pork 20 minutes. If you are using a meat thermometer, check that its internal temperature is at least 145 degrees Fahrenheit.

Transfer pork to cutting board and let it rest for at least 10 minutes before slicing. In the meantime, put the pan over medium heat. Stir in the cherries and pour in the broth and bring to a boil. Simmer until the sauce is thickened and reduced to a sauce consistency. Stir in the cherry jam and butter. Remove the thyme sprigs before serving.

Thinly slice the tenderloins. Drizzle with the pan sauce and garnish with another thyme sprig. Serve immediately though, if you have leftovers, this would make a delicious sandwich.

That's a wrap for our affordable Bordeaux event. We'll be back next month looking at Crémant from all around France with Susannah of Avvinare leading the discussion. Stay tuned!