Cold Roast Pork With Melon
- 2 pork loins, rind removed and kept separate
- 4 cloves of garlic
- 1 teaspoon fennel seed
- 1 teaspoon dried rosemary (or 2 teaspoons fresh)
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme (or 2 teaspoons fresh)
- 1 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 cantaloupe
- 1 lemon
- Ask the butcher to trim two pork loins and to tie each securely with twine.
- Reserve the rind.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Meanwhile, combine the garlic, fennel seed, rosemary, thyme, black pepper and salt in a mortar and, using a pestle, grind to a fine paste.
- Using a sharp knife make about 12 incisions at regular intervals in each pork loin and tuck a small amount of the herb mixture into each incision.
- Place both pork loins on a rack in a baking pan.
- Add cold water until it reaches halfway up the side.
- Place the loins in the oven and bake until the internal temperature of the pork is 160 degrees, about 35 minutes.
- Remove from the oven.
- Place the pork on a platter and refrigerate until cool.
- Meanwhile, strain the cooking liquid into a pan, place over medium heat and simmer until the volume has been reduced by half.
- Adjust the salt and pepper to taste and chill until the liquid has set into a loose jelly.
- Using a sharp knife, cut the melon into 1/4-inch dice.
- Combine the cubes with the juice of one lemon, toss and refrigerate until completely chilled.
- Use a sharp knife to slice the pork into 1/4-inch slices and fan the slices on individual plates in a circle.
- Place a mound of melon in the center of each plate.
- Serve with the cool pork jelly on the side.
pork loins, garlic, fennel seed, rosemary, thyme, ground black pepper, kosher salt, cantaloupe, lemon
Taken from cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/5579 (may not work)