when i was growing up my house was always a place for entertaining. my dad would wake up early and start me on the cleaning: hoover the whole house top to bottom, mop the tiled floor in the hallway and the kitchen, dust the base boards, and polish the banister, windex the windows and the glass coffee table. Needless to say, i hated the preparation of having people over. but the pay off was huge. aunties and uncles getting drunk and swearing (there was otherwise no cussing in my house. even "fart" was considered a bad word), the booze would flow and if i got to wait around enough i got to hear a couple dirty jokes. if i got rrrrrrrrrrrrrreally lucky, i got a sip of my dad's creme de menthe after supper. to me this was golden. the words "best ever" come to mind. even after i was sent upstairs to play, i would sit at the top of the stairs hiding as best i could to catch what the grown ups might do next. nothing really exciting ever happened, but just knowing i was amongst the grown ups made me feel like i was somehow more grown up myself. the food was always amazing and always in great abundance. The main course usually consisted of a magnificent roast that my mother would bring to the table and serve. it was with a great deal of pride that my parents gave this food to our hungry guests. through experiencing these dinners it was was handed down to me that one of the best gifts in life is that of giving a meal to a friend. it is a simple gesture, but one that implies so much. there isn't much else that gives me as much joy as bringing food to a table of hungry friends and watching them as they become full and happy. just thinking of it makes me smile.
i would like to thank my parents for showing me that so much joy can be had by giving to others; and so i would like to dedicate this post to my mom, who celebrated a birthday just last week. i love you so much mom. thank you for teaching me this, and all the other wonderful things you have shared with me over my short life here. i would not be half the man i am today with out you being the wonderful woman you have always been.
Pork Rib Loin Roast with Herbs and Roasted Apples
Ingredients
1 4 - 4.5 pound rib roast (make sure your butcher takes off all the bones except for the ribs)
2 tables spoons Dijon mustard
3 sprigs thyme, separated
2 sprig rosemary leaves, separated
1 tablespoon maple syrup
1/2 cup shallots chopped very fine
3 table spoons olive oil, divided 2 - 1
1/3 cup dry vermouth or white wine
4 royal gala apples, pealed and cut into four (you are going to want to wait to peal and cut them
1/2 cup no salt chicken stock
3 nobs no salt butter
salt and pepper to taste
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 375°F with rack in middle.
2. Pat pork dry and season with LOTS salt and pepper. Straddle a flameproof roasting pan over 2 burners, then heat 1 Tbsp oil over medium-high heat until it shimmers. Brown pork on all sides, then transfer to a large plate.
3. Put a metal rack in pan . Stir together shallots, herbs, maple syrup, mustard, and 2 Tbsp oil and smear over top and sides of roast, then put roast, fat side up, on top of herbs. Pour a little stock in the bottom of the roasting pan to prevent the drippings from burning too much. Roast 1 hour.
4. Add the apples to the pan with the drippings and Continue roasting until an instant-read thermometer registers 140 to 145°F, 5 to 15 minutes more (temperature will rise 5 to 10 degrees as it rests). Transfer pork to a cutting board and let rest 15 to 25 minutes
5. while the pork rests add the remaining stock to the roasting pan and gently stir around the apples to incorporate all the pan drippings and the stock. put back in the oven and cook for an additional 15 minutes. take the apples out of the oven and add the butter and stir. taste the sauce and add salt and pepper as needed. you should have a nice dark, rich, thick sauce.
6. cut the pork into one rib chops... they are big so watch out. cover with apples and pan jous. serve with roasted carrots, roasted onions, baby potato's, and fresh green peas tossed in butter. enjoy.
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