Marinated Pork Medallions with a Ginger-Apple Compote

Delicious! The pork comes out moist, tender and full of flavor - not at all dry unless you over cook it. Start off with a good quality balsamic vinegar and you can't go wrong. There is however a bit too much marinade. For about 2 lbs. of pork tenderloin I used 1 cup of balsamic vinegar and 1/4 cup of olive oil. I left the amount of garlic and thyme the same and added some fresh rosemary as it pairs well. I pricked the tenderloin serveral times with a fork and sprinkled it with a bit of kosher salt and cracked black pepper, cut it up into pieces, then poured the marinade over top and let it go all day. The longer it marinates the better. The pork will basically soak up most of the marinade. This is very similar to "Grilled Pork Tenderloin with Balsamic Vinegar" from this site. So if you like this you'll like that one too. When cooking it on the grill I skewered it to make it easier to turn and cook evenly. For the compote, I used half the amount of butter, fresh cherries (15), 1/4 tsp. of ginger powder and eyeballed the cinnamon and nutmeg. The compote is very good. I could see using dried cherries or dried cranberries depending on your tastes. This is a definite keeper and will make you look like a star in front of guests.

Adam, thank you for a really nice twist to a wonderful pork loin dinner. Rather than cutting up the meat into medallions, I left the loin whole. I did cut the marinade ingredients by about half and let it marinade for about 2 hours. There was still plenty of marinade and the longer the meat sat in the marinade, the more it absorbed and was so incredibly delicious and tender, that I didn't even need to use my knife. It was genuinely fork tender. I also cut the amount of butter in the compote and added reconstitued dried cranberries to the apples and ginger mix. This was a really nice side dish to the entree and my guests think I'm a kitchen genius, so thank you for making me look so good. I'll be doing this again.

We loved the flavors. As others have pointed out, the quantity of marinade is excessive. I made half the recipe, put the 2 rather large tenderloins in a plastic container that fit them comfortably, and poured that half recipe on, and it was enough to submerge them. That's a convenient amount, but I think I could make only a fourth of the recipe from these costly ingredients and put them in a bag that can be turned over. Definitely make only a fourth for 1 tenderloin. The compote is great, and about the right amount for two tenderloins. Definitely do not slice the meat until after grilling. We grilled according to package directions. 10 minutes would not have been long enough on our gas grill at 400 -- more like 20 minutes. Quantity wrong, timing wrong - otherwise a very fine enhancement to the pork.

What a delicious dinner! I only used 2 tablespoons of oil and 1/4 balsamic vinegar to marinade the pork and it was plenty. I also marinated it overnight and left it whole until I served it. For the apple compote, I only used 2 tablespoons of butter, added some apple juice and used cranberries instead of cherries and it turned out fantastic! I served over rice.

This was a very delicious meal for four people! I used a pork tenderloin that was about 1.25 pounds (half of a Costco sealed bag) and all the recipe for the compote (minus the nutmeg because I didn't have any). The marinade, however, I cut in half and even froze half of that for another meal. I wasn't sure if I was supposed to cut the tenderloin before marinating or after grilling, but I decided to cut before. I will try it whole the next time. Served over sticky (calrose) rice, this was one very yummy meal! (Well, my husband doesn't like rice, so I served his over a baked potato!) And I have more marinade in my freezer for another meal--the best of all possibilities! Thanks, Adam, for a very great dinner!

This turned out fantastic! I think you can easily use half the amount of marinade if you are only making one pork tenderloin. I sliced my tenderloin into about 1 inch slices and marinated them that way so they absorbed more flavor. Cooking on grill really adds a nice flavor that you won't get if you cook on stove or in oven.

Use Craisins (of any type) substitute for the cherries for an amazing twist to this already excellent recipe.

This flavor combination is excellent, but using 2 cups of balsamic vinegar and a cup of olive oil for a 30 minute marinade is ridiculously wasteful in my opinion. I just made the compote and put a couple of teaspoons of balsamic vinegar in it, and used some of the liquid to baste the pork when it was almost done. Turned out great. In retrospect the half cup of butter in the compote is also unnecessary excess. Next time I'll use a tablespoon or two of butter and some white wine or apple juice.

Awesome recipe! I used 1/2 of a 6 lb pork loin--not a true tenderloin--sliced in half, then sliced 1/2" thick and pounded to 1/4" thick. I made about 1/3 the marinade for this amount of meat, and had no problems. For sweetest flavor, follow the recipe of 1/2 hr marinating in the fridge; for more tangy flavor in the meat, marinate on the kitchen countertop for 1 hr, up to 2 hrs. The thin, pounded medallions grill very quickly, so watch for overcooking--don't let them get hard and tough. Serve with a fresh steamed vegetable, crusty bread, and a nice Riesling, and be prepared for oohs and ahhs!

I'm rating this 5 stars for taste. It's absolutely delicious! There are parts of the recipe that are unclear, however. My pork took a good bit longer than the stated 10 minutes on a very hot grill. I did use a thermometer to test the meat. I will definitely be making this one again. Thanks, Adam!

Very moist, fork tender. I used 3/4 balsamic and 1/4 oil for marinade and let it soak for 3 hours though. I agree...my balsamic is too expensive to use 2 cups worth. Didn't need it and used 2-1# loins. Everything else the same.

A total winner. I think next time I would put 2 apples in the compote. We underestimated our new grill and over-cooked the meat a bit. Next time we will cook at a lower temp for longer.

a great recipe for fall. Such robust flavors from simple ingredients. Thanks for sharing.

Wow, I made this last week and am making it AGAIN tonight for those who missed it! Incredibly tender and tasty! No need for 2 cups of balsamic though (especially since I only have the EXPENSIVE stuff in the house right now) - I used 2/3 cup and 1/2 cup of oil. This time I am using dried cranberries (reconstituted a bit) instead of cherries as others have done. Can't wait!

This was really good. I used a pork loin (not tenderloin), so it was bigger and took a little longer on the grill. Halved the marinade, because it did seem like a lot - it was plenty for our 4 lb roast. Sliced it after grilling and it was YUMMY! The compote was delicious - I don't care for ginger, so I'll probably skip it next time - but we'll make this again for sure!!!

Marinated pork medallions - 5 stars................. Ginger apple compote - 3 stars

not as good as reviews indicated

We really enjoyed this recipe. I am making it again tonight, my children loved the compote!

I had this at a friends bbq and couldn't stop eating it! I don't usually eat pork. I've just never been too crazy about it but this is just absolutely delicious! The pork comes out juicy and flavorful and you won't be able to get enough of the cherry apple sauce. Make double!

Absolutely delicious and so easy too!

Really enjoyed this recipe.. made me look like a brialliant chef without really trying!! Did not add the dried cherries,and I thought that the compote tasted beautiful!! Thanks

Adam, thank you for the wonderful pork loin dinner. I also cut the recipe in half. I did not cut the meat into medallions but left it I left the loin whole. I let it marinate over night.h The sauce tasted delicious (tastes like apple pie) however I did not put in the cranberries since I did not have them. Thanks for the fabulous recipe!

Recipe altered, but marking for my records (so sorry, guys). Just made the compote and OMG it is *SO* delicious! Soaked cherries in some leftover cranberry/raspberry juice I had, cut butter down by 3/4ths, after cooking, felt it needed a little more tartness, so I threw in a handful of cranberries and boiled until they popped. Yikes, but good stuff!

It was delicious. It seemed like a lot of marinade (a whole bottle of balsamic seemed excessive) so I only made half and I found a quarter would have been sufficient for my 1.3 lb tenderloin. I prepped in the morning and it marinated all day while I was at work. It was fork tender. Compote was a nice addition but it would be quite good without it. Definitely adding it to the rotation.

Absolutely Delicious! Glad I read the reviews, I cut it in half & used 2 pork tenderloin. Was more than enough marinade.

This was fantastic. My first compote ever and my guests loved this. Scale down the recipe to half for the marinade. This was enough for 2 tenderloins and probably could have done 4 just as easily

pretty good. Max doesn't like this.

made a few changes omitted sugars and such, fantastic jump off! cheers!

This was over the top delicious! I followed the recipe exactly!

Uses far too much balsamic and olive oil just to throw it away. I used half balsamic, increased garlic and thyme, and added 1/4 cup papaya. I marinated exactly 40 minutes, added salt and pepper. The sweet apple mix drizzled on top knocked it out of the ball park. I fave it 3 stars because I had to adjust the recipe so much, but it was delicious

I used a Bosch pear rather than an apple. Yum!

I used cranberries instead of cherries, cut butter in half and it was delicious. Even better the next day.