Cider Brined Pork Loin with Apple Mustard Sauce

I made up this brine recipe but I probably got the idea from seeing it somewhere before. It ensures that your pork is moist and flavorful and the cider in the brine speaks to the cider in the sauce. You can substitute sage or other spices for the fennel, but I served this with Wild Rice, fennel and sausage so I wanted to use the fennel seed.

Cider Brine:
4 cups apple cider (try to find real, unfiltered cider, but apple juice would work)
4 cups water
1/2 cup Kosher salt
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 tablespoon fennel seeds
1/2 tablespoon whole black peppercorns
2 bay leaves

Bring all ingredients to a boil in a saucepan, stirring to dissolve salt and sugar. Let cool. Place a 3 1/2 - 4 pound boneless pork loin in the brine and let sit overnight.

For Pork Loin:

Before serving remove pork from brine and pat dry. Heat a large skillet over medium high heat until hot and add about 1 tablespoon of vegetable or olive oil. Sear pork on all sides until nicely browned. Place in a shallow roasting pan and sprinkle with seasoning (I used dry Chimichurri Rub, see separate recipe, but you could use sage, pepper, etc. Do not season with additional salt as it will already be salty from the brine.) Roast in a 400 degree oven for 45-50 minutes or until a meat thermometer registers 150 degrees. Let rest for about 10 minutes for juices to reabsorb and temperature to climb to 160 degrees. Serve with Apple Mustard Sauce. Serves about 6.

Apple Mustard Sauce:

This is so good with pork. I think it would be great on ham too, but I haven't tried it. I first made this in 1997 from the December issue of Gourmet magazine. The menu was Crown Roast of Pork with Wild Rice, Fennel and Sausage Stuffing. Bake the stuffing in a separate pan to serve with the pork loin. The stuffing is also amazing with your Thanksgiving Turkey.

1/2 cup cider vinegar
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 cup apple cider
1 cup chicken stock
5 tablespoons firmly packed dark brown sugar
1/2 cup dried apples, chopped fine
1 tablespoon corn start
2 tablespoons Dijon-style mustard

In a saucepan combine the vinegar, the wine, the cider and 3/4 cup of the stock, the brown sugar and the apples, bring the liquid to a boil, stiring occasionally, and simmer the mixture for 5 minutes. In a small bowl whisk together the cornstarch and the remaining 1/4 cup stock and add the mixture to the apple mixture in a stream, whisking. Bring the liquid to a boil and simmer the sauce for 2 minutes. ( Can be made to this point 3 days in advance, kept chilled. )Remove the pan from the heat and whisk in the mustard and salt and pepper to taste. Makes about 3 1/2 cups.