Pork Roast with Green Peppercorn Crust

Pork Loin stays juicy and flavourful under this spicy crust.  Serve with oven roasted potatoes and squash.  From Food and Drink 2001

Roast:

1.5 to 2 kg boneless pork loin roast

1/4 cup butter softened

1/4 cup all purpose flour

1/4 cup Dijon Mustard

2 tbsp mustard seed

2 tbsp dried mustard

2 tbsp coarsely ground green peppercorns

2 tbsp coarsely ground black peppercorns

1 tbsp granulated sugar

1 tbsp dried leaf thyme

Sauce:

1/4 cup all purpose flour

2 1/2 to 2 3/4 cups apple cider or juice

1 1/2 tsp cider vinegar

1 1/2 tsp granulated sugar

1 tsp Dijon mustard

1/2 tsp salt

1. Preheat oven to 325F.  Heat a large frying pan over medium heat until hot.  Add roast, fat side down, then sear on all sides.  Place in roasting pan.  Make a paste with butter, flour, mustards, peppercorns, sugar and thyme.  Spread over top and sides of seared meat.  Roast uncovered for 1 hour and 15 minutes or until meat thermometer reads 155 to 160 F and juices run clear.
2. Place roast on cutting board.  Skim most of the fat from roasting pan and discard.  Place pan over medium heat and sprinkle in flour.  Cook 1 to 2 minutes.  Whisk in cider, vinegar, sugar, mustard and salt.  Simmer 5 minutes or until thickened.  Serve slices of roast drizzled with sauce.

Serves 8

Dark Chocolate Pecan Squares

A simple and yummy dessert

Crust:

1 1/3 cups flour

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup shortening, cold

3-6 tbsp ice water

Filling

1/2 cup semi sweet chocolate chips, melted

2 cups toasted pecans

3 eggs

1/2 cup dark brown sugar, packed

1 tsp vanilla extract

3/4 cup golden corn syrup

1/2 cup semi sweet chocolate chips

1. Crust:  Blend flour and salt in a medium size mixing bowl.  Cut chilled shortening into 1/2” cubes.  Mix in chilled shortening cubes into flour mixture using a pastry blender or two knives until mixture resembles coarse crumbs with some small pea sized pieces remaining.  Sprinkle half of ice water over the flour mixture.  Using a fork, stir and draw flour from bottom of bowl to the top, distributing moisture evenly.  Add remaining water, 1 tbsp at a time until dough is moist enough to hold together.
2. Flatten dough into 1/2” thick round disk.  Wrap in plastic wrap.  Chill in refrigerator for 30 minutes or up to 2 days.
3. Preheat oven to 375F.
4. Roll chilled dough on a lightly floured surface into a 14” square.  Transfer dough into a 9”x9” square baking pan. Trim edges to height of baking dish.  Roll edge under so dough comes 3/4 of the way up the sides of the dish.
5. Filling:  Spread melted chocolate over the bottom of the dough.  Refrigerate to set.  Cover with pecans once cooled.  
6. Whisk together eggs, brown sugar and vanilla in a large bowl.  Whisk in corn syrup.  Stir in chocolate chips.  Pour over pecans.
7. Bake in preheated oven until filling is puffed, about 50 min

Presto Pizza!

Homemade Pizza, doesn't get much better than this!

Crust

1 1/4 cups all purpose flour

1 cup whole wheat flour

1 tbsp baking powder

1 tsp dried oregano

1/4 tsp salt

1 cup milk

1/4 cup butter, melted

Topping

2/3 cup pizza sauce

1 1/2 cups diced vegetables

1/2 cup diced lean ham

1 1/2 cups shredded Mozzarella cheese

1. Place a large baking sheet upside down on middle rack of oven and preheat oven to 425F. Butter 1 or 2 more large baking sheets.
2. Crust:  In a large bowl, combine all purpose and whole wheat flours, baking powder, oregano and salt.  Pour in milk and butter; stir with a fork until soft dough forms.  Turn out onto lightly floured surface and knead a couple of times just until smooth.  Divide into 6 pieces.  Roll or pat 3 pieces into 6 inch circles and place on prepared baking sheet.  
3. Topping:  Spread pizza sauce on each crust, leaving 1/2 inch border.  Sprinkle with ham and vegetables as desired.  Sprinkle with half of the cheese. 
4. Place pizzas on baking sheet on top of hot baking sheet in oven.  Bake for 12 to 15 min or until crust is golden, toppings are hot and cheese is bubbling.  meanwhile repeat with remaining 3 pizzas.  

Mini Apple Pies

These are fussy but fun!

3 cups apple, peeled, cored, finely chopped - about 3 - use a tart apple like a MacIntosh
1/3 cup sugar
1 tbsp all purpose flour
1/2 tsp cinnamon
pastry dough for two single pie crusts

• Preheat the oven to 375 F.  Lightly grease 16 disposable aluminum tart tins, or muffin cups
• In a bowl, stir together the chopped apples, sugar, flour and cinnamon.  Mix well and set aside.
• Working with half of the pastry dough at a time, roll it out quite thinly - thinner than for a full sized pie, making sure you don't get holes or that it is difficult to handle.  With a round cookie cutter, cut out 16 circles of dough.  Repeat with the other half of the dough so you have 32 circles. 
• Gently press the 16 bottom crusts into the prepared tins.  Spoon the apple mixture into the pastry lined tins, heaping the apples up in the middle and keeping the edges clear.
• Place one top crust at a time over the apples in the tin.  Press down firmly around the edges to seal.  With a tiny cookie cutter or wide plastic straw, cut a vent in the middle of each of the top crusts.  
• Arrange filled tins on a baking sheet and bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until the pastry is golden brown and the apples are tender when you poke a toothpick into the middle of the pie.  Allow to cool for 10 minutes, then run a knife around the edge of each tin and remove pies to a rack to cool a few more minutes before serving.

Blueberry Cheesecake

So this is only if you have been REALLY good - there is nothing healthy about it!  But it is delicious

Crust
1 cup graham cracker crumbs
2 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp melted butter

Filling
1/4 cup cold water
1 envelope (1 tbsp) unflavoured gelatin powder
375 g cream cheese, softened
1 cup whipping cream
1 cup sugar
1 tbsp lemon juice
3 cups blueberries, preferably fresh (thawed frozen are ok too)
2/3 cup blueberry jam or preserves
additional fresh blueberries for topping if desired

1. Preheat the oven to 375F.
2. To make the crust:  in a small bowl, stir together the graham cracker crumbs, sugar and melted butter.  Transfer to a 9 inch spring-form pan and press firmly into the bottom the pan in an even layer.  Place in the oven and bake for 8 to 10 minutes or until lightly browned around the edges.  Remove from the oven and let cool completely.
3. For the filling:  measure the water into a small microwave safe bowl and let sit without stirring, for about 10 minutes to let the gelatine soften.  Stir (it will be lumpy, and thats OK), then put into the microwave and zap it on high power for 10 seconds at a time, stirring after each zap, until the gelatine is completely dissolved and the liquid is clear.
4. In a foot processor, or in a large bowl with a hand held stick blender combine the cream cheese, whipping cream, sugar and lemon juice.  Process until smooth.  Add the blueberries and continue to blend until evenly combined (bits of blueberries should be showing, so don't puree the mixture completely).  Drizzle in the gelatine mixture and blend until everything is thoroughly mixed.  Pour into the cooled graham cracker crust.  Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 6 hours or if possible overnight.
5. An hour or two before serving, spread the blueberry jam evenly over the top of the cheese filling and sprinkle with additional fresh blueberries.  Return to the refrigerator and chill for at least 1 hour or longer before serving.

*from Todays Parent Magazine June 2008