Posted on 12/01/2018 3:04:20 PM PST by Jamestown1630
We will be away this Christmas and probably won’t be cooking a big holiday meal. But one thing I’ve always wanted to try is a crown roast of pork – just because it’s so beautiful.
Especially this time of year, you can often purchase a crown roast that is already boned, trimmed, frenched and tied. Depending on where you are, you may have to order well ahead, and will certainly pay a pretty penny, but it will save you a lot of work – and this is definitely a Very Special Occasion or Holiday dish.
Here from Taste of Home is a recipe with Apricot/Apple stuffing:
https://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/pork-crown-roast-with-apricot-apple-stuffing/
If you want to buy two rib halves of pork loin and do-it-all-yourself, Jimmy Kerstein, author of ‘The Butchers Guide: An Insiders View’, has an excellent video (all of his videos are very succinct and informative):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z_rXxawB6Og
(Those pretty little paper decorations on the bone ends are called 'chop frills' and are easy to find on the Web.)
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I don’t know if this is new, but I just discovered it a few months ago – Rice a Roni has a Cilantro/Lime flavored rice now, and it really is very good for a prepared, boxed item like this. If you have spent a lot of time and effort on a great Mexican or other dish and need a quick and unusual starch to go with it, you might appreciate this.
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Chef John of Food Wishes has an interesting little ‘pudding’ dish that would make a nice lighter dessert for a fancy meal, and sounds and looks very Holiday: Lemon Gingersnap Posset:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_933Sthfx5c
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Finally, one of my favorite holiday things is in the stores now - the Kraft Roka Blue Cheese Spread, which comes in a little jar that you can use as a juice glass later. We only seem to see this in our local stores from Thanksgiving through Christmas, and it's displayed on special stands in the dairy department (not refrigerated). They also make other versions, including an Old English one. This year there's a little flyer with coupon and recipes on the display.
-JT
Fam is tres lucky to get food gifts like that.......makes a truly memorable holiday meal.
LOL. Now I know where Starbucks lemon yogurt with gingersnaps originated.....an inspired yogurt treat:
A layer of vanilla bean yogurt, a layer of Greek yogurt, lemon curd to stir in, all topped with crunchy gingersnap crumble.
WHITE CHOCOLATE LEMON CREAM TRUFFLES
TRUFFLE ING 3 oz white chocolate 3 tbl lemon curd (canned lemon pie filling is OK in a pinch)
tb h/cream, conf. COATING 6 oz white chocolate chips
METHOD gently melt white chocolate (not the chips) over a bain. You could micro, but be very careful;
haste makes chocolate caramelize. Add/mix in lemon curd. Add/mix in h/ cream. Freezer 2-3 hours.
Now shape into truffle-sized balls. Dust hands with conf to prevent melting. Freezer an hour on parchmented sheetpan.
FINAL After about 30 mins, melt white chocolate chips over bain. Hold melted chips 20-30 mins to reach room temp
(gives a thicker coating of chocolate). If you wait, chocolate will resolidify and need rewarming. Keep truffles in freezer.
CHEF'S NOTES If the chocolate is too cooled down, it will not coat evenly.
Put melted chocolate in a small bowl or shot glass and coat each truffle.
Fridge/set a few minutes on parchmented sheetpan.
We bought a spaghetti squash yesterday and a jar of pesto - my husband had seen a recipe where you toss the squash with pesto, and that sounded very good.
He’s big on the ‘low-carb’ diet, and your recipe sounds like one he’d like.
Thanks! I will give that a try and report back.
I will see if I can find those. Pork is another thing that used to be so much better. When meat was really flavorful, you didn’t need to eat that much of it.
My husband has been toying with the idea of finding someone(s) to share orders of grass-feed beef and heritage pork. When you consider the difference in quality, it may be worth the price.
Dying to know where you are now! I have been enchanted by Southern cuisine since we landed up in way up north in upstate SC. Have so so many old cookbooks in the local thrift shops.
Southern cuisine is one of the finest in America and very popular around the world if The Guardian Food columns are anything to go by. I was in Walmart buying towels the day before Thanksgiving and was fascinated watching black folks loading up on chit’lins, smoked hams, country ham and one woman who had tons of bananas on the counter along with endless boxes of Nilla Wafers and vats of vanilla extract. We speculated that she either was having a Thanksgiving family reunion or was making banana pudding for church. In either case, I was impressed with her authentic ingredients rather than the nasty boxed pudding so many and restaurants people use.
At certain times of the year our local supermarket has a huge, separate display of Vanilla Wafers and bananas.
That’s great :-)
One Christmas my Grandfather took the entire extended family to an old fashioned steak house, “The Timberlands”, his treat..
My Son was about 5... He could find no chicken nuggets on the adult menu...
He settled on frogs legs..
When they arrived he tore into them with gusto.. “I’m eating frogs!” but he slowed with each successive bite...
Finally he broke into tears and could chew no more.
I said what’s wrong boy? He Sobbed... it taste like Frog...
I had Frog that Christmas and the boy ate my medium rare Delmonico steak. The little bugger...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RzMlaEdRT0Y
For lamb, emulsify Dijon mustard, diced rosemary, garlic and peppercorns in olive oil and red wine.
Marinate the lamb in that overnight, cook that really hot and fast, med rare.
best done outdoors as it will make a wreck of the oven!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JshnFhQeAzU
So sad Rolandeax’s is gone, a great steakhose with all the great steakhouse things.
https://www.menuism.com/restaurants/rolandeaus-restaurant-auburn-514827
Leave the cannoli....
It was a great place. dark, tacky, classy.
Back to the lamb and Mutton, Lamb is far better but mutton is OK, you got to cook that low and slow.
Mexicans call it “Borrego” they cook it in a pit all night
In Kentucky they smoke it in a bbq pit and use mustard based BBQ “Mop”
Food hint, when on submarines in odd places, volunteer to help make the cinnamon rolls.
Gives you someplace to go and you get 1st dibs..
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wvPC7-inuyY
Re: chicken pulley bone segments
I agree that this is a choice piece for fried chicken. It is how Southern cooks get 10 pieces out of a whole chicken that usually yields 8. It used to be that that piece was a lot smaller - and prized - because chickens were normally sold under 3 lbs. Now, it’s hard to find a chicken that weighs less than 4 or 5 lbs. anymore. My absolute most favorite piece after the pulley bone, is the “oyster” - those choice pieces found in the back on both sides of the thigh. We used to fight over them as kids.
So funny!!! I hope he still gets ribbed about that. :o)
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