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ROTI OF PORC AUX PRUNEAUX
(Roast Pork with Prunes) _________________________________________ “Usually served as a ragout, chunks of pork are cooked with the prunes in a sauce made with white wine and finished with a little heavy cream. I have taken the components and flavour combinations of a simple pork ragout and rearranged them in an elegant main course for a dinner party. Instead of chunks of port, prunes, and a sauce all cooked together, I serve a port roast accompanied with prunes and white raisins poached in a full-bodied red wine. The poaching liquid is then used to make a light but intensely flavored sauce.” 2 1/2 pounds boned* port roast (centre cut rib section, 8 ribs) 1/4 teaspoon salt* 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground pepper* 1/2 teaspoon thyme* 1 bay leaf, crumbled 2 onions, quartered 3 large carrots, thickly sliced 6 tablespoons butter 1 1/2 pounds pitted prunes* 1/2 cup white raisins 1 bottle dry red wine, such as a Cotes-du-Rhone 1 cup beef stock, homemade or canned 1 1/2 teaspoons arrowroot, potato starch, or cornstarch, dissolved in 1 1/2 teaspoons cold water 2 tablespoons port Preheat oven to 475 degrees Celsius. Season the roast with the salt, pepper, thyme, and bay leaf. Place in a roasting pan with the vegetables. In a small saucepan, heat 4 tablespoons of the butter and pour over the roast. Place in the oven and reduce the temperature to 425 degrees Celsius. Roast until the juices run clear, about 1 hour and 10 minutes. White the pork is roasting, combine the prunes, raisins, wine, and stock in a medium saucepan. Cover and simmer over medium heat until the prunes are tender,a bout 30 minutes. Drain the fruit, reserving the poaching liquid. Return about 1/4 cup of the poaching liquid to the fruit. Set the fruit and any remaining poaching liquid aside. When the roast is done, remove it from the pan and allow it to stand 10 to 15 minutes before carving. Drain the fat from the roasting pan. Deglaze the pan, vegetables and bones (if used), by adding the reserved poaching liquid and stirring over high heat to loosen the caramelized bits. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a saucepan. (Reserve carrots and onions if you wish to serve them.) Bring the sauce to a boil and add the dissolved arrowroot to thicken it slightly. If the sauce is too thick, add a little water to thin it; if too thin, boil to reduce and thicken it. Season with salt and pepper to taste and stir in the port. Just before serving, beat in the remaining 2 tablespoons butter, 1 tablespoon at a time. Do not allow the sauce to boil once the butter has been added. To serve slice the roast and arrange it on a platter. (When slicing the roast, I always leave a small piece--2 to 3 inches--unsliced. Paced at one end of the platter and followed by the overlapping slices, this makes an attractive presentation.) Surround it with the prunes and raisins. The carrots and onions from the roasting pan may be mixed with the fruit. Spoon some sauce over the meat and fruit and serve the remaining sauce separately. *The roast should be tied like a fillet of beef in one long roast. I have seen butchers in some parts of the country who will cut the roast in half and tie the two pieces together to form a short, thick roast that takes twice as long to cook. If the roast is not boned, add 20 minutes to the roasting time. Serves 6 to 8 From: ‘At Home With The French Classics” * * Available in-store. |
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