Easy and complex all in one dish

(Ta-da! Web camera pictures that very poorly show their subject. Yes, that is a cocktail umbrella in the embrace of our Hong Kong salt and pepper people.)

Changes: I used salted butter and cut down the amount; added a Bosc pear, prepared the same way as the apple; and, cut the cream and brandy down a bit.

Preparation: Really, the story is all about the pork. I must have been daydreaming when I started cooking. I didn't have paper towel to dry the pork medallions, so I used a large napkin I found. I laid all the medallions on it and then covered them with the other side of the napkin, pressing down to flatten the pork and dry it well. Then I left the napkin as is and went ahead to heat the oil in the pan. By the time the oil was quite hot, I discovered that the napkin was stuck to the pork. Luckily, it all came off, but it took some careful pulling and then my oil was rather evaporated. I quickly threw on the pork and then remembered I had forgotten salt and pepper! The salt seemed key to the cooking, so I grabbed the pan and slid the entire contents onto a plate. After seasoning, I got them all back on the pan, and I should have added some oil... Anyhow, they started searing and I winced at the number of utensils, plates, and cutting boards now having touched raw pork. The smell from plain pork cooking on high heat is not appetizing and my expectations for the dish were lowered. I was a little suspicious about the insides of the meat, even though the searing on both sides had left no traces of pink on the outsides. I left them on a minute longer and then put them aside, covered. There were no pork bits or juice left on the pan to deglaze. Hmmm...

On to the sauce ingredients (which, in the future, I will have chopped and ready to go before starting the pork!), which were pretty easy. Hoping the "resting" had made sure the pork was finished, I cut it open and found the colour to be reddish-pink. Not good. And my pan was otherwise employed now. Into the microwave for 30 seconds, after pouring the accumulated pork juices into the sauce. Still not done. Onto a metal pan for a couple of minutes, which I then took off the burner and covered so it could continue cooking in the pan heat. By the time the sauce was done, so was the pork. The pan, on the other hand, appears to be mortally injured from the high heat on its non-non-stick surface.

Now that I know to have the sauce ingredients ready before putting the pork on, and to either cut the medallions thinner or give them more cooking time, this recipe becomes pretty easy to make.

Verdict: The pork - amazingly - turned out well. It was moist and had some crunch on the outside. The sauce is what transformed this dish into a great meal, though. The combination of ingredients gave it a complex and delightful taste. In fact, this dish is a wonderful example of what a complex taste is. The woody sage was in my nose and then the sweet fruit was going down my throat as I bit into a creamy-brandied raisin and got a mild bite from the shallots. I actually closed my eyes to enjoy some bites. I am definitely looking forward to leftovers today, but don't think I'll be able to wait for supper. Lunch it is!

I had a spinach salad on the side.