Pecan Encrusted Pork Cutlets with Blackberry Sauce

Nuts, berries, and sage flavor this dish and make it special enough for company. There is a little work involved in the preparation, so plan ahead to spend a few extra minutes in the kitchen before you start. Paleo? Absolutely, but you don’t need to tell anyone.

Ingredients:

1 cup red wine vinegar (or cider vinegar if you’re strict)

6 tablespoons all-natural sugar-free blackberry preserves

½ teaspoon salt

½ pound pork tenderloin (About ½ of one tenderloin, from a package of 2)

2 eggs

½ cup finely chopped pecans

2 tablespoons coconut flour

2 tablespoons almond meal

2 teaspoons fresh sage, finely minced

½ teaspoon sea salt

½ teaspoon black pepper

Olive oil

Fresh blackberries

Preparation:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Heat the vinegar in a small saucepan until reduced by half. Add the preserves and continue cooking for about 5 minutes. Stir in the salt. Turn off the heat.

Cut the tenderloin into 4 equal pieces. Place them between sheets of parchment or waxed paper and pound until ¼ thick.

Beat the eggs in a shallow bowl.

In another shallow bowl, mix the pecans, coconut flour, almond meal, sage, salt and pepper.

Heat several teaspoons of olive oil in an ovenproof skillet. Dredge one pork cutlet in the egg mixture, then in the nut mixture. Place in the skillet. Repeat with remaining cutlets. Fry on one side just until lightly browned. Flip over and brown the other side. Place the skillet in the oven until the cutlets are cooked through.

Place one or two cutlets on a serving plate. Add a small handful of berries. Top with a drizzling of the blackberry sauce. Garnish with a sprig of fresh sage.