Pork Loin Roast with Sierra Honey Plums

I bought a 3.5 lb box of plums at Costco and was wondering what to do with them besides eating one here and there as I knew they'd go bad before we finished them.  I decided to roast them with pork tonight.  The idea came to me as I used to make a roast with prunes years ago.  What I used:

• 3 lb boneless pork loin roast
• 10 plums, sliced into 6 pieces each, pits removed
• 2 sprigs of fresh rosemary
• 4 sprigs of fresh thyme
• 1/2 large sweet onion, diced
• 1/2 cup of balsamic vinegar
• 1/2 cup of brown sugar
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 2 star anise
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 cup organic "Better than Bouillon" low-sodium chicken stock
• Kosher salt and fresh cracked pepper, to taste
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch mixed with 2 tablespoons cold water
• Fresh Italian parsley, chopped coarsely for garnish
• Balsamic glaze, for garnish

I served this with quinoa as my side.  First off, I chopped the onion and laid it on the bottom of large casserole dish that was coated in cooking spray.  

I seasoned the pork generously with S&P and a tiny bit of cumin.  This went on top of the onions.  

I placed the herbs over and then scattered the plums along side the roast.   

I mixed the sauce together which was sugar, vinegar, broth, cinnamon anise, cumin and S&P .  I brought it to a boil.  

I poured this over the plums.  The dish went into a preheated 350°F oven, covered with foil.  

After 1 hour I removed the foil and let it cook a half hour longer until internal temp read 145°F.  I took the roast out and tented it with foil on a cutting board, letting it rest.  I started the quinoa.  I poured all the casserole dish contents into a sauce pan, removing the herb stems, cinnamon stick and anise.  I heated and simmered until reduced by half, about 20 minutes.  I stirred in  the cornstarch slurry to thicken the gravy.  I checked seasoning.  I sliced the roast (poured any juices back into the gravy) and served with the pan sauce.  

This turned out pretty good.  The cinnamon and anise brought a different taste - the sauce reminded me of a chutney.  The pork was tender and we thought the quinoa was perfect for this dish.