Recipe: Crown Roast of Pork with Dirty Rice Stuffing and Creole Mustard Sauce for Memory

Hi Memory :-) I found this recipe from an April Gourmet magazine for you. Some people who have made this said they used Italian sausage in the stuffing rather than the giblets. This seems like a good alternative if you don't care for giblets. Make the stuffing the day before to cut down on preparation time the day you plan to serve it.

CROWN ROAST OF PORK WITH DIRTY RICE STUFFING AND CREOLE MUSTARD SAUCE

2 teaspoons dried thyme
2 teaspoons salt
1 tablespoons vegetable oil
a 12-rib crown roast of fresh pork (about 6 3/4 pounds)
dirty rice stuffing (recipe follows)
1/4 cup dry white wine
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/3 cup Creole mustard (available at many
specialty foods shops)
flat-leafed parsley sprigs for garnish
cherry tomatoes for garnish

In a small bowl combine well the thyme, the salt, pepper to taste, and the oil and rub the mixture all over the pork, patted dry. Arrange the pork on an oiled round of heavy-duty foil slightly larger than the bottom of the pork in the middle of a lightly oiled shallow roasting pan and fill the center of the crown with some of the stuffing, mounding it. Roast the stuffed pork, the stuffing covered with another oiled round of foil, in a preheated 450 F. oven for 20 minutes, reduce the heat to 325 F., and roast the stuffed pork for 2 1/4 hours more, or until a meat thermometer registers 160 F., or for 2 1/2 hours more, or until a meat thermometer registers 170 F., for well-done meat. In a 2-quart shallow baking dish bake the remaining stuffing in the 325 F. oven during the last 30 minutes of the pork's roasting time. Transfer the pork to a platter and let it stand for 15 minutes.

While the pork is standing add the wine to the roasting pan, deglaze the pan over moderately high heat, scraping up the brown bits, and strain the mixture through a fine sieve into a small saucepan. Add 1/2 cup water and boil the mixture until it is reduced to about 2/3 cup. Add the cream, boil the mixture, stirring, until it is reduced to about 3/4 cup, and whisk in the mustard and salt and pepper to taste. Discard the foil from the stuffing, arrange the parsley and the tomatoes decoratively around the pork, and serve the pork with the mustard sauce and the remaining stuffing.

Serves 6.

Gourmet
April 1991

DIRTY RICE STUFFING

1 1/2 cups short-grain rice (available at Asian
markets and some supermarkets)
1 pound chicken giblets including the livers
2 cups chicken broth
1 parsley sprig
1/2 teaspoon black peppercorns
2 onions
3 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 rib of celery, chopped
1/2 cup thinly sliced scallion greens
cayenne to taste

In a heavy saucepan combine the rice, 2 1/2 cups cold water, and salt to taste. Bring the water to a boil, reduce the heat to low, and cook the rice, covered, for 15 minutes, or until it is tender and the water is absorbed.

In another heavy saucepan combine the giblets, the broth, 2 cups water, the parsley, the peppercorns, 1 of the onions, halved, and salt to taste, bring the mixture to a boil, and simmer it for 8 to 10 minutes, or until the livers are just cooked through. Transfer the livers with a slotted spoon to a bowl, simmer the mixture for 30 minutes more, and strain the stock through a fine sieve into another bowl, reserving the giblets with the livers. Let the giblets cool, trim the kidneys, and remove the meat from the necks, discarding the skin and bones. Chop the giblets including the livers and return them to their bowl.

In a heavy skillet, preferably cast-iron, combine the oil and the flour and cook the roux over moderately low heat, stirring constantly with a metal spatula, for 30 minutes, or until it is the color of milk chocolate. Add the remaining onion, chopped, the bell pepper, and the celery and cook the mixture, stirring, until the vegetables are softened. Add the giblet stock, simmer the gravy for 30 minutes, and stir in the giblets. The rice and the giblet gravy may be made 1 day in advance and kept covered and chilled. Let the rice return to room temperature before continuing with the stuffing.

In a large bowl combine well the rice, the gravy, the scallion greens, the cayenne, and salt to taste.

Serves 6.

Gourmet
April 1991