Apple Roasted Pork With Cherry Balsamic Glaze — What I Cook When Lobster Isn’t in Season but the Celebration Can’t Wait

The expansion begins. Construction crews arrived at 1847 East Main Street on Monday morning to open the wall between the original Rivera's and the adjacent space. The wall came down by Wednesday — the first swing of the sledgehammer creating a cloud of dust and possibility and a noise that made Alejandro drop a dish (the only dish he has broken in two years, which he attributes to the sledgehammer and not to any decline in his historically perfect dishwashing record).

The expanded space is raw: concrete floor, exposed walls, electrical roughed in. The architect (the same firm that designed the original) has drawn plans for twenty additional seats, a larger prep area, a second line station, and — the centerpiece — the second smoker. Not an 800-gallon monster like the original, but a 500-gallon offset that will handle ribs, chicken, and pulled pork while the original handles brisket exclusively. Two smokers. Two fires. One kitchen. The capacity doubles. The fire expands.

Rivera's will remain open during construction. The original thirty-two seats operate while the expansion is built behind a temporary wall. The construction noise is — present. Customers can hear the sawing and hammering behind the wall, which some find concerning and which Gerald finds "exciting, like eating during a renovation" (Gerald has a gift for finding joy in everything, which is why Roberto likes him). We posted a sign: "RIVERA'S IS GROWING. THE FIRE EXPANDS. PARDON OUR DUST."

Jessica manages the construction budget with the same precision she manages everything else. The $68,000 estimate has been revised to $74,000 after discovering that the adjacent space needs additional plumbing work. Jessica absorbed the increase without panic, adjusting the financial projections with the calm of a woman who has been managing numbers since before I could spell "spreadsheet." I am married to a financial genius who cries at taco trucks. The combination is unstoppable.

In other news: Jessica was promoted to senior partner at her accounting firm this week. After seventeen years, the promotion recognizes what everyone who knows Jessica already knows: the woman is the most capable financial mind in the state of Arizona, and probably the surrounding four states as well. I made her dinner to celebrate — grilled lobster tails, the same dish I made when she was promoted to partner. The lobster tails were perfect. Jessica said, "You only make lobster for my promotions." I said, "Then keep getting promoted."

I told Jessica I would make lobster tails — and I did, and they were perfect — but the dinner didn’t end there, because seventeen years of working toward something deserves more than one dish. This apple roasted pork with cherry balsamic glaze was what I made the next evening, the quieter celebration, when the champagne was gone and the phone calls from colleagues had stopped and it was just the two of us at the kitchen table with the construction permits spread out beside the breadbasket. The cherry and the apple and the balsamic together make something that tastes like ambition rewarded — which is, I think, exactly the right flavor for the week.

Apple Roasted Pork With Cherry Balsamic Glaze

Prep Time: 20 min | Cook Time: 1 hr 15 min | Total Time: 1 hr 35 min | Servings: 6

Ingredients

• 2 lbs boneless pork loin roast
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 2 medium apples (Honeycrisp or Fuji), cored and sliced into wedges
• 1 medium yellow onion, sliced
• 1/2 cup cherry preserves
• 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth

Instructions

1. Preheat and prep. Preheat your oven to 375°F. Pat the pork loin dry with paper towels and rub all sides with olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and thyme.
2. Sear the pork. Heat an oven-safe skillet or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Sear the pork loin on all sides until golden brown, about 2–3 minutes per side. Remove the pork and set aside.
3. Build the base. In the same pan, add the apple wedges and onion slices. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, for 4–5 minutes until slightly softened and beginning to caramelize.
4. Make the glaze. In a small bowl, whisk together the cherry preserves, balsamic vinegar, Dijon mustard, brown sugar, and chicken broth until combined.
5. Roast. Nestle the seared pork loin back into the pan on top of the apples and onions. Pour the cherry balsamic glaze over and around the pork. Transfer to the oven and roast uncovered for 55–65 minutes, basting with pan juices every 20 minutes, until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part reads 145°F.
6. Rest and slice. Remove the pork from the oven and let it rest on a cutting board for 10 minutes before slicing. Meanwhile, return the pan to the stovetop over medium heat and reduce the pan juices for 3–4 minutes until slightly thickened into a glossy sauce.
7. Serve. Arrange sliced pork over the roasted apples and onions and spoon the reduced cherry balsamic sauce over the top.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 340 | Protein: 34g | Fat: 11g | Carbs: 24g | Fiber: 2g | Sodium: 380mg