Pork Apricot A La Creme Food

PORK CUTLETS A LA CREME

Steps:

• Pound pork cutlets to about 1/8" thick.
• Cut each into 2 or 3 pieces and set aside.
• Beat egg and water with a fork in a pie plate.
• Combine flour, salt and pepper.
• Dip cutlets in egg mixture and then into flour mixture, coating both sides.
• Melt 2 T butter or margarine in a large skillet.
• Cook cutlet pieces, a few at a time, until brown on both sides, adding more butter as needed.
• Remove cutlets to a warm platter.
• Into the same skillet, over medium heat, stir in half and half, wine, and bouillon, scraping brown bits from bottom of skillet.
• Cook and stir 3 minutes until thickened and flavors are blended.
• Pour sauce over cutlets and sprinkle with parsley.

PORK WITH APRICOT SAUCE

Steps:

• Place tenderloins on a rack in a shallow roasting pan. Bake, uncovered, at 450° for 30-35 minutes or until a thermometer reads 160°. Meanwhile, in a saucepan, combine the remaining ingredients. Cook and stir until heated through., Slice the pork; serve 1-1/2 pounds with the apricot sauce. Refrigerate or freeze remaining pork for another use.

PORK RIB ROAST WITH CRANBERRY-APRICOT STUFFING

Steps:

• Warm the cognac and water in a small saucepan, add the cranberries and apricots, and set aside until plump, about 10 minutes. In a small food processor, pulse the fruit and any unabsorbed liquid with the almonds, shallot, butter, fennel seeds, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and pepper, to taste, until the fruit and nuts are coarsely chopped.
• With a boning knife or other long, thin knife, make a cut 3 inches across in the center of one end of the roast. Gently push and work the blade in and straight through the roast to the other end. (If your knife isn¿t long enough, make a cut at either end and work your way to the center, making sure that the cuts meet.) Insert the narrow end of a wooden spoon into the opening to widen it a bit all the way through. Push the stuffing into the loin, working first from 1 end and then the other, filling to the center.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Pat the loin dry and season all over with salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a large ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Add the roast, holding the bones up so that the bottom gets well browned, then turn the roast to brown the meaty side, about 6 minutes total. Transfer the skillet to the oven and roast the pork meat side down for 30 minutes. Turn the roast over so it sits on the bones and roast until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center of the meat registers 155 degrees F, about 1 hour more. Transfer the roast to a carving board, tent loosely with foil, and let it rest for 10 minutes before carving.
• Whisk the creme fraiche or sour cream with the mustard in a small bowl and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Slice roast between the bones to make individual chops, arrange them on a platter, and serve, passing the mustard sauce.
• Know-How: Roasting meat on the bone keeps meat moist and improves its flavor. Pan-searing before roasting is the way to get a great burnished crust on lean meats that would otherwise dry out if left to brown solely in the oven.

GRILLED PORK TENDERLOIN AND APRICOT-SERRANO SALSA

Steps:

• For the pork tenderloin: Mix the honey, balsamic vinegar, ancho chile and garlic together in a large resealable plastic bag. Season the tenderloin with salt and pepper. Place the tenderloin in the bag and squeeze out as much air as possible before sealing. Place the bag in the refrigerator and marinate for at least 1 hour and up to 24 hours.
• For the apricot-serrano salsa: In a bowl, combine the apricot, cilantro, lime juice, serrano and onion. Season the salsa with salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate.
• Prepare a grill for medium-high heat.
• The key to grilling a pork tenderloin evenly is to roll it to each of its 4 sides while cooking. Grill the tenderloin on the first side for about 5 minutes (times vary per grill, so be careful not to over-char). Roll the tenderloin onto the next side and grill for another 5 minutes. Repeat on all 4 sides, 5 minutes per side, until an instant-read thermometer registers around 150 degrees F. Allow the tenderloin to rest on a platter for about 10 minutes before you slice it, to allow the juices to redistribute. Serve with the apricot-serrano salsa and enjoy!

PORK APRICOT A LA CREME

Steps:

• Dip the strips of pork into seasoned flour. Fry onions in butter and add the pork strips. Add mushrooms, bay leaf, grape juice or wine and put the lid on the pan and simmer for 20 minutes. When cooked, add orange rind and chopped apricots and bring back to simmering temperature. Allow to cool slightly and stir in double cream. Serve on a bed of boiled rice.

PORK WITH SPICED APRICOTS

Steps:

• Heat the grill to medium and put the pork steaks on to a large baking tray lined with foil to catch the juices. Brush with a little oil and season to taste. Arrange the apricots around the pork, cut side up. Dot the apricots with the butter, then sprinkle with the chilli and sugar.
• Grill for 15 mins, turning the pork over half way through, until cooked and golden and the apricots are soft and sticky, but still holding their shape. Serve the apricots alongside the pork, drizzled with any sticky juices - great with vegetables and mash.

NORMANDY PORK WITH APPLES & CIDER

Steps:

• Heat half the oil in a large pan and brown the meat in batches. Don't overcrowd the pan, and only turn the meat when it has a deep brown crust on the underside, as this will add lots of flavour to the stew. When one batch is cooked, tip it into the slow cooker and continue with the next batch, adding more oil as you need it.
• When all the meat has been transferred to the slow cooker, add the onion, carrots and celery to the pan and cook for 5-10 mins to just soften, scraping any meaty bits up from the bottom of the pan. Tip the veg into the slow cooker. Add the lardons to the pan and fry until crispy. Pour in the cider, bubble for 1 min, again scraping the bottom of the pan, then tip the cider and lardons into the slow cooker too. Add the apples, stock cube and herbs to the slow cooker, pour in 400ml water, season well and turn the heat to Low. Cover with the lid and cook for 6-8 hrs until the meat is very tender. (If you don't have a slow cooker, tip all the ingredients back into the pan, cover with a lid and cook for 3 hrs over a low heat, stirring every now and then to prevent it from catching on the bottom. You may have to add a splash of water during cooking if the sauce looks dry.)
• Turn your slow cooker up to High. Add the crème fraîche and mustard to the stew and check the seasoning. If the sauce is thin, you can thicken it with the cornflour - ladle 2 spoonfuls of the sauce into a pan and bring to a simmer, mix the cornflour with 1-2 tsp cold water to make a paste, then stir it into the sauce. Once thickened, return the sauce to the slow cooker and cook for 10 mins more on High, stirring occasionally (or for 5 mins on the hob). Serve with mashed potato, greens and extra mustard and thyme, if you like.

COEUR A LA CREME WITH APRICOT SAUCE

Steps:

• LA CREME: In a large bowl combine well the cream cheese, ricotta, salt, sugar, lemon peel and vanilla. Fold in the heavy cream which has been beaten until soft peaks have formed.
• Wet cheese cloth and squeeze out excess moisture. Line mold or molds with a double thickness of cheese cloth, cut large enough to fold back over filled mold.
• Spoon cheese mixture into mold and fold the cheese cloth over the top. Place mold on a rack over a pan. Let it drain overnight in the refrigerator.
• APRICOT SAUCE: Place apricots and vanilla bean in a saucepan with just enough boiling water to cover them. Let stand for 30 minutes.
• Add the sugar and simmer the apricots for 40 minutes, stirring frequently, or until soft. Drain the fruits, discarding the vanilla bean and reserving the liquid, and transfer the fruits to a serving dish.
• Add the cherries and Angelica to the liquid. Reduce cooking liquid until it is syrupy. Stir in the Galliano and lemon juice.
• Pour hot syrup over fruit. Let cool, then chill covered until ready to serve.
• TO SERVE: unwrap, invert, and unmold the La Creme onto a plate and spoon Apricot Sauce over the top.