DAD’S DRIED FRUIT STUFFED PORK TENDERLOIN

Steps:

• Reconstitute the dried fruit by simmering in 8 cups water. Cook the fruit gently until soft, about an hour. Add water if required during cooking. When the fruit is done, the liquid should be about ½ cup or so. Cut fruit into ¾ to ½ inch pieces. Add the fruit back to the liquid. Add 4 tablespoons butter, garlic, vinegar, and tarragon. Season with salt and pepper. Simmer five minutes, stirring frequently. Let cool. Strain, reserving juice. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Butterfly the tenderloins by slicing lengthwise down to ½ inch from the bottom through thickest part. Then at the bottom, slice left and right at a ninety degree angle to within ½ inch of sides. Open meat flat. Place fruit down the center of each piece of meat, enough to make about a ¾ inch "round rod" of fruit. Lay two slices of bacon on the fruit, tucking under fruit at ends. Bring up the meat sides to close. Place a slice of bacon over opening, centered between the ends. Wrap a slice of bacon around each end of tenderloin, the top ends overlapping the center slice. Tie roast at one inch intervals. In three tablespoons of oil, brown the meat in a cast iron frying pan. Place the pan in the oven with the opening side of the meat up and cook until done, 170 degrees on a meat thermometer. Baste occasionally with the pan juices. During cooking, remove any fruit pieces that do leak out if they start to burn. Remove meat to a resting plate. Add the reserved fruit juice, broth, and wine to the pan to make a sauce. Cook to reduce by ¼, scrapping up any brown bits from the bottom. Add ½ the remaining fruit. Simmer five minutes. Whisk in two tablespoons cold butter. Remove twine from meat. Place meat on a serving platter. Pour any juices in the resting plate in the sauce and stir. Slice meat at one inch intervals, keeping slices together and fanned out slightly. Spoon a little of the sauce over the meat. Surround the meat with the remaining fruit. Serve sauce on the side