Wasting time

So today was my Monday accounting class, which might as well just be an excuse for me to come into the city, learn some basic accounting concepts, go to Little Village Grill (Absolutely amazing hole-in-the-wall quick-service Greek food) for lunch, then go home and relax for the rest of the day since I don't work Mondays. Today, however, I'm scheduled to help with the culinary math workshops that JWU offers for students who are having trouble with measurements and conversions... I'm gonna rant about that for a bit, actually...

I was flipping through printouts of the slides all freshman students are required to look at, just so I'd know exactly what and how they were being taught, when this little snippet caught my attention:

Braised Pork Loin with Prunes
Yield 10 Servings
Ingredients:
2 oz Olive Oil                                          (Volume, also 1/4 c.)
1 lb Onion, Julienne                                 (Weight)
4 ea Garlic Cloves                                   (count)
1/3 tsp Salt                                             (Volume)
Black Pepper TT                                     (Volume)
7 oz Pitted Prunes                                   (Weight)
4 oz Cognac                                            (Volume, also 1/2 c.)
3 lb Boneless Center cut pork roast         (Weight)

"Here's another example - What if you wanted to increase this recipe to serve 100 people. You'd need to multiply the cognac 4 oz x 10. Do you need 40 fl. oz. (1 qt.1 c.)? or 40 oz. (2 1/2 lb)? Hopefully, you chose volume for this one..."

What kind of bullshit is that!? Cognac is the same weight as water, therefore, 1 fluid ounce = 1 ounce by weight. 1 Qt. 1 C. is exactly the same as 2 1/2 pounds. The only difference is the way that it's measured. Yes, using a liquid measure would be much more effective than using a scale when it comes to measuring out liquid, but telling these freshman that 40 fluid ounces is different than 40 ounces by weight is like telling them that Bacon and Pork Belly come from different parts of the pig! (For those of you who don't know, bacon is pork belly that is cured, sometimes smoked, and sliced thin)

If they really wanted to show that knowing the difference between weight and volume is important, then they should have used a recipe that calls for a certain volume of honey. Here's why: 1 cup of honey is a lot more than 8 ounces of honey.

(Note to the uneducated: when talking about water, and liquids with a nearly identical viscosity, or thickness, 1 cup is equal to 8 ounces)

Now that that's out of my system, I'm going to give you guys the MOP (Method of Production) on that recipe that pissed me off this morning... I'm not gonna retype the ingredients, so don't even think about asking.


ADDED INGREDIENT:

Chicken stock as needed (1-2 cups should be enough)


MOP:
1.) Preheat oven to 250 Fahrenheit (121 Celsius)

2.) Cut off top and root of onion(s). Slice onion(s) in half, vertically, and peel. (NOTE: Slicing onions before peeling them makes them significantly easier to peel)

3.) Cut onions into julienne (1/8 inch thick strips). I prefer radial julienne, but do it however you're comfortable.

4.) Crush and (if needed) peel  the garlic cloves and mince.

5.) Rough chop the prunes

6.) Butterfly the pork loin. (NOTE: Butterfly = cut nearly in half and open. You don't want to cut it completely in half or you'll lose the effect of what I'm trying to teach you.)

7.) Cover your work area with plastic wrap and place the pork loin in the middle of the plastic. Fold the plastic wrap over the pork loin, but not tightly.

8.) Using a mallet or heavy skillet, pound the pork loin until it is about 1/4 inch thick. Unfold plastic wrap, but do not remove from under pork.

9.) Spread the prunes evenly over the pork, leaving about an inch uncovered on the edges.

10.) Using the plastic wrap, roll the pork tightly so the prunes are inside. (Here's a how-to that I found. It's talking about sushi, but it's the same method: http://tinyurl.com/32nccb7 )

11.) Truss the pork loin. (How to: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uqZm9Q2G_R8 )

12.) Heat your pan and add oil. It is preferred that you use the same pan that you're planning on putting in the oven. If that's not possible, don't worry, it just means you'll have more that you need to clean up.

13.) Sear pork loin. Make sure that you get a nice golden color on the outside of the loin. This helps the pork to retain moisture, and it helps add an amazing flavor.

 14.) Remove pork loin from pan, set aside.

15.) Saute garlic until fragrant. Be careful not to burn it.

16.) Saute onions until translucent (mostly clear)

17.) Remove pan from heat and deglaze with cognac. (To deglaze: pour the cognac into the pan and use a spoon or rubber spatula to scrape the pan. This picks up the bits that were left behind from searing the pork, known as the Fond, or Base, which adds even more flavor to the sauce you're trying to build.)

18.) Return the pork to the pan.

19.) Add chicken stock until the pork is covered 3/4 of the way.

20.) Cover pan with foil and lid (If you have one), and place in oven.

21.) Cook until fork tender. This means that when you stick a fork in the meat and try to pull it out, the fork comes away with no trouble. If the pork tries to come with the fork, it's not done.

22.) Remove the pork from the pan and set aside.

23.) Strain the sauce through a fine strainer into a fresh pan and discard the onions. (Note: If you wish, you can save the onions, but they'll be extremely mushy and have little to no flavor.)

24.) Place sauce on stove and either reduce until thick or thicken using your preferred thickening agent (I prefer a cornstarch slurry, but a flour slurry, arrowroot slurry, or roux work just as well). Make sure you use the salt and pepper to season the sauce.

25.) Slice pork however thick you want, serve with veggies and starch of your choice (Personally, I feel Brussels Sprouts and mashed potatoes work best). Make sure to put the sauce on the pork.

26.) Sit back and enjoy the compliments.


There you have it! I finally shared a recipe with you guys. If you have questions, feel free to leave them in the comment section. Before you ask, yes, you can substitute any dried fruit for the prunes. Personally, I recommend dried cherries, but raisins work nicely too.

Also, if you're looking for a good wine to go with this dish, I recommend a good Chardonnay, though a Pinot Noir might go well also. I'm not a sommlier, so don't hold me to that... I would probably have some of the cognac that was used in the cooking process, though... But like I said, I'm not an expert when it comes to these kind of things...