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Homemade Gravlax with Brown Bread Toasts and Mustard-Dill Sauce
Crispy Pork Loin with Caramelized Figs and Fennel
Truffled Creamy Polenta
Pan-Sauté of Green Peas and Haricots Verts
Ginger-Caramelized Pears with Vanilla Crème Fraiche
About the Class
Maybe it's the frigid weather, but all of a sudden people are asking me for MEAT classes. I've taught a number of chicken classes recently as most people like and eat chicken and there are so many fabulous ways to prepare it. However, it's become clear that a substantial number of you want a meat- from 4-footed-animals menu. So here goes. Hoping many of you can come for a pork roast feast on February 25. The fig-and-fennel veggie dish is a good recipe to know as it is also divine with duck, chicken or a white fish such as cod or halibut.
There is a homemade gravlax first course and lots of delicious sides (including the caramelized figs and fennel that accompany the pork) so even those of you who don't eat pork will not go away hungry.
A number of friends say that this gravlax is their favorite of all my recipes. It's certainly one of the easiest. For those of you unfamiliar with gravlax, it is similar to smoked salmon but salt-and-sugar-cured rather than smoke-cured, a bit less salty and --in my way of thinking--a bit more refined. And when made at home it's infinitely less expensive. The recipe requires nothing but refrigerating very fresh salmon fillet for a couple of days after smothering it in salt, sugar, spices and abundant fresh dill. I serve it as an hors d'oeuvre, elegant starter (as here in class), sandwich filling, brunch fare, or as a light main course. Dark or rye bread and a mustard-dill sauce are the traditional accompaniments. Sometimes, however, I present the exquisite salmon as a one-man show, uncommonly offering it with nothing but cracked pepper and a drizzle of lemon juice or champagne vinegar.
Another bonus is that once cured, it will keep at least two weeks in the fridge. I make a whole side of salmon (about 3 pounds) at a once, serving and eating it over time.
The centerpiece heritage pork roast is juicy and succulent (none of that pork as white meat diet food pork for me) on the inside and crispy on the outside. For extra flavor, I cook and serve it on the bone, essentially a rack of loin chops, sliced after roasting. Although I love a pork roast served with the classic prunes and apricots alongside, I find caramelized fennel and figs (fresh in the summer, dried in the winter) even better.
Truffle-y polenta is especially delicious when merging with the pork and veggies juices. And a green pea and bean saute balances out the plate providing a fresh brightness of both flavor and color.
The pears in the (again super easy) delicious cold weather dessert are somewhat of a cross between poached and roasted. They have the tender lushness but, unlike normal poached pears, are golden-caramelized on the outside. And lots of rich, thick ginger-caramel-ly syrup only ups the ante. I usually serve them simply with vanilla creme fraiche but sometimes gild the lily by placing them on top of toasted pound cake. Occasionally I arrange the cooked pears in a prebaked pie shell and serve a la mode. If you aren't a ginger fan, replace the fresh ginger with a halved vanilla bean. The result is equally delicious, just a bit less unexpected.