Sake-Brined Pork with Plums

Brine:
3 cups water
1/4 cup kosher salt
2 tbsp. brown sugar
1 tbsp. black peppercorns
1 tbsp. coriander seeds
1 plum, pitted and quartered
4 garlic cloves, crushed
2½ cups sake
2 lbs. pork tenderloin, trimmed

1 lb. plums, pitted and chopped
Glaze:
1/2 cup sake
1/2 cup apple juice
2 tbsp. brown sugar
1/8 tsp. salt
1 tbsp. hot water

To prepare brine, combine 3 cups water, 1/4 cup salt, brown sugar, peppercorns,
coriander seeds, quartered plum, and garlic in a large Dutch
oven; bring to a boil, stirring until salt dissolves. Remove from heat;
cool completely. Stir in sake. Add pork to sake mixture; weight pork down
with a small clean plate. Cover and refrigerate 8 hours or overnight.

To prepare glaze, combine 1/2 cup sake, juice, brown sugar, salt, and chopped
plums in a saucepan; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 10
minutes or until plums are very tender. Place mixture in a food processor,
and process 1 minute or until smooth. Return to pan, and simmer
until reduced to 1 cup (about 10 minutes). Remove and reserve 1/2 cup glaze.

Remove pork from brine; discard brine. Place pork on the rack of a broiler pan
coated with cooking spray; pat pork dry with paper towel. Sprinkle
pork with pepper. Baste with 1/4 cup glaze. Bake at 400° for 20 minutes.
Remove from oven; baste with 1/4 cup glaze. Return to oven, and
bake 20 minutes or until thermometer registers 155°. Remove from oven; let
stand 10 minutes before thinly slicing. Combine reserved 1/2 cup glaze and
hot water; stir well. Serve with pork.

8 servings