Stuffed Crown Roast of Pork is an elegant choice for your holiday dinner, but surprisingly easy and quick to do.
The hardest part is ordering it from the supermarket and picking it up. Your meat man at the market will tell you how big a roast you will need for the number of people.
The recipe I offer today is based on a 5- to 6-pound roast with about 10 ribs, which is about six to eight servings. Also, if you are unsure how to carve the meat when serving, ask at the market and they will show you.
The mushroom-bread stuffing goes great with the pork, and the apricot preserves glaze is simple — just brush it on out of the jar.
I have a friend that made this for New Year's Day a few years ago. She had never cooked or eaten a crown pork roast. She wrote me later, saying she was intimidated by it, but persevered, and couldn't believe how easy and delicious it was.
She made a few changes by adding thyme as a seasoning, and used her own stuffing recipe. She also made her own chutney by mixing apple pie filling, dried cranberries, and walnuts, and heated it.
Her company was impressed; and she felt like a chef, and hasn't hesitated to make it again.
Stuffed Crown Roast of Pork
Ingredients
1 pork loin crown roast (5-6 pounds, about 10 ribs)
1 teaspoon seasoned salt, or use salt, pepper and garlic powder
Stuffing
1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms
1âÑ2 cup diced celery
1âÑ4 cup butter
3 cups day-old bread cubes (use sturdy bread, not too soft)
1âÑ4 teaspoon salt
1âÑ2 teaspoon black pepper
1âÑ3 cup apricot preserves
Garnish (optional)
1 cup whole fresh cranberries
Fresh curly parsley
Place roast, rib ends up, in a shallow roasting pan; sprinkle with seasoned salt. Cover rib ends with foil. Bake uncovered at 325 degrees for 11âÑ2 hours. Meanwhile, sauté mushrooms and celery in butter until tender. Stir in bread cubes, salt and pepper.
Remove roast from oven and spoon stuffing into the center. Brush sides of roast with preserves. Bake 1 hour longer or until a meat thermometer inserted into meat between ribs reads 160 degrees. Remove foil.
If you want to do a cranberry garnish, string cranberries on a 20-inch piece of thin string or thread. Loop the cranberry string in and out of the rib ends. Place roast on serving platter.
Garnish around bottom with some fresh curly parsley and a few red cranberries.
This makes it look so festive, especially for Christmas.
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Pat Altomare's "Pat's Kitchen" runs weekly in the Friday Life section of The Eagle-Tribune. She invites your questions and comments. E-mail patakitchen@yahoo.com, or write c/o The Eagle-Tribune, 100 Turnpike St., North Andover, MA 01845
