Tenderloin of Pork with Apricots and Prunes

For the pork:

Preheat the oven to 400F. Season the pork with salt and pepper.

In a large skillet or saut pan, heat the oil over high heat until smoking and sear the tenderloins on all sides until golden brown. Place in the oven in the skillet, or in a small baking pan, if the skillet is not ovenproof, and roast 15 to 20 minutes, until a meat thermometer inserted into the tenderloins reads 155F.; it will rise another 5 degrees as the meat rests. Remove from the oven and allow to rest 10 minutes, reserving any juices that accumulate around the meat.

For the apricot and prune sauce:

In a small bowl, soak the dried fruit in the bourbon for 25 minutes. Drain, reserving 1 to 2 tablespoons of the liquid.

Return the pan in which you seared the meat to medium-high heat and add the prunes, apricots, and reserved bourbon. Bring to a boil and allow to boil 30 seconds while you deglaze the pan, scraping up any brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Add the stocks, bring to a boil, and add the lemon peel. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer until slightly thickened, about 8 minutes. Stir in the butter and lemon juice and season with salt and pepper.

To serve:

Slice the pork about ½ inch thick and arrange on 4 warmed serving plates. Spoon the sauce over the meat.

Variation:

Serve apricot and prune sauce with Roasted Duck .