Pork Loin Roast

416.  Our Easter Dinner was delightful with memorable flavors and feels.  I decided to roast a top loin of pork for our 8 guests.  

Pork is always a challenge when you use the top loin portion due to the small amount of marbled fat.  But, my process did produce a beautifully flavorful result.

The herbs I chose were Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme (sounds like a song;-) with 8 garlic cloves.

The butcher butterflied the piece for me and did a perfect job.

I chopped the herbs together and set them aside in a bowl.  Next I rubbed Grey Poupon Dijon mustard

into the meat and then the finely chopped garlic followed by the 2 /3rds of the herbs, salt and pepper.

Then rolling up and tying the roast, sprinkling the rest of the chopped herbs.   I cut it in half to fit into my roasting pan coated with oil.

I roasted at 400 degrees for 20 minutes then turned down the heat to 325 degrees till the meat registered 140 degrees, approximately an hour.

Once roasted, I saved the pan drippings and made a brown gravy with Kitchen Bouquet and cornstarch mixed with water.  The meat was a bit tough but the gravy added moisture to each bite.  

Notes to self would be to:  Pound meat with a tenderizer before adding flavorings.  This would help with the tenderness once roasted. And, to remove the covering from the roasting pan so the meat would brown or not cover at all.  

We all enjoyed ourselves and the meal was delicious

Simply put, it was a masterpiece!

"The greater danger for most of us lies not in setting our aim too high and falling short; but in setting our aim too low, and achieving our mark.

~Michelangelo

Savory Pumpkin Puffs

 10.  Puff pastry is divine!  

I found a recipe for "Savory Pumpkin Puffs" in a Martha Stewart Living Magazine several years ago.  It went into my "need to try" pile of recipes.  So this year was a perfect time to try it.  Although I love working with puff pastry, I encouraged my daughter to make this recipe so she could experience the "divinity factor".

We set the dough out at room temperature and prepared each ingredient and she began the assembly process.  

Savory Pumpkin Puffs

Makes 18-24

parchment paper

flour for dusting paper

1 pkg puff pastry, room temp

1 1/2 tsp paprika

1/4 cup butter, melted

2 1/2 Tblsp dijon mustard

1 1/2 cups finely grated Gruyere Cheese

1 cup finely gated Parmesan Cheese

freshly ground pepper

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Generously flour 2 pieces of parchment paper; on each, roll out an unfolded pastry sheet to form a 15 x 13" rectangle, about 1/16th inch thick.  Refrigerate until firm about 15 min.  Meanwhile, stir the paprika into the melted butter and whisk together.  Remove pastry and brush off excess flour.  Spread a rectangle of pastry with mustard; sprinkle with both cheeses. Season with pepper.

Lay the second pastry rectangle on top covering the cheese.  Lay the parchment paper on top of the stacked pastry; using a rolling pin, roll until smooth and pastry layers are sealed together.  Remove the parchment and brush the top of the pastry with paprika/butter mixture.  Chill until firm, about 30 min.

With a pumpkin shaped cookie cutter, cut 18-24 shapes.  

Immediately place the shapes on parchment-lined baking sheet.  Using a sharp knife, score each shape four or five times to make pumpkin ridges.

If you forget to brush the top of the dough before it is cut.. brushing them after cut works out fine.)

Bake until golden, 15-20 min.  Transfer to a wire rack to cool slightly before serving.

Aren't they lovely?   Divine, right?

So after they were finished and we all were munching on the finished product...we came up with a variety of options for this recipe:

Why not a sweet version...jam or fruit filling in the middle, any flavor would do, and sprinkle sugar and cinnamon on top.  Or...Mexican with taco flavored meat and cheddar cheese and cut them in triangles...

You get the picture...whatever your mind can think up...you can try with puff pastry.

Try this one...you will be delighted and so will your guests!