To match the robust flavors of this dish—pungent blue cheese, sweet-tart vinegar, sharp red onion—serve with a hearty salad made from endive or radicchio. The meal will feel decidedly Italian. If you love the pairing of pork and fruit with cheese, try playing around with a variation on the dish by using apples instead of pears and goat cheese in place of blue. To keep the pork perfectly cooked (and slightly pink in the center), remove it from the heat when the internal temperature is 140°F. As it stands, its temperature will continue to rise to the recommended safe temperature of 145°F without overcooking or drying out.

Prep Time

    •    Prep and cook time: 30 minutes
    •    Yield: Serves 4

Ingredients

    •    2 tbsps olive oil
    •    1 tsp kosher salt, divided
    •    3 tbsps white balsamic vinegar
    •    1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
    •    1 small red onion, cut into 8 wedges
    •    2 Bosc pears, cored and cut into 1/2-in.-thick slices
    •    1 ounce Gorgonzola cheese, crumbled (about 1/4 cup)
    •    1 (1-lb.) pork tenderloin, trimmed and halved crosswise

Method

1. Preheat oven to 500°F.
2. Heat oil in a large ovenproof skillet over high. Sprinkle pork with 3/4 teaspoon salt and pepper. Add pork to pan; cook 5 minutes, turning to brown on all sides. Add pears and onion to pan, breaking up onion wedges with a spoon. Place pan in oven.
3. Bake at 500°F for 8 minutes or until onion is tender and a thermometer inserted in thickest part of pork registers 140°F. Remove pork from pan; let stand 3 minutes. Cut into slices.
4. Add remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt and vinegar to pan, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Return pork to pan. Sprinkle with cheese.

This great family recipe is thanks to Cooking Light Recipes at https://www.cookinglight.com/recipes/pork-tenderloin-blue-cheese-pears