Post by justjohn on Mar 29, 2010 7:37:11 GMT -7
;D ;D ;D 
Ok folks. Yesterday was my birthday and everyone wanted to prepare something. I wasn't to touch one cooking implement.
Well, I inquired as to what the menu was going to be. They informed me they didn't know yet. Being a type of 'hard charger', I informed all parties that this was unacceptable and I was taking over the preparations. At this point there were to be 5 people sitting for dinner.
I called my local super market meat manager and asked him for 2 twelve rib pork crown roasts. He had them ready within the hour. Now the communications have been set in motion and all people that didn't want to have dinner were all of a sudden coming.
I finally sat 12 at diner, got some good Pinot Grigio, used a packaged pork stuffing and proceeded to prepare diner. It pretty much looked like the image below.
Crown Roast of Pork
With mashed potatoes, gravy, roasted asparagus, fresh biscuits and a salad all was set and we sat at 6:PM for diner.
The last party went home at 10:PM and we were all pretty much stuffed.
I am including the recipe that I followed. The only exception is the stuffing. I went with the store bought version.
BON APPETIT !!!!
Roasted Crown Loin of Pork - Pork Crown Roast
Whole loin of pork, tied into a circular crown*
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 strips bacon
Fruit Stuffing (see recipe below)
* To make a crown roast of pork, purchase two pork racks and tie them into a circular crown. Your roast will be moister if the butcher doesn't trim the big slab of fat that usually comes with this cut - cut the fat off after the roast is cooked. NOTE: The easiest way is to have your butcher trim the loin and form it into a crown and tie it with a string. Also ask him to cut away the meat from the top bones so that the roast really resembles a crown.
Preheat oven to 450 deg F. Position oven rack in the bottom third of the oven.
In a small bowl, combine flour, salt, and pepper; rub it over the outer fat of the crown loin of pork.
In a medium fry pan over medium-high heat, cook bacon until well done; remove from heat and crumble bacon into small pieces.
Brush the outside bone of the pork with a mixture of crumbled bacon and bacon fat. Place roast, bone tips up, on rack in a shallow roasting pan. Fill the center of the crown (cavity) with the Fruit Stuffing. Place aluminum foil over the Fruit Stuffing to hold moisture in and keep the fruit from drying out. Also place a small piece of aluminum foil over each of the bone tips so that they will not burn.
Where To Buy A Crown Pork Roast? Generally a pork crown is ordered ahead of time from a local butcher shop, gourmet market. It is rarely found in your supermarket meat counter.
How Many Servings? It is generally suggest that you plan 3/4 to 1 pound per person which is approximately one (1) rib bone per person. The average Crown Roast will serve about 8 to 10 people. If you are serving fewer people, ask you butcher to tie a smaller roasts for you.
Bake 10 minutes in an open pan at 450 deg F. Reduce oven temperature to 325 deg F. and continue to roast until the internal temperature reaches the desired temperature of 140° to 145°F on a meat thermometer, approximately 2 1/2 hours. (Allow about 20 to 25 minutes per pound for roasting.) Rotate roasting pan halfway through cooking time. During the last 15 minutes of cooking time, remove the aluminum foil from the Fruit Stuffing and bone tips to allow them to brown.
When roast is done cooking, carefully transfer roast to a warm serving platter. (It is advised to have someone to assist with this - place a spatula under the middle of the roast to help hold the stuffing in.) Tent with aluminum foil and let roast stand 15 minutes before serving and carving (meat temperature will rise 5 to 10 degrees after it is removed from the oven). Pour off the fat juices from the pan
As the whole Crown of Roast makes a beautiful presentation, present your Crown of Roast to your guests before cutting.
Carving the roast: Remove the Fruit Stuffing to a serving bowl before cutting the pork. Using a long, sharp knife, cut the roast into 1-rib servings. Each serving will yield a bone with a nice wedge of meat attached to it, and a "filet" from each rib.
Allow about 3/4 pound to 1 pound per person, or approximately one bone per person. Serve with a spoonful of the Fruit Stuffing.
Serves 10 to 12 people.
FRUIT STUFFING:
1 cup butter
2 large onions, chopped
20 slices bread, cut into cubes
1 cup dried apricots
1 cup dried prunes
6 apples, peeled, cored, and chopped into medium-sized cubes
Salt to taste
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
In a large pan over medium heat, melt the butter; when it is bubbling, add onions and allow to cook until they are transparent. Add bread cubes; stirring until mixed. Remove from heat.
In a large saucepan over medium heat, parboil apricots and prunes in water for about 4 minutes. Remove from heat and drain; cut into small pieces. Add these to the bread mixture; add apples, stirring to mix thoroughly. Add salt, nutmeg, cinnamon, and cloves. (If the mixture feels dry and has not melded well, add a little water, wine, or bouillon.)