New Favorites

Favorite Recipes That Make It Back To The Table Again and Again

I've saved more recipes than I'll ever be able to cook.  They keep calling my name, and finally a few make it to the table.  Then we either give it a thumbs up, or a thumbs down.

I probably save five or six recipes a week. That means I have hundreds in my files.  When Martha Stewart's daily TV show goes off the air later this year, that number will decrease.  She frequently has guest chefs from the best restaurants in the world.  It's hard to pass up trying something they're giving you straight from their menu.  You can count on these recipes, because no chef would dare mess with Martha.  I've heard her call people out more than once on ingredients or technique.  If it's extremely involved, I just watch and enjoy the talent.  Some things are best enjoyed when someone else is preparing it--or maybe several other people.  But many of the recipes are remarkably simple and rely on good technique and quality ingredients.  They're the ones I like.  Upcoming new favorite from Martha:  Passionfruit Cheesecake Tart--it's a thumbs up for sure!

But everything I do isn't inspired by Martha.  My latest 'favorite' was inspired by a pork roast at the grocery story.  It was gorgeous and it led to a wonderful meal.

Stuffed Pork Loin Rib Roast with Port Sauce

(This recipe was adapted from Epicurious and was originally featured in Gourmet Magazine in 2008.)

Stuffing:

8 oz. mixed dried fruit, roughly chopped

2/3 cup ruby Port (you can buy it at the grocery store in the wine section)

1 tart apple, peeled, cored and cubed

1 medium sweet onion, diced

2 shallots, diced

three-fourths stick butter

One-half tsp. Salt and pepper

Mix dried fruit and port in small saucepan. Simmer, covered for five minutes. Then remove from heat and let it stand for another 10 minutes.

Meanwhile add butter to skillet with onion and shallots, apple, salt and pepper over medium heat. Cook about five minutes, until onions and apple are softened. Add dried fruit and port. Stir to combine. Then remove from heat and cool.

Roast:

One 5-6 lb. Rib-in pork loin roast

8-10 slices of bacon

1 ½ tsp. Salt

½ tsp. Pepper

Preheat oven to 500°.

With a long, narrow-bladed knife, make a cut all the way through the center of the roast. Turn the knife 90° and make another cut forming a pocket through the center of the roast. Use the handle of a wooden spoon and push 1 cup of cooled stuffing into the pocket in the roast. Reserve the remaining stuffing to make a sauce.

Rub the roast with the salt and pepper, then wrap the bacon slices around the roast, between each rib, ribs pointing up, and secure bacon ends under the bottom. If roast won't stand like this, use some heavy foil crunched up to hold it in place.

Place roast in oven for twenty minutes, then reduce temperature to 325° and cook until thermometer inserted into center of meat (not touching bone or stuffing) registers 155°. This should take about l ¼ to 1 ½ hours. Remove roast from pan to cutting board and let it rest tented with foil while you make the sauce.

Sauce:

½ cup ruby Port

1 ½ cups water

1 T cornstarch

Discard all but about 1 ½ tablespoons drippings from roasting pan. Add port to pan and place over medium heat. When heated, stir vigorously to get browned bits from bottom of pan. Add cornstarch to the water, and stir to mix, then add mixture slowly to heated port. Finally, add fruit mixture that was set aside. Cook, stirring, until heated through and thickened. Serve as sauce.