pork loin braised in milk

we made this roast for the priests in our parish whom my dw cooks for. they raved about it. the pork is simmered in milk until the meat is tender and the milk reduced to a caramelized sauce.

one 2 1/2-3 lb bonelss pork loin roast
4 garlic cloves, peeled
1 tbls fresh sage, finely chopped, or 1 tsp dried sage
1/2 tsp fennel seeds, lightly crushed
coarse sale and freshly ground black pepper
2 tbls extra virgin olive oil (regular oil will also do)
1 tbl unsalted butter
1 1/4 cups whole milk
1/2 lemon

if the pork has a thick layer of fat on the surface, trim some, but not all of it away. tie the pork with kitchen string so it is in a neat log shape.

cut 3 of the garlic cloves into slivers. smash the fourth and set it aside. put the garlic slivers in a small bowl, add the sage, fennel, 1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp black pepper and toss the garlic to coat in the seasonings. with a small knife, poke 1 inch deep incisions all over the pork, about 1 1/2 inches apart. stuff each hole with a seasoned garlic sliver and rub any leftover seasoning over the surfact of the portk. you can season the pork 12 houtrs ahead. cover and refrigerate until ready to braise.

browning the pork - heat the oven to 275 degrees. choose a heavy duthch oven that will hold the pork without too much extra space. add the oil and butter and heat over medium high heat. when the butter stops foaming add the pork and brown it on all sides, about 12 to 16 minutes total. if, at any time, the butter shows signs of burning, lower the heat. transfer the pork to a plate after browning.

if there is excess fat in the pan, pour off all but about 1 to 2 tbls. return the pot to medium high heat and add the smashed garlic clove. stir and heat until fragrant and just beginning to brown, about 40 seconds. gradually pour in the milk, taking care that it doesn't foam up and spill over. bring to a boil, lower to a simmer and stir one or twice with a wooden spoon to scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot. return the pork to the pot, along iwth any juices from the plant. cover with the lid and slide into the lower third of the oven to braise gently. 10 to 15 minuites in to the braise, lift the lid to check that the liquid is not boiling too vigorously. if it is, lower the oven temperature `10 to 15 degrees.

after 45 minutes, turn the pork with tongs. the milk will have separated and begun to take on an ivory color. set the lid slightly ajar to allow steam to escape, so that the milk will begin reducing to a concentrated sauce and the pork continues braising. continue the gentle braising with the lid ajar and occasionally basting with a soupspoon until it reaches an internal temperature of 150 degrees, 35 to 40 minutes more. transfer to a carving board with a channel which would catch the juices and cover loosely with a foil to keep warm.

while the meat rests, tilt the pot and spoon off the better part of the clear fat that sits on the surface of the curdled milk sauce. don't worry about getting everyt last but. turn the heat to high and boil the sauce to reduce it and concentrate the flavor. stir with a wooden sppon, scraping up any bits stuck to the sides and bottom of the pot. if the liquid in the pan is thin and watery, you may need to boil if tor 10 to 12 minutes. when the sauce is ready, it will be a light caramel color and resemble a loose broken custard.if, however, after only a few minutes theres very little liquid and mostly milk curds, stir in a few tablespoons of cold water and return to a simmer. taste for salt and pepper. the sauce shoul;d be a little on the salty side, and add one of two drops of lemon juiice.

remove the strings from the pork. pour any uices from the meat into the sauce and stir in. slice the pork into slices about 1/4 inch thick and serve with sauce spooned on top

if you are put off by the curdled appearance of the sauce, just before serving, put the finished sauce in a blender with a few drops of heavy cream. blend until completely smooth.

for the priests i made the braised cabbage recipe which i posted earlier.

i really enjoy using recipes from this book. i never really cooked this way but i find that no matter what i cook the tasted is much more intense that other meethods of cooking.

hope you get to try this..