Today, I am so incredibly excited to present Marble Crumbs’ first guest blogger: Sasha Johns of TrueVineGifts.com. She’s put together a delicious meal called ‘Cabernet Jelly Marinated Pork Tenderloin’ and I am so eager to finally try it out myself (Yes, it will most likely be served at my next dinner party. Probably. But don’t spoil the surprise for my guests, this will be a secret between me and you!)

Sasha is not only a talented blogger and recipe developer, but she is also an entrepreneur, juggling between taking care of her beautiful family and kickstarting a business that I just know will see lots of success. I mean, take a look at her Etsy shop and you’ll totally understand. And without further delay, here she is, the oh-so talented Sasha:

Pork Tenderloin is a fancy dinner at our house. My husband and I have three kids, so meal planning is often centered around what I know my kids will eat vs. experimenting. But, I was in an experimenting mood this particular evening.

For years I’ve been making jellies from wine and selling them at local farmers markets and festivals. I can often be heard telling the patrons of my booth, “This jelly ain’t just for biscuits…not that there is anything wrong with putting it on biscuits.”

The wine jelly is the secret to this delicious meal. Wine Jelly makes the base for a great marinade or glaze. I did a little experimenting for this meal. In a bowl I mixed:

4 ounces of Cabernet Sauvignon Jelly (half a jar)
3 tbs of a quality balsamic vinegar
3 tbs of a quality extra virgin olive oil
1 tbs of dried rosemary
2 minced cloves of garlic
½ tsp of salt
½ tsp of pepper

I put the tenderloin in a large zip lock back and poured the marinade over it, reserving a quarter of a cup for later. After making sure it the marinade had coated the tenderloin, I then let it rest in the fridge for the day, occassionally coming back to shake it up and recoat the pork.

While you are thinking about that beautiful roast marinating, I’ll tell you a little more about the jelly. I’ve been making them for five years now. I stock six kinds: Cabernet Savignon, Merlot, Sangria (best seller), Moscato, Pinot Grigio, and Chardonnay. They are made from actual wine! Now, the alcohol does cook out, but the flavor profile is still very much there. This makes them perfect for making salad dressings, appetizers, ice cream sundaes, and ….obviously marinades. There really is no limit to what can do with them.

Now back to dinner. After spending all day in the marinade, I put the tenderloin in a casserole dish and brushed it with some of the wine jelly mixture I had reserved. I put it in a 350 degree oven and roasted it until it reached 160 degrees on my meat thermometer.

While it was in the oven I steamed a huge artichoke, and made a pan of white beans seasoned with celery, parsely, onion, sweet pepper, and a little bit of cayenne. The final product was a beautiful spring dinner for the family (nevermind that two of the three children wanted nothing to do with the artichoke).

If you are wondering how to get a little of this wine jelly, well….there is currently only one way. These days I can only sell it at the local farmer’s markets, but as you can see, it’s too good to keep in Alabama. There is, however, a way you can help me get it to your table in a few months. Even little cottage businesses like mine can benefit from crowdfunding platforms. I’m currently running a Kickstarter campain. This is where I humbly as you to back me by choosing one of my many rewards that include the finished commercial product. When you do so, you are helping a small entrepreneur who is dreaming big, and knows there is a place for her business in the world. You can go here to find out how to get some great wine jelly rewards!

Just imagine. If you had a jar of wine jelly, what would you do with it?

 

Sasha Johns is the artist behind the jellly and the creator behind the corks at TrueVineGifts.com. You can follow her Facebook page and catch her latest antics on Instagram at @truevinegifts where you’ll see her in all of her stay at home mom glory. She homeschools two of her three kids, and is married to the best chiropractor in the universe. Don’t forget to back her Kickstarter campaign before April 29th!