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1 cup dry Madeira or fino sherry

¼ cup red wine vinegar or sherry vinegar

6 cloves garlic, crushed and peeled

12 sprigs fresh thyme

2½ teaspoons kosher salt

2 pounds pork tenderloins

2 teaspoons peanut, canola, or vegetable oil

½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

2 large shallots, finely diced (about 1 cup)

1 teaspoon sifted all-purpose flour

1 pound fresh figs, trimmed and quartered (about 3 cups)

1 Pour the Madeira and the vinegar into a gallon-size locking food storage bag, and add the garlic, thyme, and 1 teaspoon of the salt. Seal the bag and agitate to combine. Add the pork tenderloins, reseal with as little air inside as possible, and turn the bag several times to coat the meat. Marinate at room temperature for 1 hour, turning the bag every 15 minutes. (Alternatively, you can use a baking dish, covered with plastic wrap, for marinating the pork.)

2 Heat the oven to 450°F with a rack positioned in the top third of the oven.

3 Transfer the tenderloins to a cutting board, reserving the marinade, and pat the meat dry with paper towels. Brush the tenderloins with 1 teaspoon of the oil, and season them with 1 teaspoon of the salt and the black pepper. Heat the remaining 1 teaspoon oil in a large cast-iron skillet over high heat until it shimmers. Add the tenderloins and sear, turning them occasionally, until they are nicely browned, 5 to 6 minutes.

4 Transfer the tenderloins to a plate, and pour off any remaining oil in the pan. Add the butter and shallots to the pan, stirring until the butter has completely melted, and then add the remaining ½ teaspoon salt and the flour. Cook until the shallots have softened and are fragrant, about 3 minutes. Then add the figs and the reserved marinade (including the thyme and garlic), and bring to a simmer. Turn the heat to low, add the tenderloins to the skillet, and nestle them among the figs. Transfer the skillet to the oven and roast, turning the meat once, for about 12 minutes for medium-rare (an instant-read thermometer inserted into the middle of the stoutest part of the tenderloin should register 135°F) or 16 minutes for well-done.

5 Remove the skillet from the oven and let the tenderloins rest on a cutting board, loosely covered with foil, for 5 minutes. Then slice the tenderloins into ⅓- to ½-inch-thick medallions and arrange 4 to 6 medallions, overlapping, on each plate. Spoon a ladleful of the fig gravy over each serving.

DUCK BREASTS WITH RASPBERRIES AND ROSÉ

serves 2 • TIME: 25 minutes

Although we’ve never hunted ducks, we developed our taste for the birds because South Carolina is prime waterfowl hunt country, and most neighbors have a freezer stocked with ducks and doves that they dole out to good friends over the course of the off-season (which is most of the year, in fact; duck-hunting season includes the weekend after Thanksgiving and the two weeks from mid-December to just after New Year’s Day).

Since we eat duck more often than we’re given it, we buy wonderful farm-raised boneless duck breasts at meat markets. They tend to be larger than those of wild ducks, and fattier too. But they sear beautifully and cook up quickly, and they take to all kinds of sauces, especially ones made with fruit. The one we make here marries our favorite summertime berries with our favorite summertime wine.

2 large boneless duck breasts (10 to 14 ounces each)

¾ teaspoon kosher salt

¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

12 ounces fresh raspberries (about 3 cups)

⅓ cup finely diced shallot (about 1 large)

1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves (from about 4 stems)

2 teaspoons red wine vinegar

1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil

¼ cup rosé wine

2 teaspoons sugar

1 Put the duck breasts on a small cutting board or a large plate, and pat them dry with paper towels. Score the skin and fat in parallel diagonal lines, making four or five ¼-inch-deep cuts on each breast. Season both sides with ½ teaspoon of the salt and the black pepper.

2 In a small bowl,