• Kelly Davis
• Pork Tenderloin with Chunky Pear Sauce

The weather is getting more beautiful every single day in Charlotte. And if you're like me, you don't want to spend every warm evening standing over a hot stove preparing dinner. That's where my crockpot comes in. It's probably my very favorite appliance because it practically does all the work of cooking for me.

Here's a delicious and easy recipe I make on evenings when I'd rather be walking my dog or sipping a beer in my backyard. Just start this easy recipe in the morning or on your lunch break (instructions are provided for both) and you can spend the evening doing whatever you want.

PORK TENDERLOIN WITH CHUNKY PEAR SAUCE
This easy and flavorful recipe is good any time of the year but especially when you're too busy to cook. The pear sauce is a nice change from the traditional apples with which pork is typically served.

INGREDIENTS
1.25 pound pork tenderloin
4 ripe Bartlett pears, sliced into eighths
1/2 large onion, chopped (about 1 cup)
3 garlic cloves, minced
3 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar
3 Tablespoons water
1 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon ginger
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

DIRECTIONS
Place tenderloin into a crockpot. Add pears and onions, placing evenly around the tenderloin. Pour vinegar and then water evenly over the tenderloin. Add all spices, sprinkling evenly over the contents of the crockpot.

Turn crockpot to high and cook at least four hours. If you have more time, set crockpot to low and cook for at least eight hours.

When tenderloin has completed cooking, scrape all pear and onions off of the tenderloin and remove tenderloin from crockpot. Plate and set aside. Blend the remaining contents of the crockpot by spooning it into a blender or using an immersion blender in the crockpot.

Slice pork into chunks and spoon sauce over tenderloin, plate, and serve.

NOTE:
This yields about 1 1/2 - 2 tablespoons of sauce for each serving. The sauce is very flavorful so a little goes a long way.

Kelly Davis is a blogger, freelance writer, food enthusiast, and native North Carolinian. When she's not training for a race or cooking something delicious in the kitchen, she's writing, reading, snuggling her dachshund, or plotting her next project. You can keep up with Kelly's antics and recipes on her blog, Foodie Fresh.