Our Christmas Mini Crown Roast of Pork

I am sorry to say, as I continue to add years to my life, doctors seem to take precedence over my blog entries, but I am now ready to pursue excellence in the kitchen once again.

This time we will enter the arena of upscale presentations by attempting the nearly impossible task of creating a MINI crown roast of Pork with only 8 ribs, Normally a crown roast consists of 13 to 18 ribs to attain a well-shaped and lovely appearing crown. However, with only two people in our house, it becomes a challenge to shrink everything we prepare down to servings of 4, taking into consideration the importance of “leftovers”. I assure you this was a daunting task but the end result was absolutely delicious and yes…we have an abundance of “leftovers”

The Ingredients I used were standard seasonings and thank goodness I was able to rescue some of our fresh herbs from the garden before the freezing weather took its toll.

Ingredients for the Pork:

4-6 cloves of garlic peeled and finely chopped.
4 or 5 stems of fresh Rosemary, leaves stripped and finely chopped
4 or 5 stems of fresh Sage, leaves stripped and finely chopped
2 or 3 stems of fresh Thyme. leaves stripped
1 tsp.  Red pepper flakes
½ cup Olive oil
1 - 8 Rib Pork Loin Roast
Kosher Salt to taste
Butchers Twine for tying the roast. 

To make the pan sauce, you will need:

3 or 4 cloves of garlic, crushed
1 Ribs of celery, diced
1 Sweet onion- diced
1 Fennel bulb-sliced and diced
1 Carrot halved and ¼’ sliced
4 cups Chicken stock
1 cup (+/-) Dry white wine
2 or 3  Bay leaves
 Kosher salt to taste

Method:

Pre heat the oven to 450 degrees F.

Here’s the tricky part.  The membrane between the ribs must be slit so the roast can be curled around to enable it to stand upright. Be very careful not to slit all the way through as the ribs will then become unattached and the roast will fall apart. Also be aware the ribs must be curved outward at the finish.  By keeping this in mind, you will understand which side of the membrane to slit.

In a small bowl combine the garlic, rosemary, sage, red pepper flakes and olive oil. Sprinkle the roast with the salt and brush both sides with the olive oil/herb mixture.

Stand the roast upright and curl it around so that both ends meet and the ribs are curved outward. Tie the roast securely with two loops of twine and place the roast upright on a rack in a medium size roaster. Now would be a good time to cover the tips of the bones with foil to prevent scorching.

Place the garlic, and diced vegetables, the bay leaves and ¾ of the chicken stock and all the wine around the pork.  This will be the base for your sauce. While the oven temperature is at 425 degrees, begin to brown the meat for about 30 minutes. Reduce the heat to 325 degrees F., roast the pork for an additional 2 1/2 hours, basting several times and rotating the pork each time you baste. If you need more liquid, add the remaining chicken stock.

With an instant read thermometer check the roast about the time you last baste it and when the thermometer reads 140-145 degrees your roast should be done about medium. Remove the roast from the oven, transfer to a serving platter, cover loosely with foil and let rest for about 25 minutes. It will continue to cook while resting.

Bring the pan juices to a boil, taste, re-season if needed, and if you wish to have a smooth sauce, remove the bay leaves, place the vegetables in a blender and pulse a few times.  This will provide you with a smooth, delicious sauce.

Now it is time to remove the twine, cut between the ribs to create chops, top with pan sauce and enjoy.

Clark Williams

Side note: If the task of curling the roast becomes too laborious or frustrating, simply place the entire roast lengthwise in a roaster and continue with the cooking instructions.

The end result will look different but will taste just as good.

Recipe for Roast Duck - Thanksgiving Feast 2012

Thanksgiving Dinner 2012--- What The Duck?!

Our Thanksgiving Dinner throughout the years has been divided between Lamb or the standard Turkey. However this year it was decided I should prepare a Duck.  Having spent 40 + years in Minnesota, it was common for us to hunt wild game, so I have accumulated a few recipes. But this Duck is not going to be a wild duck but instead a domestic duck, farm raised, full of fat, bought in the super market frozen, and as such, with an unknown outcome. Undaunted, I embarked on the process of thawing (2 days), pricking and scoring the skin, and coating with a very light sprinkling of kosher salt.  I will not keep you in suspense any longer; the end result was a beautiful, well prepared, delicious Duck. If you have never prepared a domestic duck, be not afraid, as I will share with you my process.

INGREDIENTS:

1 whole Duck about 5-6 lbs.

Kosher salt

FOR THE GLAZE:

3 Tbs.  Orange juice

1 Tbs. Soy sauce

2 Tbs.  Molasses (or maple syrup)

¼ cup Honey

¼ cup Panda Express Orange Sauce.

Note: If you do not have some of these ingredients on hand, there is no need to rush to the store to purchase them, simply choose not to use them and instead, add extra honey, orange juice and corn syrup. This should give you a nice glaze.

Be sure to clean out the cavity of the bird, cut off the excess fat from the front as well as the rear including the “parsons nose”. 

Prick the skin all over, score diagonally ending up with diamond shaped marks, sprinkle with kosher salt, truss the wings and legs.

Note: This is a low and slow process that will take in excess of 4 hours to finish. Do not become overly anxious, as the reward is a juicy (not fatty or dry) tasting bird. I also placed a quartered apple in the cavity.

 If time is of the essence, increase the temperature to 350 degrees, turn the bird in 40 to 45 minute intervals, but check the internal temperature each time you turn the bird to prevent over cooking.

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F.

Roast uncovered for one hour, breast side up.

Turn the duck to breast side down, prick and drain fat from the pan. Roast for one hour.

Turn the duck to breast side up, prick and drain the fat. Roast for one hour.

Turn the duck to breast side down, prick and drain the fat, Roast for one hour.

Increase the temperature to 400 degrees, turn the duck to breast side up, roast for 10 minutes.

This is the time to brush on the glaze and finish cooking for another 5-7 minutes at 400 degrees.  By now the duck should have reached an internal temperature of 165 degrees.

Remove the duck from the roaster. Place it on a cooling rack; let it rest while preparing to serve.

I hope the pictures will help guide you through the process and although it may appear to be complicated, I think you will agree it is a matter of replication of a single step and a bit of time. It was a wonderful Thanksgiving meal and the leftovers were used for Asian duck tacos.

Note: You have probably questioned the lack of seasonings but should you desire to add herbs and vegetables to the roaster during the cooking process, by all means do. I personally found it unnecessary and derived a benefit of flavor from the glaze.

Thank you for allowing me to share some time and thoughts with you.

Clark Williams, chef

 

Stuffed Zucchini Recipe - Johnsonville Italian Sausage

Stuffed Zucchini

Ingredients:

1 Over sized (preferably 12” x 4 ½”) cut into 3 ½’ rounds, OR
2 * Medium, round zucchini, cored
2 Links, Johnsonville Hot Italian sausage casing removed       
½ cup Chopped Japanese eggplant (optional)
½ Medium onion, diced
4 Button mushrooms, chopped
1T Olive oil
1 8oz can Tomato sauce
1 cup Cooked rice
3 cloves garlic, crushed & chopped
Italian Seasoning
1 cup Sargento Mozzarella Cheese, shredded
Salt & Pepper to taste
Method:
      
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Crosscut the butt end (the biggest end) of the zucchini into sections approximately 3 ½”, core out the center leaving ½” rim. Chop the portion removed and set aside.

Steam the zucchini shells in the microwave for about 4-5 minutes on high, making certain they are not overcooked. You will need to retain the integrity of the zucchini shell to hold the stuffing without collapsing. Immediately plunge them into an ice water bath to stop further cooking.
In a medium skillet, cook the sausage on med-high breaking the sausage into small chunks.  Transfer to a bowl and set aside. Using the same skillet, add the olive oil, the onions, garlic, ½ cup of the chopped zucchini, mushrooms and (optional) eggplant, Italian seasoning, salt & pepper to taste. Cook until the zucchini and onions are pale. Add the tomato sauce and any additional zucchini you feel will balance out the mix, cook for another 3 to 4 minutes. Empty the ingredients of the skillet into the bowl containing the cooked sausage, blend into this mix the cooked rice, half the cheese and fold all the ingredients thoroughly to complete the stuffing mix. The heat of the stuffing mixture should be adequate to melt the cheese as it is being incorporated.

    -2-
 
                                             
Place the empty zucchini shells in a casserole dish or suitable high-sided container. Fill the shells with the mixture, tamping down lightly to fill each shell to the top.  Place in the oven to cook for about 20-30 minutes. Open the oven door and check the temperature of the filling by simply touching the top and if it is warm, now is the time to add the remainder of the cheese to the top of the filling.  Return the casserole to the oven for an additional few minutes and closely observe how the cheese is melting. Caution should be taken to prevent the cheese from scorching.
 
When the zucchini is cooked to your satisfaction, remove from the oven, place on a rack and let rest for 4 or 5 minutes. Serve by removing the stuffed zucchini from the pan with the aid of a flat blade utensil.
Serve with chunks of fresh baguette, green salad of hearts of romaine, slices of fresh mozzarella and tomato.
Serves 2.
Notes:
• Round zucchini can often be found in an Asian market or markets such as Whole Foods as well as some Farmers markets during the summer months. If you choose to use a round zucchini, cut off the top and core per recipe instructions keeping in mind to have a flat bottom to maintain balance after stuffing.
*    This filling mix is also great as stuffing for bell peppers.

As always, thank you for visiting.

Clark Williams,