Pancetta-Wrapped Pork Roast

I recently started trying out Giada’s recipes, especially for celebrations. This recipe is a very simple preparation, but it  will make your house smell amazing and comes to the table looking very impressive. Please note: that it needs to be prepared at least one hour before you want to start cooking to give the spice rub and pancetta time to set on the pork roast.

If you aren’t familiar with it, pancetta is Italian bacon. It is pork belly that is salt cured and then seasoned with such spices as nutmeg, fennel, peppercorns, dried ground hot peppers and garlic before being dried for at least three months. Traditionally it is cut almost paper-thin and is oh-so-delicious.

You will need:

• 8 large cloves of garlic, peeled
• 1 T fresh rosemary, finely chopped
• 1 T fresh thyme, finely chopped
• 1 T olive oil
• 1 (3.5 – 4 lb) tied boneless pork loin roast
• Salt and pepper
• 8 oz thinly sliced pancetta
• 1 1/2 c chicken broth
• 1 1/2 c dry white wine

Then you will…

1. In a small food processor, blend the garlic with the rosemary, thyme and olive oil, scraping down the sides of the bowl occasionally, until the garlic is minced.
2. Sprinkle the pork roast generously with salt and pepper.
3. Arrange the pancetta slices on a work surface, overlapping slightly and forming a rectangle.
4. Spread half of the garlic mixture over 1 side of the pork and between the two loins that meet in the center of the tied pork roast.
5. Place the pork, garlic mixture side won, in the center of the pancetta rectangle.
6. Spread the remaining garlic mixture over the remaining pork.
7. Wrap the pancetta slices around the pork. Place the pork in a roasting pan. (I placed it on a metal roasting rack in the pan so it could have heat on all sides for crispy pancetta all around. If you have one, go for it; if not, don’t worry!).
8. Cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour and up to 1 day.
9. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
10. Pour 1/2 cup of the broth and a 1/2 cup of the wine into the roasting pan. Add more broth and wine to the pan juices every 20 minutes.
11. Roast the pork until a meat thermometer inserted into the center registers 145 degrees for medium-rarte, about 1 hour.
12. Transfer the pork to a cutting board. Tent with aluminum foil and let stand for 10 minutes.
13. Pour the pan drippings into a glass measuring cup and spoon off any fat that rises to the top (or use a gravy separator).
14. Using a large sharp carving knife, cut the pork into 1/4-inch slices and serve with the pan juices.

Caesar Crusted Sirloin Roast

This recipe comes from Bon Appetit’s December holiday issue. My family swapped out tenderloin for a sirloin roast. We also added several cloves of garlic directly into the roast. It’s a very celebratory dish for special occasions.

You will need:

• 1 (5-lb) sirloin roast, fat trimmed
• Salt
• 4 t  pepper + more for seasoning
• 2/3 c breadcrumbs
• 2/3 c Parmesan, finely grated
• 2/3 c mayonnaise
• 4 anchovy fillets packed in oil, drained, finely chopped
• 4 t Dijon mustard
• 4 t  lemon zest, finely grated
• 2 t Worcestershire sauce
• 5 garlic cloves, divided

Then you will…

1. Season roast lightly with salt and pepper. Quarter 3 of the garlic cloves and insert into roast. Wrap in plastic; refrigerate overnight.
2. Uncover roast; let stand at room temperature for at least 2 hours.
3. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Set a rack inside a rimmed baking sheet. Transfer roast to rack.
4. Pulse 4 teaspoons  pepper and remaining ingredients in a small food processor until well blended. Generously and evenly spread and pack Parmesan mixture around top and sides of the roast.
5. Roast until crust is golden brown and an instant-read thermometer inserted into thickest part registers 110°-115° for rare and 120°-125° for medium-rare, 90 – 110 minutes.
6. Transfer to a carving board. Let rest for 20 minutes. Cut into 1/2″-thick slices, taking care not to lose too much of the delicate crust.

Herb Paprika Roast Turkey

This is a relatively straightforward way to make a turkey. Enjoy!

You will need:

• 1 stick of butter at room temperature + 1/4 c butter, melted
• 1/4 c fresh sage, finely chopped
• 3 T fresh rosemary, chopped
• 2 lemons, zested and halved
• 1 t paprika
• Salt and pepper
• 1 turkey

Then you will…

1. Mix together the room temperature stick of butter with the sage, zest and paprika. Allow to chill until slightly hardened and easy to work with.
2. Clean your turkey, rinsing with cold water. Pat dry.
3. Rub half of the compound sage butter under the turkey’s skin. Rub the other half on top.
4. Season the bird liberally with salt and pepper.
5. Stuff the lemon halves in the cavity and any extra fresh herbs.
6. Preheat oven to 375 degrees and add 1/4-inch of hot water to your roasting pan.
7. Bake the turkey for one hour, basting every 20-25 minutes.
8. Turn the heat down to 325 degrees and continue baking. Add the remaining butter to the bottom of the pan to assist in the basting.
9. Your turkey is done when the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees. For an 18 lb bird, that would be roughly another 2 1/2 hours longer.
10. Allow your turkey to rest out of the oven for 15 minutes before carving.

Maple Walnut Apple Pie

Tired of traditional apple pie? Try this one on for size! You get to add in gooey maple syrup and roasted walnuts for a fun twist on a classic.

You will need:

• 2 pie crusts
• 8 apples, peeled and cored and sliced into 1/4-inch slices
• 1/4 c maple syrup
• 1/2 c walnuts, toasted and chopped
• 2 T flour
• 3 t cinnamon
• 1/4 t ginger
• 1/2 t nutmeg
• 4 T sugar, divided
• 1 T butter, cut into small cubes
• 1 egg, beaten

Then you will…

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly coat a 9-inch pie plate with non-stick cooking spray.
2. Line pie plate with one of the crusts.
3. In a large mixing bowl, combine the apples, maple syrup, walnuts, flour, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and 3 T sugar.
4. Spoon the apple mixture into the pie crust. Dot the apples with the cut butter.
5. Lay the second crust on top of the apples, cutting in several places to vent.
6. Press the edges of the top and bottom crust together.
7. In a small cup, combine the egg with a splash of water to create an egg wash.
8. Brush the top of the pie with the egg wash and sprinkle with the remaining tablespoon of sugar.

Caramel Pumpkin Flan

This recipe comes from Bon Appetit. The flan here is something that takes the best part of pumpkin pie and mixes it with the creamy texture of cheesecake. Try this out when you want to impress, because there is plenty to share and looks extra fancy.

You will need:

• 1 c sugar
• 1/3 c water
• 1 can (15 oz) pure pumpkin
• 1 can (14 oz) fat-free sweetened condensed milk
• 2 T (packed) brown sugar
• 2 t cinnamon
• 1 1/2 t ginger
• 1/2 t allspice
• 1/4 t ground cloves
• 4 eggs
• 4 egg yolks
• 2 c heavy whipping cream
• 2 t vanilla

Then you will…

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
2. Combine sugar and water in small saucepan. Stir over medium-low heat until sugar dissolves.
3. Increase heat and bring to boil, brushing down sides of pan with wet pastry brush. Boil without stirring until syrup is deep amber color, occasionally brushing down sides and swirling pan, about 12 minutes.
4. Immediately pour caramel into 7- to 8-cup soufflé dish (7.5 x 3.5 inches), tilting and rotating dish to coat bottom and 2 inches up sides thickly. Place dish in 13x9x2-inch baking pan.
5. Whisk pumpkin, condensed milk, sugar, and spices in large bowl to blend.
6. Whisk in eggs and yolks, then cream and vanilla. Pour custard into prepared dish.
7. Pour enough hot water into baking pan to come 1.5 inches up sides of dish.
8. Bake flan until deep brown on top and firmly set in center and blade of small sharp knife inserted into center comes out clean, about 2 hours 10 minutes.
9. Remove flan from water; cool 1 hour. Refrigerate uncovered until very cold, at least 6 hours. (Can be made 2 days ahead. Cover and keep refrigerated.)
10. Cut around flan to loosen. Place platter on flan dish. Holding platter and flan dish together, invert, allowing flan to settle onto platter.
11. Scrape out any caramel syrup remaining in dish and drizzle over flan.

Chocolate-Almond Flourless Cake

With some friends in town for a visit, I decided to make something fun for dessert. This is a great recipe when you want to put a little extra effort in (but not too much!) to make others as happy as they make you.  Plus it’s chocolate. Always a good call.

You will need:

• 2/3 c sliced almonds
• 12 T butter, diced
• 8 oz bittersweet chocolate, chopped
• 2 T breadcrumbs
• 3/4 c sugar
• 3 large eggs, separated plus 3 egg yolks
• Zest of 1 clementine
• 1 T liquor (I used cherry; try dark rum, kahlua, etc.)
• 1/2 t salt
• Whipped Cream

Then you…

1. Preheat the oven to 350. Use non-stick cooking spray to lightly grease the bottom and sides of a 9-inch springform pan. Dust the pan with the bread crumbs, and tap out the excess crumbs. Place pan on a baking sheet.
2. Spread the almonds on a second baking sheet and toast 6-7 minutes, or until lightly golden brown. You should be able to smell them as they are just about done! Allow to cook several minutes, and then pulse in a food processor until finely ground. Do not over pulse, or they will become pasty.
3. Set a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water; do not let the bowl touch the simmering water (you want to melt via indirect heat). Melt the butter and chocolate in the bowl, stirring until smooth. Remove chocolate mixture from the heat and cool slightly.
4. Set aside 2 T of the sugar.
5. In a large bowl, combine the 6 egg yolks and the remaining sugar with an electric or stand mixer. Beat on medium-high until thick and pale, roughly 3 minutes.
6. Mix in the clementine zest, liquor, and salt. Slowly beat in the melted chocolate until smooth. Stir in the ground almonds until just combined.
7. In another bowl, beat the 3 egg whites with a mixer on medium-high to high until foamy. Gradually beat in the reserved 2 T of sugar on high speed until you almost have stiff peaks.
8. Stir 1/3 of the meringue into the batter; gently fold in the remaining whites.
9. Spread the batter in the prepared pan and bake until the top is firm and cracked (a toothpick in the center will be fudgy), 35-40 minutes.
10. Cool on a rack 15 minutes. Run a knife around the edges gently and remove the ring.
11. Serve warm or at room temperature. Best with a little whipped cream!

Nantucket Cranberry Pie

Back around Thanksgiving, I couldn’t help myself and bought quite a few bags of fresh cranberries. Call it a tribute to growing up in New England. Of course I didn’t manage to use them all up (mostly because I wasn’t the host of Thanksgiving dinner this year), so I froze a number of the bags. Then I stumbled on a recipe for “Nantucket Cranberry Pie” by Pioneer Woman. Cranberries? In a pie that’s really not very much like a pie? That’s from Nantucket???! How could I not try it?  Behold my slightly adapted variation!

You will need:

• Margarine, softened for greasing
• 2 c cranberries, heaping
• 3/4 c walnuts, chopped (or pecans)
• 1 2/3 c sugar, divided (well, cranberries are tart!)
• 1 c flour
• 1 stick margarine, melted
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1/2 t almond extract
• 1/2 t vanilla extract
• 1/4 t salt
• T sugar for sprinkling

Then you…

1. Preheat the oven to 350. Generously grease a pie plate (or cake pan) with softened margarine.
2. Dump the cranberries in the pan and try to even them out.
3. Sprinkle them with the chopped nuts and then 2/3 c of the sugar.
4. In a medium mixing bowl, combine the flour, 1 c sugar, melted butter, eggs, almond extract, vanilla extract and salt. Stir gently to combine.
5. Pour batter over the top. Use large “ribbons” of batter to evenly cover the surface. Spread gently, if needed.
6. Bake 45-50 minutes.  5 minutes before removing from the oven, sprinkle the surface of the pie with the last tablespoon of sugar. Enjoy!

Candy Cane Whoopie Pies

 

Mmm candy canes and chocolate.  Mmm whoopie pies with buttercream filling.  I made this as a test before a work holiday party. They didn’t even last through the weekend. Numerous taste testers agreed that these rock! They are not full of knock-your-socks-off peppermint kick, but they are a nice twist on the holiday treat. These will keep for about 3 days in an airtight container on your counter, your fridge for about a week, or freeze them for up to 2 weeks. The recipe below makes about a dozen sandwiches, and if you bake them on parchment paper, your life will be much easier.

You will need:

• 1 3/4 c all-purpose flour
• 1/2 c unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/4 t salt
• 1 c sugar
• 1 1/2 c (3 sticks) unsalted butter at room temperature, divided
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 c plus 2 T powdered sugar
• 3/4 t peppermint extract
• 6 drops red food coloring (optional)
• 1/2 c crushed candy canes (about 4 oz.)

Then you…

1. Combine the flour, cocoa and salt in a medium bowl.
2. Cream together the 1 c regular sugar with 1 1/2 sticks softened butter until well blended.
3. Beat in the egg.
4. Add the flour mixture and beat until blended.
5. Make a ball out of the dough; wrap in plastic. Refrigerate dough for 1 hour.
6. Preheat oven to 350. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper (it will really save time and prevent messes!).
7. Scoop out dough by the tablespoonful; roll into a ball.
8. Flatten each ball using the bottom of a measuring cup or cocktail glass, until it is about 2-inches round.
9. Place cookie discs about an inch apart to bake. Bake for 11 minutes or until the dough does not look wet and a small indentation appears when you lightly press the top with your finger. They will continue to set as they cool, so do not overbake!
10. Cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
11. Cream together the powdered sugar and the remained 1 1/2 sticks of butter. Blend in the peppermint extract. Blend in the food coloring (if using).
12. Stir in several handfuls of the crushed candy cane.
13. Generously spread the filling on the flat side of one cookie; top with another cookie and press together gently.
14. Roll the edges of the filled whoopie pie on the crushed candy cane.
15. Repeat!

 

Pumpkin-Chocolate Cookie Bars

This year I am sadly not hosting Thanksgiving dinner at my house. Instead I will be hopping on a 6:00 a.m. flight to the midwest for some family time. Because I’m flying, I opted to pack up some Thanksgiving-inspired cookie bars. You could make these as traditional cookies, but they are fun as little bites too!

You will need:

• 1 c butter or margarine (at room temperature)
• 3/4 c brown sugar
• 1/2 c white sugar
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 c pumpkin puree
• 1/2 t almond extract
• 1/2 t vanilla extract
• 1 t salt
• 1/2 t nutmeg
• 1/2 t cinnamon
• 1/4 t ginger
• 1/4 t ground cloves
• Dash of ground cardamom
• 3/4 c whole wheat flour
• 1 1/4 c all-purpose flour
• 2 c semisweet chocolate chips

Then you…

1. Preheat the oven to 350. Line a 9×13 baking dish with foil and lightly grease with nonstick spray.
2. Cream together the butter and sugars in a large mixing bowl.
3. Beat in the egg, pumpkin puree and the extracts.
4. Stir in the salt, nutmeg, cinnamon, ginger, cloves and cardamom.
5. Mix in the flours just until combined.
6. Gently stir in the chocolate chips.
7. Spread batter in the prepared pan. Bake until fluffy and golden brown, about 40 minutes.
8. Cool on a rack before cutting into squares for serving.

Pumpkin Cheesecake Brownies

Another fall treat. My aunt makes the best cheesecake brownies ever. I won’t even try to compete, but these pumpkin cheesecake brownies “taste like pumpkin pie in a brownie.”  Yumm! Just in time for Thanksgiving…

You will need:

• 4 oz cream cheese, softened
• 3/4 c canned pumpkin puree
• 1 egg
• 3 T sugar
• 1 t cinnamon
• 1/2 t nutmeg
• 1 batch of your favorite brownie batter for an 8×8 or 9×9 pan
• 1 t allspice

Then you…

1. Heat oven to  325. Grease your square pan, line with tin foil, and grease again. This will make it easy to remove the brownie bars from the pan.
2. Whisk together the cream cheese, pumpkin, egg, sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg till all of the pumpkin cheesecake mixture is smooth. Set aside.
3. Prepare your brownie batter according to your favorite recipe or box; stir in the allspice.
4. Spread 3/4 of the brownie batter in your pan.
5. Drop the pumpkin cheesecake on top by the spoonful. Spoon the remain brownie batter over the filling.
6. Use a knife to marble the batters.
7. Bake 45-50 minute or until just setting in the middle. Cool completely before cutting.
8. Store covered in the fridge!