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Good Food
Cooking With ViggoMulti-Culti Christmas
By Chef Viggo Anderson
Chef Viggo Anderson |
Some Scandinavians, like myself, get friends and family together for a smorgasboerd, or (for the holidays) Julebord. This is a large buffet that includes 5 or 6 varieties of pickled herring, whole smoked trout and salmon, vegetable salads, ham baked with cloves, boiled eggs with caviar, cured cold-smoked reindeer and liverwurst. Sometimes we include lutefisk (that's when the children decide it's time to clear out), pickled pigs' feet, and other delicacies.
We have an old custom: At dessert a whole almond is hidden in rice pudding. Whoever gets the almond wins a pig molded in marzipan (almond paste), and according to legend, that lucky person will be married the next year.
If you have old-country Christmas traditions handed down from your mom and dad, grandparents or ancestors, please pass them on to the young ones by practicing them every Christmas.
So let's make some food.
Pork Loin Roast with Pear Thyme Sauce
Serves 10
5 lbs. pork loin
3 cloves garlic, cut in thin slices
2 Tbsp. plus 1/2 tsp. thyme leaves
4 sprigs thyme
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
2 Tbsp. olive oil
2 medium onions, peeled and cut into thick wedges with the root ends intact
4 medium Bartlett pears, halved, cored and cut into thick wedges
1-1/2 quarts pear or apple cider
1 small cinnamon stick
10 black peppercorns
1 whole clove
2 Tbsp. minced shallots
30 tiny cherry tomatoes for garnish
The night before: Make about 20 small incisions all over the fatty side of the loin; insert a slice of garlic in each slit. Season the entire loin with 2 Tbsp. thyme leaves, 1-1/2 Tbsp. salt and 1 Tbsp. ground pepper. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Coat a roasting pan with the olive oil. Set the loin in the pan, fatty side up, and surround with the onion wedges. Roast for 45 minutes, then add the pear wedges, turning them to coat with the drippings. Continue roasting for 30 minutes or until a thermometer shows 150 degrees F in the thickest part of the loin. Set the roast on a large platter and surround it with the onions and pears. Cover with foil.
While the loin is roasting: In a large saucepan combine the cider, thyme sprigs, cinnamon stick, peppercorns and clove. Boil over high heat until reduced to 2-1/2 cups of liquid.
Pear Thyme Sauce: Drain the fat from the roasting pan, and heat the drippings over moderate heat. Add shallots and cook until wilted, about 3 minutes. Add the reduced cider and bring to a boil. Transfer to a saucepan and reduce to about 1 cup. Add the remaining 1/2 tsp. of thyme leaves. Salt and pepper to taste.
Carve the meat and arrange on a platter. Arrange the roasted pears, onions and the cherry tomatoes around the pork and serve with the Pear Thyme Sauce. I like to serve steamed baby red potatoes tossed in butter on the side.
Rice Pudding (Rice Cream)
1 lb. rice
2 quarts milk
1/2 cup sugar
2 Tbsp. butter
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1-1/2 quart whipping cream
1/2 cup sugar
1 almond
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Blanch the rice in boiling water for 5 minutes, rinse with warm water and strain.
Add the milk to a large saucepan with 1/2 cup sugar and the butter; bring to a boil.
Add the strained rice and bring to a boil, then cover with a lid or foil and set in a preheated oven and bake for 30-40 minutes. Do not stir! Take out and transfer the rice to a bowl and let cool completely.
Whip the cream and 1/2 cup sugar in a mixer until it forms a stiff peak.
Fold the rice and whipped cream together.
Add the almond.
Serve with a tart red fruit sauce.
And remember: Whoever gets the almond wins a prize or, as the legend says, gets married the next year!
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