Braised Pork Roast with Apples & Cranberries

Today I coated a two pound pork roast in sage, salt and pepper and then seared it to a nice caramel dark brown in a very hot skillet with a few tablespoons of canola oil..about ten minutes. I then removed it to a crock pot heated to high. I added a sprig of rosemary to top off the roast. Then I deglaced my pan with about 3/4 c. dry white wine, 1/2 c. OJ and 1 c. chicken stock. I added a sprinkling of cracked black pepper as well. Just as the mixture started to come to a boil, as I made sure to scrape all the tasty bits off the bottom of the pan (this is where the flavor comes from), I added about 1/2 c. of brown sugar and brought the mixture to a full boil to thicken slightly, mixing the ingredients well.

I poured the contents of the pan over the roast. Then I added a couple of handfuls of dried cranberries to the pot, along the sides of the roast. It's in the crock pot now (this will cook on high for four hours or on low for 8), and when SP gets here, I'll peel, core and slice apples slightly bigger than usual and arrange them in the crockpot for the last hour, or until they are tender.

When the entire dish is done, I will remove it to a platter, reserving the liquid and arranging the fruit along the sides of the sliced roast. In a large saucepan, I'll make a bit of a roux, with a tablespoon of butter and flour each, and mix them until they are starting to turn color. Then i will add the contents of the crockpot to create a tasty gravy.

While all of that is finishing up, I'll make some mashed potatoes and a salad to serve with dinner. We'll drink the leftover wine with our meal. This should be good. I was inspired by a recipe I saw online last week, but couldn't find when I wanted to make this. I read a couple of other recipes and think I get the gist.

You could braise this and add other dried fruits or veggies or a combination of both. Braising works very well for tougher cuts of meat, and it creates layers of flavor. Try it with chicken, beef roast, lamb...whatever you like.

Go Steelers!

SP loved it...he said it is one of the best meals I've made for him. He requested that I make it again. It was pretty good. You can taste the fruity flavors in the meat and it's extremely tender and juicy.