CROWN ROAST of pork is a delight to eat because it is so very moist, but it is also great fun to serve because it is so festive and attractive. Prepare fittle paper panties for the roast or purchase them in a gourmet shop. These will add some color to the table. The following menu is perfect for a smail dinner party. CROWN ROAST OF PORK {Serves 8) . 1 crown coast of pork Freshly ground black pepper to taste 1 tablespoon dried sage, whole 1 tablespoon dried thyme, whole 1% cups dry white wine for Lasting 1 large bouquet of parsley Salt to taste Beessing for the pork (optional — recipe below) ’ For this dish you must find a real’ live butcher, Have him cut and tie a crown roast of pork for you. He will understand what to do. You will have a roast cf 16 ribs, enough for 8 people. Rub the roast with freshly ground pepper and the sage and thyme. Wrap the ends of the ribs ia aluminum foil so they will not burn during roasting. Place a ball of loosely crumpled aluminum foil in the centre of the roast. Place the roast on a rack in @ toasting pan. Bake in a preheated 325°F even for about 25 minutes per pound, I use a meat ther- mometer and roast the meat until it reaches an internal temperature of 165°F. ‘Baste from time to time with the wine. Allow the roast to sit a few minutes before you carve. When ready to serve, remove the foil and place a large bouquet of parsley in the centre of the roast. You may also fill the centre with dressing. Salt to taste. You may wish to put litte paper panties (see HINT below) on the rib encs. If you want to serve the crown with gravy, use the pan drippings to make your favorite kind. { love the taste of pork so much I like to just pick it up, dressed with its panty, and enjoy it natu- rally. - HINT: How to make panties for meat and poultry 1. Make little cuts along the seam of a_ paper napkin (each about %-inch apart and about 1% inches deep). Jeff Smith Ns THE FRUGAL GOURME 2. Cut away all the napkin ex- cept a l-inch border under the cuts. . 3. Reverse the folds of the cuts and roll the panties around your thumb. Seal with Scotch tape. SEEPS 1 pound cooked breakfast or Italian sausage, coarsely chopped 1% tablespoons dried sage, whole 2 cups fresh or canned chicken stock 3 eggs, heaten Salt and freshly ground biack pepper to taste Heat a large frying pan and add the olive oil, butter, garlic, onions, celery and parsley. Saute until the vegetables are tender. In a large bowl combine the dried bread cubes, sauteed vegetables and ail the remaining ingredients. Mix tcgether until everything is evenly incorporated. Sake in a covered casserole at 350°F for | hour. Fill the centre of the cooked crown roast with the cooked dressing. - COLD ASPARAGUS (Serves 6 to 8) This is great with the Crown Roast of Pork. You may also use frozen asparagus for this dish. Do not overcook it. 142 pounds fresh (or frozen) as- paragus 2 tablespoons olive oi! THE DRESSING: Y: cup extra virgin olive oil 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar 44 Bake in a preheated 325°F oven Jor about 25 minutes per pound. 99 You will need to experiment a bit to learn to make them the proper diameter for whatever kind of meat or poultry you wish to deco- rate. STUFFING FOR CROWN ROAST OF PORK (Serves 6 to 8) You might want to fill the cen- tre of the crown with this bread dressing. Bake the dressing in a covered casserole and fill the cavi- ty of the cooked roast just before serving. Do not bake the dressing in the roast. 2 tablespoons olive oil 4 tablespoons (12 stick) butter 3 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced 3 medium yellow onions, peeled and sliced 3 statks celery, chapped Y% cup chopped fresh parsley 1% pounds white bread, cubed and dried overnight 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice Salé and freshly yround black pepper te taste Break off the tough woody ends of the asparagus spears. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the 2 tablespoons of olive oil and the asparagus. Blanch the asparagus only 2 minutes if they are of medium thickness. Do not overcook. Drain in a colander and im- mediately rinse under ice-cold water. Drain well aad place on a platter. In a bowl mix all the ingredients for the dressing together well and pour over the asparagus. Cover the plastic wrap. Chill the aspara- gus, turning them once, for 2 hours. BRUSSELS SPROUTS WITH BALSAMIC VINEGAR (Serves 6 to 8) - North Shore News ~- 48 HAVE THE butcher cut and tie a crown roast consisting of 16 tibs, enough for eight people. This delicious variation cna the sprout will change some minds ia your house. Those who are con- vinced they do not like brussels sprouts will enjoy these. Be sure not to overcook them. : 1% pounds fresh brussels sprouts 2 tablespoons olive oil 2 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced 1 medium yellow onion, peeled and thinly sliced Y% cup balsamic vinegar 2 tablespoons butter Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste Trim off the stems of remove any limp leaves from the brussels sprouts. Blanch the sprouts in boiling water to cover for 5 minutes. Drain and rinse under cold water to stop the cooking. Heat a large frying pan and add the olive oil, garlic and onion. Saute a few minutes until the onion becomes just tender. Add the blanched, drained sprouts. Saute a few minutes until they are cooked to your liking. Add the vinegar and toss so all the sprouts are coated with the vinegar. Add the butter and salt and pepper to taste and toss together again. LEMON CREAM COOKIES (Makes 6 dozen) My mother has been making these delicious cookies for as long as | can remember. Your guests will love them. Save the extras for your kids. THE DOUGE: - : ¥% cup (1% sticks) butter, at room temperature 3 ounces cream cheese, softered 1 tablespoon bakiag powder =~ 4% teaspoon salt 1 cup sugar . 1 egg, at room tempcrature 1 tablespoon grated lemon peel 1 tadlespoon fresh lemon juice © 3 cups all-purpose flour, or more Cream the butter. and cream cheese together until fluffy. Blend . in the baking powder, salt, sugar, egg, grated lemon peel. and the lemon juice. : Gradually blend in the 3. cups flour, or more, and knead to form a soft dough. Force the dough. through a cookie press (I: use Sawa brand from Sweden) with’a No. 16 plate to form 3-inch-long cookie bars. Press the cookies di- rectly onto a baking sheet. Bake in a preheated 400°F oven for 8 to 10 minutes. Allow to cool ona rack, THE ICING: 1 cup confectioners sugar Y2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice 4 teaspoons milk % cup walnuts, chopped fine In a small bowl blend the sugar, lemon juice and miik together un- til smooth. Brush half the top of a cookie with icing. Sprinkle the ic- ing with the nuts. Place the cookie on a rack to dry the icing. Repeat the process with the rest of the cookies. Temperature makes difference in preparation inquisitive SUE WILSON ANNE GARDINER CREAM WHIPS best when it’s cold. Egg whites beat to their greatest heights when they’re at room temperature. Have you heard these biis of sage advice and have you wondered if temperature really makes a difference? You bet it does! Here are some of the rules — and the logic. & Chill czeam before whippiag. Cream is thicker when it’s cold (45°F/7°C or lower), so it’s more able to contain the millions of tiny air bubbles created by beating. The warmer the cream, the more likely soft fat droplets are to coalesce as they’re beaten, causing them to separate. Optimally, the fat is finely dispersed in thin supportive films around the air bubbles. » Butter is best at room temperature for beating in shortened cakes and cookies. Beating adds air to shortening — a step that’s crucial to achiev- ing a light-textured cake or cookie. Butter holds the maximum amount of air when it’s at 65 to 75°F (18 to 24°C). If it’s too cold it resists beating. ‘Too warm and it’s too sloppy to hold air. This narrow temperature range does not apply to many vegetable shortenings which have been designed to be soft at a wide range of temperatures. ® Warm eggs before adding to shortened cakes. Shortened cakes are those that contain fats. Their batters are emulsions — mixtures of fat and water-based liquids which normal- ly wouldn’t combine. The emulsifiers found in eggs have an affinity for both fat and water, and hold shortened cake batters together. These emulsifiers work best when they’re at roughly 60°F (15°C). Liquids added should be the same temperature. Cold (or hot) ingredients may break the emulsion, curdling the batter, so it holds less air. The final texture of the cake will be dense and heavy. If you’re about to make a cake and the eggs are still in the fridge, pop them in the microwave for five seconds. But beware! Eggs explode if microwaved toc long. They only need warming, not cooking. Holding them in warm water for a few minutes works just as well. » Cold shortening makes the flakiest pastry. Cold shortening stays in tiny pieces when it’s cut into flour. When liquid is added, the dough becomes a mixture of gluten (formed when flour and liquid are mixed) and fat. Rolling flattens the fat into thin layers. Finally, baking melts the layers of fat, creating flakes. Shortening that’s soft is more likely to blend with the flour than to say in distinct pieces. It will! still make tender pastry, but it won’t be as flaky. » Egg whites beat most easily at room temperature. Eggs at room temperature have lower surface tension so beat to a foam more quickly and to a higher volume than eggs that are cold when beaten. The next time your cake batter curdles or the cream won’t whip, consider temperature — it does make a difference. .