It's the merriest time of the year to entertain
Here in our North Street kitchen, we're always cooking up special treats for our readers.
Now, along with Santa, Mrs. Claus and the elves, we're pleased to bring you a Christmas clipout cookbook. From now until the December 20 issue of Food, we'll bring you posh pork, heavenly ham, tantalising turkey,
vibrant vegetarian, decadent dessert and sinful snack recipes to build your own cookbook of holiday fares.
How it works:
Starting today, you'll notice a clipout area on the front page of the section.
Simply clip it out, put the pages together and clip or staple.
Count on these recipes to fill your guests with Christmas cheer.
Upscale pork roasts for posh dining
FAR MORE than just "the other white meat," pork is a worthy rival to beef. Even the most highly prized pork cuts tend to be more reasonably priced than comparable cuts of beef, making pork an economical choice for holiday dining.
Among the most elegant pork roast meals for special occasions are crown roast, a bone-in loin roast and boneless loin, a lean, tender, highly versatile cut.
Success Tip: When selecting fresh pork, look for pale pink to pink colour and white fat. Loin cuts are typically lighter in colour than shoulder or leg cuts. Both the flesh and fat should feel firm to the touch.
An infusion of garlic and herbs heightens the flavour of this superb cut of pork. To present it as a crown roast, ask the butcher to crack the bones and tie them into a circle with kitchen string. When roasting is complete, present the roast so that the bones curve upward, add decorative paper frills to cover the bone ends, and heap your favourite steamed or roasted vegetables into the centre of the crown.
Tuscan-style Herbed Pork Roast
1 bulb garlic (about 12 cloves), peeled
3 tbsps. fresh or 2 tbsps. dried rosemary,
plus fresh rosemary sprigs (optional)
1 tsp. salt
1 1/2 tbsps. coarsely ground pepper
2 tbsps. olive oil
1 bone-in pork loin roast, about 5 lbs.
1. In blender or food processor, puree together garlic, rosemary, salt, pepper and olive oil. With a small, sharp knife, make slits through pork (at least 3 slits per rib). Insert herb puree into each slit. Tie fresh rosemary sprigs, if used, across pork. Cover pork and place in refrigerator for 2 to 3 hours to allow herb mixture to penetrate meat. Remove pork from refrigerator 20 to 30 minutes before roasting to allow meat to warm slightly.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degree F. Place pork, bone side down, in a roasting pan. Roast for about 17 minutes per pound (about 1 1/2 hours total), until an instant-read meat thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the meat registers 160 to 165 degree F for slightly pink meat or 170 degree F for well-done.
Remove pork from oven and let rest about 10 minutes before slicing. Serve hot, tepid or cool.
Serves 6 to 8.
Thai Pork Balls with Crunchy Noodles
INGREDIENTS
1 lb. lean ground pork
1 tbsp. minced garlic
1 tbsp. freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp. salt
1/4 cup nam pla
3 to 4 ozs. stick noodles
2 eggs, lightly beaten
Peanut oil for deep frying
Dipping Sauce
1 cup white vinegar
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 tsp. salt
3 cloves garlic, minced
4 small, fresh red chiles, seeds and ribs removed, finely sliced.
METHOD
1. In a bowl, mix together pork, garlic, pepper, salt and nam pla. Shape into 16 small balls.
2. Cook noodles 1 1/2 minutes in plenty of boiling salted water; drain and rinse under cold water.
3. Dip each pork ball into beaten eggs, then wrap in boiled rice noodles, pressing firmly to make noodles adhere. Heat oil in a deep skillet or wok to 375 degrees. Fry balls a few at a time until they are crisp and browned. Drain briefly on paper towels, then serve hot with Dipping Sauce.
Makes approximately 16 cocktail meatballs.
Dipping Sauce: Put vinegar, sugar, salt, garlic and chiles in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, stirring. Remove from heat and let cool. Serve at room temperature. For a slightly milder version, strain out chiles after boiling.
