Apricot-Espresso Glazed Roast Pork Loin

Now you always hear about cacao used for savory food, but coffee a little less so. It’s most commonly known as a meat tenderizer. We found a recipe using it for roast pork though and as it’s coming up to the weekend, why not try? Personally I don’t eat pork, but I have a feeling it might work well for chicken too. It’s definitively a flavour I have not tried previously.

One might scoff at the freeze dried instant coffee if one is food connoisseur enough, but the only other option (unless you want freshly ground coffee beans in the actual glaze) would be to cook the apricots with coffee when making the jam and somehow we believe the instant coffee will do just fine. After all we sell it. It’s easy to use and has it own unique flavour that some actually prefer.

So fresh roasted coffee beans aside, we are looking forward to try this recipe. Let us know what you think!

Ingredients

1 3-pound boneless pork loin, trimmed
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 cup apricot preserves
2 tablespoons instant espresso powder
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
4 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth

Preparation

Preheat oven to 375°F. Line a roasting pan or rimmed baking sheet with foil.
Tie kitchen string around pork in two or three places so it doesn’t flatten while roasting. Rub oil, salt and pepper all over the pork. Place the pork in the prepared pan.
Roast pork, turning once, for 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, combine apricot preserves, espresso powder, mustard, Worcestershire, garlic and cloves in a small saucepan; bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring frequently. Cook 1 minute, stirring constantly, then remove from heat.
After the pork has cooked for 30 minutes, brush all over with 1/2 cup of the glaze. (Leave the remaining glaze in the pan.) Continue roasting until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the middle of the meat registers 140°F, 20 to 40 minutes more. Transfer the pork to a clean cutting board and let rest for 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, add broth to the remaining glaze in the pan. Bring to a simmer over medium heat. Simmer until thickened slightly, about 5 minutes. Remove the string and slice the pork. Serve with the sauce.

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