Let the good times roll
How to stuff a boneless pork loin for a stunning Christmas roast
My penchant for tucking recipe notes, menus and snapshots into my cookbook pays off in dividends later. Searching for ideas for holiday meals, I discovered a menu I cooked for college friends: pistachio-stuffed pork with Brussels sprouts and homemade grapefruit sorbet for dessert.
Madeleine Kamman’s 1976 gastronomic memoir, “When French Women Cook,” inspired the meal. Early in my career, I took classes with Kamman in Chicago and in her home in Annecy, France. I remain a fan of her terse, academic style. I can hear her French-accented instructions with every recipe; I’m a better cook when I listen to her.
This year, I’ll make a tribute version of her stuffed pork. Tribute, because pork has changed so much since she wrote the original recipe. Because today’s pork is far leaner and therefore easy to overcook into dryness, the cooking time is almost half of Kamman’s recommendation. Older cookbooks call for higher temperatures, but today the National Pork Board recommends a finished internal temperature between 145 and 160 degrees.
A boneless pork loin makes a beautiful holiday presentation and delivers a light pork flavor. The stuffing of mild sausage and salty pistachio nuts pleases everyone. Kamman combines black pepper with sweet spices to season the filling and the exterior. Be sure the butcher leaves about 1⁄4 inch of fat on the top of the roast to help retain moisture.
As a foil to the warm spices, I’ll add some spicy heat to our cooked cranberry relish. A little smoky chipotle chile adds a savory element that pairs great with the roast loin. Just add the chile cautiously, so the tart cranberry remains the star.
An electric carving knife proves the key to successful roast carving. I’m lucky. Mine is a gift from my new son-in-law. Welcome to the family and to many holiday meals together — savory and spicy.