goat cheese stuffed pork tenderloin w/ pan sauce

any of you lucky ladies going to book group tonight will have the tasty pleasure of eating christannes bound-to-be-better-than-my 1st try, and that's saying something because this is FANTASTIC!!! props to christanne for finding and sharing these recipes with me, it's all her.
1 pork tenderloin
1/2 medium onion, minced
2 Tbsp pine nuts
4 Tbsp dried fruit (cherries, currants, cranberries...)
1 tsp fresh thyme leaves
1/2 cup goat cheese (leave out thyme if you use herbed goat cheese)
1/4 cup red wine
1/4 cup bread crumbs
salt and pepper to taste

1/2 cup red wine
1/2 cup dried cherries
1/2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 Tbsp butter
salt and pepper

begin by soaking your chosen fruit in the wine (i was out of wine and soaked them in balsamic vinegar). if you're using larger fruit like dried apricots or apples, chop the pieces up first. i put mine in the microwave for about 20 seconds to get the fruit softened and the liquid warm to speed up the process.
preheat oven to 350.
prepare tenderloin by trimming tapered end and removing any extraneous fat. reserve trimmed meat and mince it finely. to cut the meat, make a slice 1/4 inch from the bottom 1/4 inch into the meat. then roll the meat onto the thick side and continue cutting in the same manner, like you are unrolling wrapping paper. you'll end up with a rectangular piece of meat. cover it with a thick layer of saran wrap and pound with the flat side of a meat tenderizer or heavy saute pan from the inside working your way out until the meat is about 1/8 inch thick and still rectangular in shape. cover and refrigerate.

toast the pine nuts in a dry skillet until golden brown. remove from pan, add some oil and saute the onion on medium-low heat until soft, about 8 minutes. add the minced pork and cook until no longer pink. add thyme and continue to cook for 2 minutes. turn off the heat and add the pine nuts. drain the fruit, reserving the liquid, and add to pan.

crumble cheese into a bowl and add onion mixture and bread crumbs. mix well to make a loose mass.

pile stuffing onto one short end of the tenderloin and shape it firmly into a tube. roll tenderloin firmly and secure it with cooking twine or toothpicks.

heat a few tablespoons oil in a large saute pan. brown meat on all sides. transfer to a roasting pan, add some water or broth to the bottom and cook for about 45 minutes, or until inner temp reaches 175 degrees. remove from the oven and let it rest for 10 minutes. meanwhile, make the pan sauce.

deglaze the pan you used to cook the onion in with a tablespoon wine or vinegar, scraping the browned bits off the bottom with a wooden spoon. add the wine, vinegar and cherries and bring to a boil. turn the heat to a simmer and let it reduce by 1/2, about 4 minutes. add butter and stir to melt. slice meat diagonally about 1/3 inch thick, plate and drizzle sauce and cherries on top.
*i was out of red wine and made a basic balsamic pan sauce with the cherries, which was delicious! just use 1/2 cup balsamic instead of the wine and follow same instructions.