CROWN ROAST OF PORK

CROWN ROAST OF PORK image

Yield 12-14 people

Number Of Ingredients 20

Ingredients

1 large onion, peeled and quartered
4 cloves garlic, peeled
4 sprigs fresh thyme
1 sprig fresh marjoram (optional)
2 carrots, peeled and sliced
2 ribs celery, thinly sliced
½ cup sliced fresh fennel fronds
1 bay leaf
1 crown roast of pork (12-14 chops), "Frenched" by butcher
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil mixed with 2 cloves garlic put through a press
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
2 teaspoons dried thyme
1 cup water
½ teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon red wine vinegar or Sherry vinegar
¾ cups dry white wine
1 cup chicken or pork stock
¼ cup freshly squeezed orange juice
Pinch of cayenne pepper or several drops Tabasco Sauce
3 tablespoons finely minced fresh flat-leaf parsley

Steps:

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Strew onions, garlic, thyme, marjoram, carrots, celery, fennel and bay leaf across bottom of large roasting pan. Place a rack over the vegetables and place pork roast on top. 2. Paint roast and vegetables with garlic oil and season everything with salt, pepper and dried thyme. 3. Cover bare ends of rib bones with small pieces of aluminum foil to prevent burning, and roast in middle of oven for 20 minutes. 4. Lower oven temperature to 350 degrees, and pour water into bottom of pan. Roast until instant-read thermometer reads 140 degrees when stuck into thickest part of meat, 1-1½ hours more. 5. When roast is done, transfer it to a platter or cutting board and cover loosely with foil to keep warm. Roast must rest at least 20 minutes before cutting. 6. While meat rests, skim any visible fat from drippings. Place pan on stove over medium heat. Add sugar, vinegar and wine and bring to a boil while deglazing pan. After 2-3 minutes, add stock, juice and cayenne or Tabasco. Simmer, stirring frequently and mashing vegetables into liquid until a sauce forms, 5-10 minutes. Strain sauce through a coarse sieve (if a smooth sauce is desired) into a sauceboat, add parsley and season with salt and pepper. Keep sauce warm until ready to serve. 7. To serve, spoon cabbage into center of crown roast, sprinkle with remaining herbs (from cabbage recipe) and bring to table. Cut roast between bones, one chop per person. Spoon a portion of cabbage onto each plate alongside meat. Spoon a tablespoon or two of sauce over each chop and pass remaining sauce in sauceboat.