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Herb Crusted Pork Loin Roast with Fig Sauce

A simple roast to prepare, but it is high on impact.  The roast is fragrant with a fantastic crust. The sauce is dried figs, sweet vermouth, stock, demi-glace and balsamic vinegar.  They come together to create a rich and impressive dish.  Perfect for date night or your fanciest dinner parties.

Course Main Course
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 40 minutes
Servings 4

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 tbsp finely chopped rosemary
  • 1 1/2 tbsp finely chopped fresh thyme
  • 2 tbsp finely chopped garlic
  • 1 1/2 tbsp kosher salt
  • 1 tbsp freshly cracked black pepper
  • 2 1/2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 4-rib bone-in pork loin roast tied off between every rib
  • 8 dried mission figs halved
  • 1/2 cup sweet vermouth or marsala, apple or grape juice
  • 1/2 cup chicken stock or 'stock' using my faux chicken bouillon powder
  • 1 tbsp veal demi-glace heaping tbsp
  • 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
  • 2 tbsp butter at room temperature
  • chopped rosemary and thyme , for garnish

Instructions

Roast

  1. Mix the rosemary, thyme, garlic, salt, pepper and olive oil together in a small bowl.
  2. Place the pork roast into a baking dish that will hold it snuggly.
  3. Coat it evenly with the herb mixture, on all sides.
  4. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate all day, or up to overnight. I have done this with only a few hours of resting, and it still worked wonderfully.
  5. Preheat the oven to 475F (245C)
  6. Place the roast onto a baking dish that doesn't have too high of sides. You want to contain the juices, but you also want the outside crust to feel the full heat of the oven. Roast for 20 minutes.
  7. As soon as the roast goes into the oven, you can start on the sauce.
  8. After the first 20 minutes, reduce the heat to 400F (200C) and continue roasting until a thermometer inserted into the centre of the meat reads 140F (60C) This should take about another 45-50 minutes.
  9. Transfer the pork to a cutting board and cover lightly with foil to rest for 15 or so minutes.

Sauce

  1. Place the figs into a small bowl.
  2. Place the vermouth in a small pot, and warm over medium heat till just warmed through.
  3. Pour the vermouth over the figs, and cover. The bowl should be small enough that the figs are completely covered by the liquids. Let rest for one hour.
  4. Then strain, reserving the liquid and figs separately.
  5. Strain the roasting juices from the roasting pan into a small pot.
  6. Set the pot onto medium-high heat. Add the reserved soaking vermouth liquid and bring it to a boil.
  7. Add the stock, the demi-glace and the balsamic vinegar. Cook till reduced slightly, about 8-10 minutes. You can cook it longer, to create a thicker sauce, if you would like. This is totally up to you.
  8. Add the figs and cook another 3 minutes. Then add the butter, one tbsp at a time, stirring to completely dissolve the butter into the sauce. Season well with salt and pepper, starting with 1/2 tsp of each.

  9. Remove the cooking strings from the roast and carve the pork roast between the bones, and arrange on a platter. Spoon the sauce around or over the meat. 

    Scatter the fresh herbs over the roast and sauce

Recipe Notes

Faux Chicken Bouillon Powder recipe here.

Pork recipe inspired by an old Williams Sonoma recipe card