Plum glaze adds one more flavor layer to pork

Fresh, fast and tasty. Those are words to make a cook happy, especially when they introduce a main-course dish that can be on the table in less than 20 minutes, like this smart combination of Pork Steaks with Plum Glaze, nicely browned on the grill.

The recipe from Good Housekeeping’s Favorite Recipes “Grill It!” (Hearst Books, 2005, $14.95) includes both the fresh plums you’ll find in your local market and plum jam or preserves. These effortlessly add flavor layers to the other seasonings, the touch of ginger, lemon, garlic and cinnamon.

As its cover announces, this handy cookbook is full of reliable Good Housekeeping “Favorite Recipes” to spice up grilling menus. Each of the 150 recipes comes with cooking times and nutrition figures, head notes and tips.

The sturdy ringbound volume has an introduction that summarizes basic grilling information – leaving cooks well grounded to launch into choices that range from appetizers to poultry, meat, seafood and vegetables, with a selection of rubs, sauces and salsas.

Pork Steaks with Plum Glaze

1 pork tenderloin (about 1 pound), trimmed

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper

1/2 cup plum jam or preserves

1 tablespoon brown sugar

1 tablespoon peeled, grated fresh ginger

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

2 garlic cloves, crushed with garlic press

4 large plums (about 1 pound), each cut in half and pitted

Prepare outdoor grill for direct grilling over medium heat.

Cut pork tenderloin lengthwise, almost in half, being careful not to cut all the way through. Open and spread flat. Place tenderloin between two sheets of plastic wrap; with meat mallet or rolling pin, pound to about 1/4 -inch thickness. Cut tenderloin into 4 pieces; sprinkle with the salt and the pepper.

In small bowl, mix plum jam, brown sugar, ginger, lemon juice, cinnamon and garlic. Brush one side of each pork steak, and cut side of each plum half with plum-jam glaze.

Place pork and plums, glaze side down, on hot grill rack over medium heat, and grill 3 minutes. Brush steaks and plums with remaining glaze; turn and grill until steaks are lightly browned on both sides, have just lost their pink color throughout, and plums are hot, about 3 minutes longer.

Yield: 4 servings

Nutrition information per serving: 325 calories, 7 grams fat (2 grams saturated, 19 percent fat calories), 24 grams protein, 44 grams carbohydrate, 712 milligrams cholesterol, 65 milligrams sodium.