I had a hankerin’ for pears today and a bag of assorted red, bosc, and d’anjou pears was the perfect start to both dinner and dessert!

And both were no-brainer-simple!

I cut a small pork tenderloin into eight medallions and browned them in a hot skillet.  They came out and in went 4 shallots and 4 pears that had been cored, but not peeled.  (If you’re using colored pears, it doesn’t make any sense to peel them, does it?!?)

I then added about a cup of pear nectar, about a half-teaspoon of tarragon, and let it simmer a moment.  I added the pork, covered the pot, and simmered about 15 minutes – until everything was tender.  I thickened the sauce with a bit of cornstarch, and that was that!

It was served over a bed of wilted spinach with roasted sweet potatoes on the side.

Maybe 30 minutes start-to-finish.

Meanwhile, I took 2 pears, chopped them, sauteed them in butter, a bit of brown sugar, and a pinch of cinnamon and allspice – and a splash of vanilla.  I thickened it with a bit of cornstarch and put a dollop into the center of four squares of puff pastry.

12 minutes in a hot oven.

A good time was had by all…