As the weather in south central Pennsylvania turns more and more fall-like, the cravings for all of those wonderful autumn flavors intensifies.

Everything pumpkin spice, butternut and acorn squash soups, cinnamon sweet potatoes, and spiced apples and pears….just to name a few.

It’s no secret that I love fall!

Yesterday was one of those wonderfully crisp days and made me remember that there were some pears in the fridge that needed to be used. And lately, I’ve had a thing for pears, honey, and balsamic. There’s just something about the resulting flavor that is almost heavenly.

But, heavenly or not, I couldn’t justify having ONLY balsamic pears for dinner. So, I pulled one of our Butcher Box pork loins out to thaw, looked at some recipes, and put together a pretty awesome fall meal! (There will be a post soon on how wonderful Butcher Box is!)

Plus, it gave me an excuse to pull out my cast iron pan. If you’ve never cooked with cast iron, you are missing out. (Maybe an idea for another great post?) It can go right from the stove top to the oven. If you get a proper glaze on the pan, it is surprisingly non-stick, and it distributes heat like nobody’s business. And maybe it’s all in my head, but it just makes food taste better!

As always, there are a few little tips before we get to the recipe. First, be sure to use an oven safe pan or skillet, as this dish will go straight from the stove to the oven. If you don’t have an oven safe pan, you can transfer everything to a baking dish. I would recommend warming the dish in the oven prior to adding your ingredients, as placing the hot ingredients into a cool baking dish could affect the amount of time in the oven, or even cause a glass baking dish to shatter (and if you’ve ever had a glass baking dish shatter, you know it’s like a small bomb detonating). Second, my recipe calls for avocado oil, but this could be substituted with coconut oil, ghee, or even grass fed butter. I think any of those would enhance the flavors of this dish. Lastly, be sure to allow the pork loin to rest before slicing. By letting the meat rest, it allows the juices to redistribute, or reabsorb, back into the meat. If you skip this step, your liquids run out when you cut the meat and you risk a dry roast.

Autumn Pork Loin With Honey Balsamic Pears and Sweet Onions

• Servings: 4
• Time: 1 hr
• Difficulty: easy
• Print

An autumn dish that goes straight from stove top to oven

Credit: thegirlgoespaleo.com

Ingredients

• 1 lb. pork loin
• 1 Tbsp. avocado oil
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 sweet onion, cut into 1/8″ wedges
• 4 bosc pears, each cut into 8 wedges
• 1 tsp. dried thyme
• 3-4 Tbsp. honey
• 2 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar

Directions

Prepare your onion and pears and preheat oven to 400°F. While the oven is preheating, generously season all sides of the pork loin with the salt and pepper. Heat the oil in an oven safe pan. When the oil begins to shimmer, place the pork loin in the pan and sear on all sides; approximately 6-8 minutes (2 minutes per side). Remove the pork loin to a plate and add the chopped onion and pears to the pan. Saute for 1-2 minutes. Return the pork loin to the pan and drizzle with the honey and balsamic vinegar. Sprinkle with thyme and move the pan to the oven. Allow the dish to bake for approximately 20 minutes, or until the juices from the pork run clear when pierced with a knife. Move the pork to a plate or cutting board, cover with aluminum foil, and allow to rest for 5 minutes. Cut into 1/2″ slices and serve with pears and glaze.