Friday, April 17, 2015

Pork Roast with Mangoes and Lychees

Per  Nana~
I don't cook pork too often lately because I find it to be very dry, but using
 Dorie's method of braising the meat with the fruit makes such a difference. 
We both enjoyed it, and blending the fruit with all the other ingredients made 
a lovely and delicious sauce. I cooked rice as a side dish and with some of
 the sauce on top, it was really good. I know I overcooked the meat but I just 
can't eat pork unless it is cooked through. Thanks to Tricia for finding 
the lychees, which was a first for us, it definitely added to this recipe. 
Per Tricia~
This recipe had me intrigued from the start since I had neither 
eaten nor cooked with lychees before this "French Friday". 
 I was also simply delighted that I could find
 them in the off season in our suburban area. 
The sauce has some heavy hitters taste wise. 
Garlic, onion, vinegar, wine, honey. Wow. 
The sweet lychee along with the cut mangoes added quite a 
sweet/savory kick to the dish. Did we enjoy it - yes.
 I especially liked the combination of the mangoes
 with pork and I will likely revisit that portion again.
  It was comfort food with a kick, and a refreshing change from my 
usual pork with apples. It is always an adventure on Friday around here ~

13 comments:

  1. It really did have a lot going on in there didn't it...but I found it very well balanced. I'm not usually one for sweet fruit and meet but I really couldn't find anything not to like here. Beautifully done ladies!

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  2. This all looks too delicious. I like that you served them in your little French individual casserole dishes (don't know what they are called exactly). Nana, I'm from Iowa and I promise you that you no longer have to cook pork until it's thoroughly done. You're right. It gets dry. Those smart researchers at Iowa State not only slimmed down those hogs but also performed enough magic so a little "pink" in the middle is desirable. I promise. (We don't even whisper the word Trichinosis anymore.) I wish I had found lychees so I could have at least tried them. Nice job, Ladies. Very nice.

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  3. I'm so glad you were able to find the lychees. And happy it was a hit for all of you this week. This was an amazing balancing act of flavours, wasn't it?

    I loved seeing Kathy's photos of you all at your Dorista/David Lebovitz get-together. Sounds like you had a fabulous time!

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  4. Glad you ladies both enjoyed this dish. I have made it before and it is one of my favourites from Around My French Table.

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  5. It is fun trying to find the different ingredients, isn't it? I liked the dish too- nice way to change up pork! I had a loin roast, so it was a little dry, will definitely do a tenderloin next time. Thank you for sending the picture of the canned item ( I looked in fresh produce) I will look for it in the asian section next visit to the supermarket

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  6. I wasn't able to find lychees and wish I had been able to try them. I did enjoy the dish without them and am glad you two enjoyed it to!

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  7. Isn't it fun to try a new ingredient? I didn't have time to get to the market that has lychees, but I did enjoy this. Was even able to find a small pork loin - which turned out perfectly with this method.

    Well done - and with such a big week visiting Doristas and attending the class! Both of your dishes look delicious!!

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  8. Heavy hitters, indeed. I'm glad you both enjoyed this. And Tricia, you pulled your weight this week being the one to find the elusive ingredient. Usually it's Nana that saves the day. Your Dorista get-together sounds like so much fun!

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  9. Well ladies, you both did a fabulous job getting this one done! Both dishes look delicious! It was a winner in my house, too! I wasn’t able to find lychees…but I’ve had them in the past, and I’m not sure they would have made a big difference in this dish.
    It was fantastic seeing you both Monday…I had such a great time with my three Dorista friends! And getting to sit through a DL demo was the icing on the cake! Thanks for including me on this wonderful adventure.
    Have a great weekend!

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  10. Both of your dishes look wonderful, Nana and Tricia! Nana, that's exactly why I don't like to make pork loin. the only times I've even been remotely satisfied is when I brined it with Thomas Keller's recipe (and should've done this time, too). Tricia, glad you found the lychees! While I too would be fine without them, they do add an interesting flavor and texture!

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  11. Well said, "it is always an adventure" but I am loving every minute of it. Since I joined the group so late I have well more than 37 recipes to make. Glad you all liked this one, we did too.

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  12. glad you both enjoyed it! I think pork plus fruit is always a winner, but then some of our group isn't a fan of sweet-savory pork, but I think there are certainly some surprises in here! ;)

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  13. For me this recipe falls squarely into that rather large category of never-would-have-tried-it-if-not-for-this-group. But I too was pretty darn impressed with the pork + mango combination and I'm so happy that I tried it.

    And, why yes, Tricia, we do appear to have the same pot for this recipe. I have been eyeing the new "cool mint" color though for a slightly larger version.

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