Pork Tenderloin with Roasted Strawberry–Merlot Sauce

1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Let pork tenderloin stand at room temperature 30 minutes. Meanwhile, crush coriander seeds with a mortar and pestle or small heavy skillet until coarsely ground. Stir together crushed coriander seeds, salt, and pepper in a small bowl; set aside. Toss together strawberries and sugar in a separate bowl; set aside.

2. Heat oil in a 12-inch ovenproof stainless steel skillet over medium-high. Sprinkle coriander mixture over pork, pressing lightly to adhere. When oil is just smoking, add pork to skillet. Cook, turning occasionally, until pork is browned all over, about 8 minutes. Place strawberries around pork.

3. Transfer skillet to preheated oven. Roast until a meat thermometer inserted in thickest portion of pork registers 130°F, 8 to 10 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 200°F. (Do not remove skillet from oven.) Continue to roast pork and strawberries until thermometer registers 140°F, about 5 minutes. Transfer pork to a cutting board, reserving strawberries and pan drippings in skillet. Cover pork loosely with aluminum foil.

4. Return skillet to heat over medium-high. Add shallot to pan drippings, and cook, stirring often, until pan drippings are slightly thickened, 2 to 3 minutes. Add wine, and cook, stirring and mashing strawberries with a spoon, until sauce has thickened enough to hold a clean line when a spoon is dragged across bottom of pan, 7 to 9 minutes. Stir in chicken stock and thyme sprigs, and bring mixture to a simmer over medium-high. Cook, stirring occasionally, until sauce is thick enough to coat back of spoon, 13 to 17 minutes. Pour sauce through a fine wire-mesh strainer into a small saucepan, pressing on solids to extract liquid; discard solids.

5. Place saucepan over medium-low heat. Add butter, and cook, whisking constantly, until butter is fully incorporated, about 1 minute. Remove from heat, and season strawberry sauce with salt and sugar to taste. Cut pork into slices, and serve with strawberry sauce.

Suggested Pairing

Berry-scented Pinot Noir.