April 10th, 2006 by admin

The secret - Lemon Zest

Pork Roasts can be one of the simplest things to prepare for a
dinner party.  Buy a chunk of meat.  Bore a hole in the middle.  Stuff
some herbs such as rosemary, thyme and garlic inside and throw it in
the oven.  Even the last issue of Saveur noted for its outstanding
recipes gave a version similar to this traditional recipe in their last
issue.

There is nothing wrong with tradition, but sometimes it lacks the
umpf needed for a dinner party.  Last week I hosted a dinner party and
served a bone-in pork roast that was as Emeril might say, "Kicked up a notch."

I followed the tradition to a tee.  I bought a 8 ribbed pork roast.
Bored a half inch hole through the center and stuffed it with herbs.
However, in addition to the rosemary, sage, and garlic I added the zest
of one lemon.  That one little addition was all it took to infuse the
roast with a multidimensional tang that had all my guests wondering.

The only other thing I did to prepare the roast was rub the outside
with olive oil, salt, and pepper.  I then seared the meat in a 475
degree oven for 30 minutes at which time I reduced the temperature to
350 degrees while the meat roasted for another hour.

After letting the meat rest in tinfoil for 15 minutes I served it
promptly with a Black Cherry, Pinot Noir Reduction Sauce.  The sauce
was awesome, but I can honestly say the meat did not need it.  The
Lemon Zest addition carried the course on its own.

By Drew Hendricks